It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a decade since former Scene editor and current contributor Steve Cavendish wrote a cover story about “how a new wave of craft breweries is fueling Nashville’s craft beer craze.” What’s less difficult to believe is that every single one of the breweries Cavendish featured in 2014 is still thriving, even as a dozen new craft breweries have been added to the city’s roster since then.
There’s been a little turnover in the industry, as R.S. Lipman Brewing Co. bought up Turtle Anarchy and Little Harpeth in 2021, and a few breweries have changed or added locations since 2014, but the tale of the Nashville craft beer boom is primarily a success story that is still being written. We figured it was time for an update in case readers haven’t been able to keep up with all the delicious new developments in town, so read on for a primer about what’s on tap.
The Beasts of the East
When Fat Bottom Brewing opened in the former Fluffo Mattress building in 2012, it was the first brewery to start up in East Nashville before making the jump to bigger digs in The Nations four years later. Their void was filled by the arrival of several new breweries to service the East Side.
Among the largest is East Nashville Beer Works, founded by Anthony Davis. A former Metro councilmember, Davis was keenly aware of the importance of plugging into the neighborhood, and he created a family-friendly taproom and beer garden with a playground, as well as a food and beer menu that continues to be quite approachable. ENBW’s Miro Miel honey blonde ale is a crushable sipper with an alcohol level that allows patrons to still keep an eye on the kids after enjoying a few pints.
Smith & Lentz probably gets more publicity for its excellent pizza offerings, but that shouldn’t overshadow the talent Adler Lentz and Kurt Smith show off as brewers. Inspired by Lentz’s high school trip to Europe, the range of beers at Smith & Lentz leans toward German pilsners and a wildly popular Vienna lager, but they also pour some spectacular IPAs.
Southern Grist started with a tiny production system, basically a glorified home-brew setup, but their experimentative recipes packed the tiny original taproom on Porter Road. Within a couple of years, the three founders moved their production facility to The Nations and swapped their first home with a much larger modern taproom on Douglas Avenue. While many of their beers do repeat on their rota of recipes, they don’t really have a flagship brew. They attract crowds by consistently offering new and exciting beers along with an extensive food program at both locations.
Smith & Lentz
Downtown Delights
While Blackstone and Czann’s have both moved out of the urban core and Big River/Rock Bottom Brewing closed up shop a couple of years ago, downtown is still a hotbed of craft brewing.
New Heights takes its name from the San Diego neighborhood where head brewer Jeff Fountain lived before moving to Nashville in 2014. Fountain’s experience allows for a capacity to brew a vast variety of beer styles, from cream ales and sours to IPAs and powerful stouts that will leave you weak in the knees. He also loves playing with barrel-aging, to great effect.
Although Yee-Haw Brewing Co. was born in Johnson City, it feels like it was born for Music City. The taproom/adult playground in SoBro that it shares with corporate cousin Ole Smoky Moonshine draws throngs of tourists to enjoy tastings, live music and sports on huge screens both inside and outdoors.
TailGate has seen greater expansion over the past year than any other brewery in town, adding Music Row, Germantown, East Nashville, Hendersonville and Chattanooga outposts to its massive headquarters and production facility in Bellevue. While many of their beers do adhere to classic styles, the most popular offerings tend to feature more whimsical flavors like Peanut Butter Milk Stout and their heavily fruited Shnack Series that ranges from pastry stouts to fruited sours and milkshake IPAs.
Admit it, You Love Homestyle IPA
Before abandoning Nashville for the bright lights of Los Angeles, erstwhile Scene generalist J.R. Lind called for a redesign of Nashville’s enigmatic flag. If that were to happen, the golden iris on a black field that bedecks a can of Homestyle IPA from Bearded Iris would be a good place to start, because the hoppy juggernaut is pretty much ubiquitous on local beer menus. The closest thing that the city has come to developing a real regional beer, Homestyle is available in a dozen states as well as in BIBCO’s Germantown and Sylvan Supply taprooms.
Barrique Brewing & Blending
Tiny but Mighty
Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to breweries, and most of your current favorites probably started out as pretty tiny operations. The trend continues with a bevy of nanobreweries in Nashville that we’re looking forward to watching grow.
Crazy Gnome Brewery took a direct slam from the 2020 tornado, which — along with COVID restrictions — significantly delayed their opening. But they have definitely hit the ground running. Their cozy East Nashville taproom has evolved into a popular clubhouse for beer lovers to enjoy founder Grayson Miller’s eclectic range of sours, IPAs, stouts and farmhouse ales along with trivia nights and gaming.
Barrique Brewing & Blending moved into Little Harpeth’s former home in 2021, offering owner Joel Stickrod the space he needed to store hundreds of oak barrels that he uses to ferment and store batches of wild-fermented brews that he blends using ancient Belgian techniques. Some of his beers can take up to 18 months to mature, but they are definitely worth the wait!
Living Waters Brewing
Fait La Force is a two-man operation in Wedgewood-Houston that has quickly become a neighborhood hang thanks to the playful atmosphere of the eclectically designed taproom and beers that don’t obsess over stylistic restrictions. Their most popular beer is named Top of the Walk-In, which they classify as a “Euro Pale,” which isn’t really a thing. But it is delicious.
Living Waters Brewing takes the concept of brewing to an extra level, offering both small-batch beers and thoughtfully brewed coffees at its East Trinity Lane location. Their beers are classified as “Waterfalls,” which are meant to be consumed immediately, and “Rivers,” more complex brews that are eligible for cellaring so they can continue to mature as they wend their way through time. Or drink them now, because they’re already pretty tasty.
Harding House Brewing Co. is a tiny brewery and taproom in The Nations that maintains a laser focus on being a hyper-local business — Harding sources local and seasonal ingredients whenever possible. The beer menu intentionally changes with the seasons, to offer the lighter beers that patrons ask for in the summer and the more full-bodied styles of winter, and also to showcase the terroir of the region and the seasonality of the harvest from the suppliers they seek out.
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