Per Matt
The northeast corridor of East Nashville will soon receive a craft-beer infusion when East Nashville Beer Works opens its doors later this year.
Founded by Anthony Davis and Sean Jewett, the soon-to-be-opened brewery will feature well-balanced craft beer full of bright flavors. Housed in the former Binco Cleaning Supplies building, the brewery will feature 4,000 square feet of space, which will include a taproom, a kitchen and a wide open space to fill with all of their brewing equipment. Currently, the areas that surround the property are kind of a craft-beer and restaurant desert (with the exception of Charlie Bob’s Restaurant and The Pharmacy), but that may soon change with the brewery’s arrival.
“Nothing sets an area off, like a brewery,” commented Davis.
The estimated opening date for the brewery is late spring, with beer going out for distribution in early May and the taproom scheduled to open in late May or early June. Until then, the founders have been hard at work remodeling the building. Both have a passion for craft beer. Mr. Davis, a native Tennessean who grew up in the Bellevue area, currently represents Inglewood on the City Council. Mr. Jewett is originally from Southern Illinois, who was introduced to the area while attending MTSU and Vanderbilt University. He has been brewing beer for six years, now, while gathering feedback from friends on every brew.
“The theme of our beer is balanced and bright,” said Davis. “All of our beer is balanced — even our hoppier stuff is not a bitter bomb. Whether it’s an IPA or not, they lean toward bright flavors.”
Photo Courtesy: East Nashville Beer Works
The founders hope to create a taproom-oriented brewery, which will soon become their customer’s third-most frequented place, outside of their home and their job. Their aim is to provide 12 different crafty and artisan styles of beer on tap, at any given time. Every beer selection will be available in the taproom, throughout the year.
Flagship Craft Beers include:
- Miro Miel: The name of this honey blonde is an homage to Nashville’s Miro district of the past. It’s an easy-drinking beer made with local honey and a good macro-conversion that has an ABV around 5.2%.
- Swing Bridge IPA: Named after the actual bridge in Shelby Park, this full-bodied IPA really represents East Nashville. Described as an East Coast-meets-West Coast beer, it’s more fruity-floral than a bitter bomb, clocking in at 6.2% ABV.
- Woodland Street Session Series: This 4.5% ABV beer will have floral hops randomly changing throughout the year, for availability. Every batch doesn’t have to be altered, but there may be a few different versions available in the brewery’s taproom.
- Cumberland Punch: This American Wheat will be available during the warmer months. It’s got a 6.2% ABV and features a citrusy taste with slight hop undertones.
- Young Hickory Smoked Porter: During the colder months, this full-bodied, 4.5% ABV smoked Porter will be available. Its grains will be smoked at the brewery.
- There will also be a variety of IPAs available at the brewpub, as well.
“There’s always going to be room for more beer in the market… of course, it just has to be really good beer,” said Davis.
According to Sean, there will be some high-gravity beers available in the tap room from the get-go. (Be on the lookout for a double IPA and an Imperial Stout!) Once completed, the building will not be a sports bar or feature loud bands performing, but the aim is to create a chill brewpub atmosphere that connects with the local community. Outside, a 20-foot wraparound deck will surround half the building and feature an outdoor serving window that meets the bar, so outdoor customers who are either enjoying the firepit or playing Horseshoes can get refills without physically walking into the building. Future plans also include growing hops along one wall of the building, as well.
Anthony: “If it’s a great place, people are going to go there. No one asks if there are too many coffee shops. As we want to become the third place for you, the craft-beer conversation will get there, too. As more breweries open that are more taproom-oriented and place-based, I think that conversation will go away, at some point.”
Sean: “I agree. Coffee is a little bit different than beer, but there’s a lot of similarities. If you’re going to drink coffee, you want a nice, comfortable place to relax, where you can read a newspaper or do your work. We want to provide that kind of place, where you can drink some beer. You just want to spend some time there, eat some food while you’re there and drink some beer.”
East Nashville Beer Works plans to create a one-page menu of artisan pizzas and salads to pair along with their craft-beer selections. During the first year of operations, the brewery aims to distribute their product throughout Middle Tennessee and letting the market decide their growth model. Eventually, the company aims to can their beers.
What do you want people to think, when they hear the name, East Nashville Beer Works?
–Anthony: “We want people to think about community. Beer is community. That’s our slogan for a reason. We want to be a very community-involved brewery. Great balanced and bright beer and a very community-driven brewery and taproom.”
–Sean: “I want it to be a place where you can have a great time, the beer and the food is good, and there’s a great atmosphere that will invite you back again.”
Overall, the founders want to create a variety of craft beers, constantly adding new selections to their taproom draft list. The guys are aiming to open their brewery soon and hope to make their first ever beer-fest appearance at this year’s Brew at the Zoo. They’re also looking forward to participating in the Mafiaoza’s Music City Brewer’s Festival, as well as many other summer events. Find out more about upcoming brewery events via their social media.
For More Information:
– East Nashville Beer Works Webpage
– East Nashville Beer Works Twitter
– East Nashville Beer Works Facebook
– East Nashville Beer Works Instagram
– East Nashville Beer Works Untappd