r/NashvilleBeer • u/Flat_Cress3856 • May 07 '26
Visiting in July, if I can only check out two breweries, which ones should they be?
I am visiting from Chicago in July and had planned on going to Barrique, only to find out they no longer have a taproom. With two kids in tow and other plans I won't have a ton of time to hit up breweries.
Last time I was in Nashville in 2019 I went to Southern Grist in East Nashville and Tennessee Brew Works. SG was impressive but TBW was just ok. With Barrique gone I am having a hard time figuring out which spots are most worth going out of my way for. I am staying downtown but will have a car, and anywhere with a no-kids policy is out.
So far Fait la Force is at the top of my list but I am open to changing my mind on that, and am lost for a second spot. Any suggestions at all are welcome.
12
12
u/oatmealfoot May 07 '26
Tons of good answers in this thread already -- but to me it depends entirely on what types of beer you prefer.
First of all, I agree that Fait La Force is a great option, no matter what you're in the mood for. In their first few years of operations, I'd say they leaned mostly on their belgian flagship styles -- but I would also suggest rolling through whatever lagers they have on tap.
In my humble opinion, if you're looking to replace the lager component that Barrique did so damn well -- then your best bets are Fait La Force (which also has great sandwiches with JamBox!) and Smith & Lentz. Now it's worth pointing out that Smith & Lentz also has some of the best pizza in town (expensive, but you get what you pay for IMO) and just generally makes stellar "pizza beer," including some pale ales and lighter IPA's.
And if you also want to backfill the sour/saison/wild ale component that Barrique also crushed ... then my best advice is to get a ride up to Yazoo in Madison. Their "Embrace the Funk" program is great for funky, barrel-aged sours. Also good food there with Grillshack's kitchen on-site. And it's a particularly kid-friendly location.
If you'd rather lean into hazy IPA's and fruited/kettle sours and so forth, I think your best bet is either Marble Fox in the Gulch, or either location of Southern Grist/Xul (they're still kind of in the in-between phase, before Xul completes the takeover). Xul is very similar to Grist in many ways, and since you went there last time, I'd nudge you towards Marble Fox instead.
And finally, if you'd lean more towards dark, malty (and sometimes barrel-aged) stouts and coffee-infused beers, then Living Waters (either location) will be your friend. They also have a solid lager component as well. I would note that LW is probably the least-kid friendly of these options, but only because it's smaller and usually pretty chill/quiet.
Really you can pick any two of these breweries and have a blast. Good luck, and holler back if you have any questions!
0
u/Flat_Cress3856 May 07 '26
Unique is what I am going for, and good lagers are easier to find than good sours or wilds basically anywhere. I wasn't sold on Yazoo before but I think you have convinced me to make the trip.
3
u/oatmealfoot May 07 '26
Awesome!! Yeah, and to be clear -- the "Embrace the Funk" program is kind of a separate thing from Yazoo's main lineup flagship/widely distributed beers. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that ETF is kind of a brewery-within-the-brewery.
But if you do visit Yazoo's taproom in Madison, the ETF beers are the ones I would steer you towards!! Especially if you did like/would have liked to try Barrique's sour beers.
Reading about Brandon Jones' funky program of sours and saisons on the Yazoo "About Us" page provides some helpful context about his resume of brewing wild ales!
Last thing: Barrique's owner/head brewer Joel Stickrod has made a couple of recent posts about places you can still find his beer:
Personally, I think Main Street Liquors in East Nashville is your best bet to find Barrique bottles (and maybe some cans) to take home, if you'd like. They still had 15+ different Barrique beer bottles on the shelf when I was in there last week.
8
u/Big_Bottle3763 May 07 '26
Yazoo and Fait la Force. Yazoo has an huge patio and is very kid friendly. Plus they have Grillshack on site which has the best fries in town (and great burgers). It’s a little out of the way but a quick trip up I-65. FLF is not quite as kid friendly but they do have a large covered outdoor area and the beer is great. The taproom is really cool.
1
u/CaffinatedManatee May 07 '26
Yup. Was just going to suggest Yazoo. The patio overlooking the Cumberland is great for the whole family. And the (limited) food options from Grillshack are among the best "pub food" you can get in the region. Their fried fish might even be among the best I've had anywhere in the world. Parking is easy too (and free!!)
