Hello everyone! I will be travailing down to TN in May to help my girl friend move up north to CT. Ill be starting off in Chatt, before heading of to Memphis for 2 nights and then a night in Nashville before heading over to NC. Any recommendations on beers I should look out for or breweries to try while we travel around? Thanks!
While you're in chattooga I highly recommend that you go to Beverage World in Fort Oglethorpe GA which is just south outside of Chattooga. They have a great selection of beers(including GA breweries like creature comforts, Orpheus, and burnt hickory) They also have numerous other breweries that are unavailable in TN like Evil Twin, Westbrook, lost Abby, clown shoes, and boulevard, just to name a few. I'll 2nd the notion that you should keep an eye out for the 2 breweries with the best TN IPAs, bearded iris and southern grist. Bearded Iris is starting to see distro around the state but southern grist is primarily draught and crowler fills in Nashville from what I've seen. If you drive through the Knoxville area I recommend Crafty Bastard, IMO the most creative brewery in Knox. I highly recommend their double IPA tessalation(mosaic) or their triple IPA BFB if they still have it on tap.
Agree with Bearded Iris and Southern Grist in Nashville. Other spots: Craft Brewed - great local bottle shop and taproom New Heights Brewing Yazoo - especially if you like sours Smith and Lentz in East Nashville If you're in Bellevue, TailGate has a great taproom as well.
Blackberry Farm puts out some pretty amazing farmhouse-style beers. They are in Walland, outside Knoxville but see distribution throughout the state.
Nashville has pretty well covered although I would definitely add Corsair Artisan Distillery in the Marathon Motor Works building. Always have their own barrel aged beers on tap, very under the radar place.
Sidenote to that: Don't make the mistake I did and try and visit the grounds. You will be promptly booted if you don't have a reservation to stay at the very exclusive resort.
