Written by Jamie McGee for The Nashville Business Journal
From the man who brought Nashville the East Nashville Beer Festival, 12 South Winter Warmer and Brew at the Zoo, now comes a new beer event — this time on wheels.
Matt Leff, founder of events company Rhizome Productions, launches the Nashville Brew Bus on Nov. 3, transporting craft beer lovers from breweries to brewpubs to bars serving locally brewed beer in a motor coach.
“Any major city with a good beer scene has some form of a brew bus,” Leff said. “In the past two years, we’ve seen great growth” in the Nashville craft beer market.
That growth includes the opening of Fat Bottom Brewing in East Nashville and Turtle Anarchy Brewing Co. in Franklin in the last two months, in addition to the opening in recent years of Jackalope Brewing Co., Calfkiller Brewing Co. and Blackstone Brewing Co., which recently restarted its bottling and distribution efforts.
Leff’s tour will begin at the Flying Saucer and include stops at three to four breweries where participants can sample different beers. Participants will also stop at a craft beer bar, such as 3 Crow Bar, 12 South Taproom, M.L. Rose, etc., or a brew pub, such as Boscos Restaurant & Brewery or Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery. Food and a free pint will be included in the package, which Leff anticipates will be close to $45.
The brew bus is open to locals, but is mainly targeting tourists, tapping into the hospitality growth spurred by the Music City Center.
“We want them to realize Nashville is becoming a destination for craft beer,” Leff said. “We are in our infancy, but we are building.”
The Nov. 3 launch, which coincides with Tennessee Craft Brew Guild’s Hop Coming and the Music City Brewers home brewing competition, will be a test run, Leff said. He plans to offer the tour on Saturdays and depending on interest, extend it to weekdays. To learn more about the Nashville Brew Bus and express interest, visithttp://www.nashvillebrewbus.com.