TailGate Taproom Is Open on Charlotte Pike — Owner Has Big Plans

has officially completed their

with the opening last weekend of their 7,000-plus-square-foot taproom facility in the old Moose Lodge building at 7300 Charlotte Pike. Don't let that big address number scare you off; while it's technically in Bellevue, TailGate is located just a couple of minutes off I-40 at either Exit 201 or 199, right around the corner from the Sam's Club on Old Hickory Boulevard.

I dropped in to speak with TailGate founder/CEO Wesley Keegan in the main taproom earlier this week, and he is quite enthusiastic about the venture. His company sells beer through distributors (Ajax Turner locally) to major retailers in 14 states, although they are not actually brewing anything in their new Nashville digs yet. Currently, Minhas Brewery in southern Wisconsin produces TailGate's two flagship brands, Blacktop Blonde and Session IPA, although it isn't exactly the traditional contract brewing relationship like Yazoo and Blackstone practice with other breweries. Instead, Keegan refers to it as a "alternating proprietorship," an arrangement where companies can rent out excess capacity and time at another brewery and use the equipment and their own sourced ingredients to create their own products.

Keegan does have a small three-barrel brewing system on order for his new facility to do some experimental brewing and R&D as well as special small-batch brews for the local market. Plans to expand further include the addition of a commercial brewhouse that could be as big as 50 barrels of brewing capacity and much more fermentation room in the tanks. And TailGate has plenty of room to add all of that equipment, since the monstrous three-room taproom occupies only about a third of the former Moose Lodge. (Those mooses needed room to roam apparently.) Keegan and his associates had to spend a fair amount time cleaning up and rehabbing the building, which is still a little minimalist in decor.

The main taproom has a draft and growler filling system with 20 taps, two of which are dedicated to TailGate products, with the rest set aside for interesting local, regional and international beers. "We want to stock at least one beer from every local brewer, and whenever we blow a keg, we'll replace it with another option from that same brewer'" shares Keegan. "We're also looking to stock really rare and limited-release beers that you can't easily find in the area." The bar is also committed to using the right glassware with none of the traditional shaker pints. Instead, they'll serve 5.5-ounce tasters in tulip glasses and proper pints in a 20-ounce glass with an actual pour line at the 16.9 ounce level to leave room for a head.

The non-smoking, non-vaping taproom is all ages, with a rotating non-alcoholic root beer on tap and also a cider offering that is decidedly not for the kiddies. A dedicated nitro spout will also offer stouts and other beers that benefit from the specialized delivery system. Prices range from $2.50 and $4.50 for tasters and pints of TailGate beers to $3 for small pours of other brands and market pricing on pints of non-TailGate beer, depending on the rarity of the brew.

A monstrous projection television takes up a wall of the main taproom, and there's also room for live music in the future. But thanks to the flexibility of the multiple rooms of the old lodge, there is also a quiet room they are calling the Café, with with no televisions, picnic tables for games and cards, music playing, and space to relax. Like your favorite coffee shop, but with beer instead of coffee.

The TailGate campus actually covers over 17 acres, and there is already a party barn, which Keegan has restored for events and rental opportunities. Since their beer license allows for consumption anywhere on the property, expect springtime to bring a picnic and dining area, tailgater games like cornhole and horseshoes, an outdoor concert pavilion and a community garden where they'll grow a crop of hops.

Speaking of food, it's BYO at TailGate, but they are arranging food truck visits and encourage folks to bring in a spread and stay all day if they'd like. They will eventually offer some small bites, but don't expect anything fancy. Keegan hinted that their "charcuterie plate" will actually be Lunchables. They also want to invite homebrewers to come use their small system when it's installed and are considering brewing custom batches for restaurants to serve on their own taps. There are also plans to allow groups to come in for corporate teambuilding and brewing sessions (hint, hint, Mr. Pink!) The facility will also be available for rental for holiday events.

Right now, TailGate has only four employees, but they will soon be hiring aggressively for brewers and taproom workers. They also plan to offer a small retail area with local products and homebrewing supplies and a bottle shop stocking hard-to-find beers.

There's been a little grumbling among the local craftbrew community about the fact that TailGate now uses the word "Nashville" on their packaging despite the fact that no beer is being brewed here yet. While I understand the sensitivity, people have been buying cans of Budweiser for years that list St. Louis as the address despite the fact that the beer was probably actually produced at some other regional brewery closer to the distribution point.

I asked Keegan why he moved to Nashville from San Diego, because in my experience there's nothing at all wrong with that idyllic locale. He joked that it was part of a witness relocation deal, but actually many of his distributors had been requesting that he move his base of operations somewhere closer to where so many beer drinkers live. He intends to alter his distribution strategy to emphasize the South, and with big companies like Walmart, Kroger and Mapco as primary outlets, it certainly makes sense to work out of Nashville.

Keegan has moved his family and his operations to town, the city and state will benefit from his addition to the tax base, and he seems to have a sincere commitment to the brewing culture here in Nashville. He sees Music City as being on a similar trajectory to the brewing markets in Asheville, N.C., and Phoenix, two cities that are earning vaunted reputations as destinations for beer tourism. He also plans to roll out a "Community Tuesday" feature with $1 of every pour going to a local nonprofit. I think he'll be a great new neighbor, so go check out the TailGate taproom and give it a try.

TailGate Beer

7300 Charlotte Pike

tailgatebeer.com

Hours: 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; noon to 10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday