Guide to the Nations’ Breweries
Nashville is home to some really great independent breweries, but most are not walkable making it difficult to day drink responsibly.
Enter the Nations. With 4-6 breweries within walking distance (depending on your definition of walking distance), as well as a couple of beer-centric restaurants, the Nations is perfect for a pub crawl. I suggest the following route:
It doesn’t get fresher than this. While SGB has two locations, the Nations is home to the production facility as well as a taproom. Their draft list skews towards IPAs, sours, and Pilsners, but they have other types as well – including non-alcoholic beers for the designated drivers.
Billing itself as a “nano” brewery, Harding House prides itself on being very local, drawing most of its ingredients from farms in the surrounding area. They switch their tap-list seasonally, in keeping with their “farm-to-pint” philosophy of using only the freshest available ingredients. You can expect more crisp, lighter beers in the summer and cozy, full-bodied drafts in the winter.
Pronounced “Zahns”, Czann’s offers the most limited selection of the Nations’ options. But, don’t let that discourage you – what they lack in variety they more than make up in both quality and staff. The people at Czann’s are some of the most kind, helpful, and knowledgeable I’ve encountered anywhere in Nashville – 10/10 recommend for the service alone. Good beer is just a bonus.
The best for a group, Fat Bottom is a large space with a full bar and menu making it a great place to refuel. Because they also have an event space – and because of it’s popularity – this one can get pretty crowded, so bear that in mind.
For the hardy:
If you’ve still got energy and don’t mind a little longer walk under the overpass, two other breweries should be added to the essential Nations’ crawl list.
My personal favorite of this bunch, Bearded Iris is home to some of the best IPAs in Nashville, including the extremely popular Homestyle (they have other types, as well). This outpost of Bearded Iris is located in the Sylvan Supply development and features a different, more experimental tap list than the flagship location in Germantown. The location is smaller and more intimate than some of the others on this list, but is worth a stop, especially for the non-beer drinkers in the group, as Bearded Iris makes their own seltzer and carries some ciders and kombucha, as well.
Last but not least is Bold Patriot Brewing in L&L Marketplace. Bold Patriot creatively names their beers after figures of the American Revolution, and they have plenty of room for a group to spread out, inside as well as on the L&L patio.
Bonus stops:
While not officially breweries, a couple other stops in the Nations deserve an honorable mention.
Rock’n Dough Pizza and Brewery
Yes, brewery is in the name, but Rock’n Dough is based out of Memphis and brews their beers in West Tennessee. Nevertheless, they have some unique and tasty options and are worth a stop. And, their pizza is delicious. At time of publication, they were temporarily closed, but I included them in anticipation of a quick reopening.
51 North does not brew their own beer, but they do offer over 30 beers on draft, over half of which are from Tennessee, and most from Nashville. They also feature a full bar and good food, so it’s another good stop for refueling before resuming the crawl.
Which of these are your favorites? Is there another area of town where you can do a brewery crawl? Let me know in the comments if you try my route and what you think!
XO,
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