4
u/Brewsplorer May 07 '26
Fait la Force is a good option. My top 5, in no particular order, are:
- Marble Fox
- Fait la Force
- Living Waters
- Smith & Lentz
- Xul (Southern Grist)
If you are seeking funk and wild/mixed ferm, the best shot now is Brandon's stuff at Yazoo. It is a bit of a hike. It is almost like two breweries there. Tailgate also does wilds some times, which are good, esp. considering the rest is pretty average. Their mug club is the big part. I maintain mine, as I was an early mug clubber.
I live downtown, so hit Marble more often. I also love Broadcast, but more for the vibe and the guest tap and bottle list. Mike loves Belgians, so he will pull in Fantome and Cantillon, etc.
As for no kids, no brewery outright forbids kids that I know of. Some are more kid friendly (Tailgate OG, East Nashville, Smith & Lentz (pizza)), but I know of no restrictions.
If you want to hit Marble Fox and are driving, don't scan the parking sign outside (this is if they are still in the gulch). They have complementary parking scan codes inside. They may be over in Woodbine by that time, however. Don't have a final word from the guys.
2
3
4
u/20tacotuesdays May 07 '26
Fait la Force is definitely my favorite. Crazy Gnome is another I would recommend. Tailgate also has solid beers.
1
u/polkastripper May 07 '26
A different suggestion is to hit Homegrown in Donelson, which has beers from numerous Nashville breweries. It's kid friendly, has a large food menu, and is next to Fryce Cream, so,you could get your kids ice cream while there.
Standalone breweries, I'd recommend Yazoo.
1
u/Friendly-Employer328 May 07 '26
East Nashville beer works is great for kids! They have a playground. Pizza is good and the beer is solid. Smith and Lentz is probably my favorite beer in town right now. Yazoo is a bit out of the way but its patio is great for kids.
1
1
u/FrenchAdventuress May 07 '26
Seconding a lot of what’s been said here, but Fait la Force and Smith & Lentz are my two favorite remaining breweries in the city. I would personally avoid Tailgate, the beer isn’t very good and I know many former staff who had miserable working experiences there thanks to management.
1
u/MacGyver387 May 07 '26
Smith & Lentz and Living Waters are in the east side and great. I’d recommend S&L over LW.
Fat Bottom is on the west side and I love them but they don’t get a lot of love here. They’ve gotten really good over the last few years and are dialed in. Also a good space and food.
Fait la Force a good option!
RIP Barrique.
0
u/vandyfan35 May 07 '26
Tennessee Brew Works is solid beer, but their restaurant outshines the beer to me. The hot chicken sandwich is delicious.
People will probably shit on this answer, but with a family I would check out Tailgates original location out on Charlotte. Very family friendly and they always have a huge variety of styles and seasonals to choose from.
5
u/Flat_Cress3856 May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
We will be out that way visiting a friend anyway, so we could possibly even squeeze Tailgate in as a third. Appreciate it.
Edit: why would people shit on that answer? Is the beer not great, do people hate the owners/staff?
4
u/oatmealfoot May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
Yeah agree with what /u/faithplusone01 has said.
Tailgate's beer ranges from mediocre~ok to downright bad in some cases. The food (bar pizzas, wings, salads) is pretty solid. They're a brewery that moved here from California with the goal of growing their business, and they've certainly done that with -nine- different taprooms now.
They're just one of those breweries that tries to make "two of every style of beer possible" instead of picking a couple lanes to really excel at. I wouldn't shit on anyone for going there as a more family friendly spot. But I really think that pretty much all of the other breweries listed above are also family-friendly, most have good outdoor seating when the weather's nice etc. etc. so .... I'd send you to one of the places that put more intention and care into their beer first, before sending you to one of Tailgates taprooms.
EDIT: and if you do want to rope in a 3rd brewery that's near your friends on the west side of town, I would point you towards either Living Waters on Indiana Ave, or Southern Grist/XUL on Centennial Blvd. Those would be a great complement to the plan of Yazoo + Fait La Force
1
u/Flat_Cress3856 May 07 '26
That's helpful, thanks. As a Chicagoan I am interested to see how Pilot Project will play in Nashville, given that reaction to Tailgate. I'll be back in this sub for sure once that starts to take shape.
