Top 10 Breweries in Tennessee in 2027

1Wiseacre Brewing Company

Wiseacre ranks first for scale and consistency, brewing in Memphis since 2013 under twin founders Davin and Kellan Bartosch. Its German-style pilsner, Tiny Bomb, sells across the Mid-South and beyond, proof the beer travels well past the taproom. Two Memphis sites — a downtown taproom near AutoZone Park and a production brewery on Broad Avenue — give it more manufacturing depth than most Tennessee craft operations.

Wiseacre suits drinkers who want a crisp, reliable pilsner over an experimental hazy IPA, and its distribution reach makes it the easiest Memphis beer to find outside Tennessee. It trades the small-batch intimacy of a neighborhood brewpub for production volume and a bigger taproom crowd. Compared to Yazoo below it, Wiseacre leans harder into lager styles and wider distribution rather than barrel-aged specialty releases.

2Yazoo Brewing Company

Yazoo ranks second as Nashville's longest-running modern craft brewery, pouring beer since 2003 when the city had almost no local options. Its Hefeweizen and Dos Perros amber remain staples, while Sue, a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, draws an annual release-day line. Founder Linus Hall built the brand on approachable styles rather than trend-chasing, and that steadiness has kept Yazoo relevant through two decades of Nashville's beer boom.

Yazoo works for drinkers who want session-friendly, food-pairing beer rather than high-ABV novelty releases, aside from the yearly Sue drop. It trades the boutique, farmhouse ambition of Blackberry Farm for approachable, everyday styles sold in grocery stores statewide. Ranked just below Wiseacre, Yazoo covers more ground in ales and seasonal specialty beers, while Wiseacre stays narrowly focused on lager precision.

3Blackberry Farm Brewery

Blackberry Farm Brewery ranks third for sheer ambition, brewing farmhouse ales and barrel-aged saisons on the grounds of the Relais & Chateaux resort in Walland, in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. The brewery sources local grains and cultivates its own yeast strains, producing beers built specifically to pair with the farm's own restaurant menu rather than mass appeal. That singular, hospitality-driven focus makes it the state's most distinctive brewery rather than its biggest.

This pick suits guests already visiting the resort or seeking rare farmhouse and wild ales, not casual drinkers hunting a six-pack at the grocery store. Its beers rarely leave the property, so access is the tradeoff for the quality. Compared to Wiseacre and Yazoo above it, Blackberry Farm skips wide distribution entirely, while Jackalope below it returns to a standard, publicly accessible Nashville taproom model.

4Jackalope Brewing Company

Jackalope ranks fourth for its founding story and steady quality, opened in 2011 by Bailey Spaulding as one of the first female-owned breweries in Tennessee. Thunder Ann Pale Ale, named after Amelia Earhart's plane, anchors a lineup built around approachable, malt-forward ales rather than extreme styles. The Nashville taproom near the Gulch has hosted the brewery's tours and pint nights for over a decade, giving it a loyal local following.

Jackalope fits visitors who want a classic Nashville brewery-tour experience with reliably drinkable pale ales and IPAs, not boundary-pushing sours or barrel programs. It trades national distribution for a hyper-local Nashville identity tied closely to its founder's story. Below Blackberry Farm's resort exclusivity, Jackalope offers the opposite: an easy, walk-in taproom anyone visiting Nashville can reach without a reservation or membership.

5Southern Grist Brewing Company

Southern Grist ranks fifth for riding Nashville's hazy IPA wave harder than any other brewery on this list, founded in 2016 in the East Nashville neighborhood. It expanded to multiple taproom locations across Nashville within a few years, unusual growth for a brewery built on rotating, small-batch releases rather than flagship beers. Its constantly changing can lineup keeps a dedicated following checking release calendars weekly rather than buying the same beer twice.

Southern Grist suits hop-forward drinkers chasing the newest hazy release rather than someone who wants a consistent year-round flagship. It trades brand consistency for constant experimentation, meaning quality and availability can vary release to release. Compared to Jackalope above it, Southern Grist skews younger and trendier, while Ghost River below it returns to a simpler, more traditional lager-and-ale lineup out of Memphis.

6Ghost River Brewing

Ghost River ranks sixth for its water-sourcing niche, founded in 2008 in Memphis and named for the artesian aquifer the city draws its municipal water from. That mineral-rich water underpins a lineup built around a golden ale and an amber lager rather than trend-driven styles. Its downtown Memphis taproom sits close to Beale Street, giving it steady tourist foot traffic alongside its local regulars.

