USA, TN: TailGate Beer plans 10,000-square-foot expansion in Nashville

TailGate Beer owner Wesley Keegan is doubling down on his investment in Nashville with plans for a 10,000-square-foot expansion that will bring all beer production to the Charlotte Pike facility, The Tennessean reported on January 26.

Keegan plans to add a production brewery — complete with a canning line — capable of making 60,000 barrels of beer a year to the existing 16,000-square-foot brewery at 7300 Charlotte Pike, according to a news release.

TailGate currently produces about 1,000 barrels per year of small batch, experimental brews on-site. The brewery has a contract relationship with a production facility in Wisconsin to produce the canned beer that is sold at large retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kroger and Mapco.

The project is slated for a mid-2016 completion.

The announcement on January 26 is another sign Nashville's craft beer industry is thriving. The city is home to roughly one-third of all Tennessee breweries and is the biggest player in the state’s multimillion-dollar beer industry, according to the Brewers Association. In Middle Tennessee, there are about 15 craft breweries and more than half a dozen on the way.

Tennessee as a whole ranks 27th in the number of craft breweries, 41st in breweries per capita and 29th in annual beer production.

TailGate Beer was founded in 2007. Keegan relocated it from San Diego to Nashville in fall 2014 after renovating an old A-frame Moose Lodge on the 7.5-acre Charlotte Pike site. The brewery’s grand opening was in early 2015.

TailGate focuses on small batch, limited release craft beer and releases two new beers every week. The taproom has up to 30 brewed-on-site beers as well as rotating handles from other breweries.

“TailGate is approaching its one-year anniversary this month, and the company’s investment in Nashville is just beginning,” Keegan said in a statement. “We deliberately scaled back distribution from 14 states to exclusively Tennessee years ago because we’re focused on Nashville as our home and our craft beer community.”

Bringing all production to the Nashville facility will allow for continued focus on quality control and also for the opportunity to brew and can more varieties, the release says.

Wal-Mart spokesman Scott Markley said the retail behemoth is Tailgate Beer’s biggest customer as part of Wal-Mart’s 2013 pledge to spend $250 billion on American-made products by 2023.

"We're excited for Wesley and the expansion of his brewery. (It’s a) great beer, bringing a great product to our customers,” Markley said.

It’s unclear whether Wal-Mart plans to increase its contract with TailGate Beer as the Nashville brewer brings all of its production in-house.

TailGate Beer’s taproom hours are 3-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 3-11 p.m. Friday, 12-11 p.m. Saturday at 12-9 p.m. Sunday. The brewery offers 45-minute tours on Saturday and Sunday for $5, which include a guided tasting and free growler glass.

27 January, 2016