E-Malt.com News article: USA, TN: Construction of new French Landing Brewing to begin within the next few weeks

Construction is slated to begin within the next few weeks on the new French Landing Brewing Co. in Midtown, The Tennessean reported on February 25.

Building permits are filed, beer recipes are in development and the goal is to open the business at 1612 Church St. by early 2016, said head brewer Eric Janson.

“We started this whole project — it’s been about exactly two years — and that whole time I have been working on beer; that’s pretty much all I’ve been doing,” Janson said. “Recipes for a lot of beers are ready or pretty much ready.”

French Landing Brewing will join a growing group of Nashville-based breweries, such as Yazoo Brewing Co., Tennessee Brew Works and Black Abbey Brewing Co., as the nation’s craft beer industry soars. Tennessee has 35 craft breweries that produce nearly 100,000 barrels of craft beer per year, according to the Brewers Association.

Developing beers for French Landing Brewing is a major career shift for Janson; he obtained a doctorate degree in biological sciences from Vanderbilt, but later decided to pursue his dream of starting a commercial brewery. To gain experience in the industry, he worked at the bottle shop at Midtown Wine & Spirits and at Jackalope Brewing Co.

Janson is working with a group of investors — including Dan Gokal, head of the family trust that owns the Church Street property.

French Landing Brewing plans to have six beers on tap year-round, with six rotating and seasonal options at a time. Janson prefers pale, hoppy beers, but he said the brewpub will offer a range of options. He has worked on a spiced Christmas beer and fruit beer recipes, but he called himself more of a “traditionalist” when it comes to brew methods.

“I don’t love using crazy ingredients…but I’ll certainly use the usual, non-conventional ingredients, so to speak, like spices or fruit or sugar adjuncts,” he said.


26 February, 2015