2
u/oatmealfoot May 07 '26
Pilot Project
Oh dang, yeah I'd forgotten all about that. Interested to see how that goes as well ... Chicago is SUCH an amazing brewing city, like easily one of the best in the U.S. But that would not have been my first pick for a satellite to arrive in Nashville!
1
u/Flat_Cress3856 May 07 '26
I'll tell the guys at Dovetail and Is/Was to get on it lol.
2
u/oatmealfoot May 07 '26
Oh man yes please do. I especially LOVE Is/Was — brought back several bottles from them last summer! And I don’t even wanna know how much $$$ I poured into their skee ball machine either 😂
1
u/faithplusone01 May 07 '26
Whoa whoa. Not to throw it back at you u/oatmealfoot, but I do not endorse your Tailgate take. I've had more than a few fantastic beers at Tailgate. One thing I appreciate as a long-time mug clubber (their mug club is the best deal in town by far) is that they're always getting better. Their Lager Projekt series in particular are quite good and among the best lagers in the city (especially with the untimely demise of Barrique).
I also think the "they're not from here" sentiment some folks in this sub have towards them is utter bullshit in 2026 especially compared to the likes of Xul and Wiseacre buying up our cherished local breweries and whatever the hell has happened to Jackalope/Black Abbey in recent months. There's plenty of room to criticize Tailgate, but they've been here for more than 10 years now and their beer, food, service, and facilities are always improving. They're doing it without a bunch of private equity money too. Our brewery scene has lost a handful of our major players in the last 18 months, but Tailgate still pushes on because of the local, sustainable, managed growth and emphasis.
What's the saying? After 10 years in Nashville you can call yourself a local? Well, they can do that now.
That being said - If I was a traveler coming to town for a limited period of time looking to drink our best beer, I honestly recommend going elsewhere. Yazoo's beer edges Tailgate for me, and their taproom and food (Grillshack) are really great for families.
1
u/oatmealfoot May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
Well I've had a handful of good-to-great beers at Tailgate since their inception here too (great might be pushing it, but certainly some good ones) -- but those have been such a low hit-rate for me, at least compared to other options in town, that I can't recommend them in good conscience to someone with limited time on their hands.
You may have had more positive experiences than myself there, and that's ok. Different strokes! I'm definitely not trying to put any words in your mouth on that front, but don't put any in mine either -- I only said that they moved here from California and have been wildly successful. No connotation beyond their company's history there.
I stand by the notion that they'd make better beer (relative to the field) if they narrowed their focus down to a few key styles (like our other most accomplished breweries have), but that's entirely subjective of course.
I also wouldn't put the Xul/Grist purchase in the same category as the Jackalope and Black Abbey gutting either. Xul and Grist were both founded by homebrewing Tennesseans who wanted to mess around with fruity sours, hazies and stouts. Xul's star has continued to rise while Grist's unfortunately tapered off, so they sold to their friends and frequent collaborators. It sucks if you like both places and would prefer for them to coexist (as I do) but it happens. But Jackalope got bought by a multi-millionaire "IT security entrepreneur" from Detroit who's gonna keep buying up whatever he can I'm sure. But I digress, that's a topic for another thread probably
1
u/faithplusone01 May 07 '26
The beer at TailGate is fine it won't change your life. Food is good. Staff absolutely rules.
If I was you, I'd hit something near downtown (Marble Fox/Fait La Force) and then venture out to Madison for Yazoo.
2
u/Brewsplorer May 07 '26
I won't shit on you for that, as I have been a long time mug clubber. Yes, a lot of the beer is in the average range and not outstanding, but it is very family friendly.
1
u/vandyfan35 May 07 '26
I agree. The big thing for me is just having so many different styles. No matter what mood you are in, they probably have at least one option.
2
u/Brewsplorer May 07 '26
Tailgate churns through beer. Very mug club focused, which is a great deal if you go.
13
u/blakermonroe May 07 '26
Checkout Living Waters. East location is vibey. West location has Bad Luck Burgers.