Posted by In a word – YES! Nashville is 1000% a destination city for Craft Beer! Everybody knows Nashville is a destination city for other reasons – most of which I’ll never write about on this website (WOO!) – but is it worth coming to Nashville JUST for craft beer? You better believe it and I’ll tell you why.
Why is Nashville a Craft Beer Destination City?
First, because we have 25 unique breweries with a taproom and a Nashville zip code, with many of them having multiple locations in different parts of the city. If you factor in the ones with multiple locations and the airport, we’ve got a total of 35. (This doesn’t count the breweries outside of Nashville like Murfreesboro, Clarksville and Columbia that are doable in a day, but for this post I’m focusing on more of just Nashville.)
In Nashville, there aren’t many within walking distance of each other unfortunately, but there are parts of town where several are in close proximity like East Nashville and West Nashville. No matter what part of the city you’re staying in there will be breweries near you. There is even one in the downtown area for those who want to spend all of their time down there
. For a complete and current map and list of all Nashville and Nashville area breweries check out this page on our site: Map & List of Nashville Area Breweries.
Next, and most importantly, is the beer itself. Every beer style you can imagine is brewed by some brewery in town. You can get Barrel Aged Sours, Belgian Styles, Double IPA’s, Lagers, Fruited Sours, Barrel Aged Stouts, Ciders, Meads and so many more. We’d be happy to recommend a brewery to visit if you’re looking for a particular style. Nashville has got one of the most unique beer scenes that I’ve come across in any city. When I look at the different breweries around the city, every brewery has their own uniqueness in beer styles and / or taprooms and nobody is duplicating anyone else.
Not only is every beer style represented by Nashville breweries, but the quality of beer is outstanding. I don’t know of any brewery in Nashville that just “mails it in”. Everyone takes pride in what they brew and how they brew it. We’ve spoken to a few brewers on our Brewery Underground Podcast and they’ve all been passionate about brewing, even back when they were home brewing.
Breweries to Visit
These are in alphabetical order with a brief description of each brewery.
- Barrique Brewing and Blending – Terrific Barrel Aged Sours. They brew a lot of other styles too – all which I love. These are one of the breweries that you can tell use only quality and real ingredients.
- Bassline Brewing Company – Huge fan of these guys. Their taproom is huge, and they brew many different styles – all high-quality beers. One of my favorites was a German Pils. They have a style for everyone including ciders and seltzers. They have also added a full menu recently.
- Bearded Iris Brewing – Germantown – Known for their Double IPA’s. Brewers of Homestyle which is a Nashville favorite. Don’t sleep on their other styles as everything they brew is excellent. Homestyle might be the beer that represents Nashville the most.
- Bearded Iris Brewing – Sylvan Supply – Known for their Double IPA’s. Brewers of Homestyle which is a Nashville favorite. Don’t sleep on their other styles as everything they brew is excellent. Homestyle might be the beer that represents Nashville the most.
- Black Abbey Brewing Company – Solid core beers. You’ll find a lot of specialty beers in their taproom. They make a lot of Belgian Styles among IPA’s, Brown Ales, and Blondes.
- Blackstone Brewing Company / Nashville Cider – Oldest Brewery in Nashville. Fantastic solid core beers. I think their beer is underrated in Nashville but they are one of my favorites. The Pumpkin Ale is my favorite pumpkin beer. Visit the beautiful brewery and taproom and tell them we sent you.
- Crazy Gnome Brewery – Wonderful selection including ciders and seltzers. All beers are high quality and I’m a big fan of these guys. We did a podcast with Grayson Miller who is the owner and head brewer.
- Czann’s Brewing Company – Very good core beers including their Oktoberfest which is very popular. They have a very nice taproom that used to be a church and they are a Buffalo Bills watch bar.
- Diskin Cider – This is their US headquarters and as far as ciders go, they do a good job. The taproom has local beer as well.
- East Nashville Beer Works – With 24 taps in their taproom they have a large selection with varying styles and something for everyone including currently – a non-alcoholic beer.
- Fait La Force Brewing – Some of the best Belgian style beers you’ll ever have. Everything they do is phenomenal in my opinion. These guys are a must to visit. One of their beers made my Top 10 beers of 2023.
- Fat Bottom Brewing Company – Solid core beers with a fantastic taproom and venue space. They have really great food in a fantastic spot in The Nations on the West side of Nashville.
- Harding House Brewing Company – One of the more unique styles of beer in Nashville. They brew seasonal artisanal beer with a lot of local ingredients including fruits and grains. (Recently Closed)
- Hi-Wire Brewing – Great taproom and a huge selection of beers and styles. Voted one of my favorite breweries of 2023.
- Honeytree Meadery – Nashville has something for everyone – including a Meadery. I’ve recently visited this Meadery and I’d recommend it to anyone.
- Jackalope Brewing Company – The Ranch – Great selection of beer. Woman owned. Big supporters of their local community and a huge indoor / outdoor taproom.
- Little Harpeth Brewing – Nashville International Airport – Only physical location they have but nice beer with several styles.
- Living Waters Brewing – They brew coffee and beer. They can do just about every beer style and have a lot of creativity. I really enjoy everything they brew.
- Marble Fox Brewing Company – One of the best new breweries in Nashville. Everything they brew is a winner.
- Monday Night Brewing – Preservation Company – Although they don’t brew in Nashville, (yet) this place has the look and feel of a brewery, and they have a ton of beers on tap here. Not to mention some very good beers. It’s part of a revitalization of the Neuhoff Plant as a mixed-use space and a great place to visit.
- Music City Beer Company – They have several selections of beer including an Amber, a Light and even one they brew for the Nashville Soccer Club called Pitch. They are owned by Fat Bottom Brewing Company and you can visit the taproom at Fat Bottom. They have really great food in a fantastic spot in The Nations on the West side of Nashville.
- Nashville Brewing Company – Brewers of traditional German Lagers and damn are they good. Everything from the Gold Medal winner – Light Lager to their Amber Flagship beers to their Seasonals like the Festbier and Bock. Visit the beautiful brewery and taproom and tell them we sent you.
- New Heights Brewing Company – Great Barrel Aged Imperial Stouts (Navel Gazer) and Barleywines (Gobsmacked) Their other styles are excellent as well. One of my favorite breweries to visit.
- Rock ‘N Dough Pizza & Brewery – Dickerson Pike – The beer is made by Hub City Brewing out of Jackson, TN but the brewery is owned by Rock ‘N Dough. I actually like their beer and they too have a nice variety of styles. Their food is really good too. Look out for the size of the single pizza slices – they’re huge!
- Rock ‘N Dough Pizza & Brewery – Geodis Park – The beer is made by Hub City Brewing out of Jackson, TN but the brewery is owned by Rock ‘N Dough. I actually like their beer and they too have a nice variety of styles. Their food is really good too. Look out for the size of the single pizza slices – they’re huge!
- Rock ‘N Dough Pizza & Brewery – The Nations – The beer is made by Hub City Brewing out of Jackson, TN but it is owned by Rock ‘N Dough. I actually like their beer and they too have a nice variety of styles. Their food is really good too. Look out for the size of the single pizza slices – they’re huge!
- Smith & Lentz Brewing & Pizza – Under rated beer in my opinion. They do a lot of pilsners that are all good but other styles are very good as well. Excellent pizza.
- Southern Grist Brewing Company – East Nashville Taproom – Everything they do is stellar. The Hill series are my absolute favorite. They would be enough reason to come to Nashville for the beer. Nobody is doing what Southern Grist is doing.
- Southern Grist Brewing Company – The Nations – Everything they do is stellar. The Hill series are my absolute favorites. They would be enough reason to come to Nashville for the beer. Nobody is doing what Southern Grist is doing.
- Tailgate Brewery – East Nashville – Huge selections at each location that can vary between them. A lot of small batch beers that I like, Food is top notch.
- Tailgate Brewery – Germantown – Huge selections at each location that can vary between them. A lot of small batch beers that I like, Food is top notch.
- Tailgate Brewery – Headquarters – Huge selections at each location that can vary between them. A lot of small batch beers that I like, Food is top notch.
- Tailgate Brewery – Hendersonville – Huge selections at each location that can vary between them. A lot of small batch beers that I like, Food is top notch.
- Tailgate Brewery – Music Row – Huge selections at each location that can vary between them. A lot of small batch beers that I like, Food is top notch.
- Tailgate Brewery – Nashville International Airport – Huge selections at each location that can vary between them. A lot of small batch beers that I like, Food is top notch.
- Tailgate Brewery – South Nashville – Huge selections at each location that can vary between them. A lot of small batch beers that I like, food is top notch.
- Tennessee Brew Works – I think they literally brew every style imaginable. They have a lot of core beers that are all solid and support their local community in multiple ways. One of the best breweries for food in Nashville.
- Tennessee Brew Works – Nashville International Airport – I think they literally brew every style imaginable. They have a lot of core beers that are all solid and support their local community in multiple ways. One of the best breweries for food in Nashville.
- Yazoo Brewing Company – Nashville International Airport – Their Madison, TN location is top shelf and I believe they brew the most beer in Nashville. Their core beers are solid and their Embrace The Funk Sour series will make you pucker.
- Yee-Haw Brewing – Located in downtown. Huge space with a large selection of beer. Also has the Ole Smokey Moonshine.
Summary
I can honestly say that if I didn’t live in Nashville, I would definitely still want to come here for the craft beer scene. I know this because I would’ve heard about Southern Grist Brewing, Bearded Iris Brewing, Barrique Brewing and Blending, among others – and would want to try all the beers that I heard about – but wasn’t able to get where I lived.
I certainly have an appreciation for the beer and breweries in Nashville and I hope the brewery scene keeps expanding here. I know our friends at Dark Shadow Brewing Company and Dog Road Brewery are going to open their brewery sometime soon and there are others coming as well. There is definitely room enough for everyone as long as the beer is good.
I’ve joked about Nashville being ‘closed’ because there are so many people moving and visiting here but if you come for the beer – I’ll welcome you with open arms – just don’t drink it all.
Cheers!
Scott