Ghost River works for drinkers who want an easy-drinking session lager near downtown Memphis rather than an experimental hazy IPA or barrel-aged rarity. It trades hop-forward variety for consistency and sessionability, closer in spirit to Yazoo than Southern Grist. Ranked just below Southern Grist's hazy focus, Ghost River covers Memphis the way TailGate below it covers Nashville: dependable, unpretentious beer over rotating novelty.

7TailGate Brewery

TailGate ranks seventh for its footprint rather than rarity, founded in Nashville in 2012 and expanded into one of Tennessee's largest taproom networks, with locations spanning Nashville, Chattanooga, and beyond. Its fruited beers, including a rotating pie-inspired series, give it a distinct identity separate from the hop-focused breweries above it on this list. Consistency across many locations, not a single flagship taproom, is the brewery's real strength.

TailGate suits groups looking for a casual, food-truck-adjacent taproom night rather than a destination for serious beer geeks chasing rare releases. It trades brewing prestige for accessibility, with multiple locations making it easy to find wherever you are in the state. Compared to Ghost River above it, TailGate leans into fun, dessert-flavored beers, while Fat Bottom below it returns to a more traditional Nashville IPA-and-lager lineup.

8Fat Bottom Brewing

Fat Bottom ranks eighth for its branding and Nashville roots, founded in 2012 and known for pin-up-style can art that stands out on Tennessee shelves. Its Ruby, a red ale, and Pucker, a Berliner weisse, cover a wide stylistic range without straying into extreme ABV or heavy barrel-aging. The brewery relocated its production within Nashville over the years but has kept its beer widely available in local grocery stores and bars.

Fat Bottom suits shoppers who want a recognizable, easy-to-find six-pack rather than a taproom-only cult release. It trades the multi-location scale of TailGate above it for a tighter, single-city focus and shelf-first distribution strategy. Below it, Calfkiller offers the opposite experience entirely: a small, rural brewery with almost no shelf presence outside its own region of Middle Tennessee, trading scale for small-town character.

9Calfkiller Brewing Company

Calfkiller ranks ninth for its rural, old-school identity, founded in 2009 in Sparta, a small town in White County that predates most of Nashville's current brewery scene. It brews with well water instead of city water and has stayed a modest, regional operation rather than chasing statewide distribution. Its name, taken from the local Calfkiller River, ties the brewery directly to its Cumberland Plateau home rather than any generic branding.

Calfkiller suits travelers passing through Middle Tennessee's Upper Cumberland region who want a genuine small-town brewery rather than an urban taproom scene. It trades big-city foot traffic and modern branding for authenticity and lower prices. Compared to Fat Bottom above it, Calfkiller has almost no statewide shelf presence, while Smoky Mountain Brewery below it swaps rural obscurity for a tourist-heavy, restaurant-driven format in Gatlinburg.

10Smoky Mountain Brewery

Smoky Mountain Brewery ranks tenth as the most tourist-oriented pick on this list, a restaurant-brewery format with locations in Gatlinburg and Knoxville built around Great Smoky Mountains foot traffic. Its menu pairs house-brewed ales and lagers with a full pub menu rather than functioning as a standalone taproom. That restaurant-first model makes it reliably accessible for visitors but less focused on brewing innovation than the dedicated craft breweries ranked above it.

Smoky Mountain Brewery works best for families and tourists wanting dinner and a beer flight after a day of hiking, not beer enthusiasts seeking rare or award-winning brews. It trades brewing prestige and experimentation for convenience, location, and a reliable pub menu. Ranked last on this list, it sits furthest from Wiseacre and Yazoo at the top, prioritizing restaurant hospitality over the dedicated craft-brewing focus that defines the rest of this ranking.

How we ranked these

Rankings weighted three factors: competition medals from the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup, sustained community reputation measured through Untappd and BeerAdvocate ratings across each brewery's core lineup, and taproom experience — tour availability, food pairing, and event programming. Longevity and consistency mattered more than a single standout batch; a brewery producing reliable, well-regarded beer year after year scored higher than one known for one viral release.

Ignored: pint pricing, parking convenience, and one-off collaboration releases that vanish within days — none reflect a brewery's actual quality. Distribution footprint and national retail presence were excluded too, since a brewery selling only in its taproom can still brew better beer than a regional chain shipping statewide. Seasonal weather, holiday hours, and macro-owned 'craft' spinoffs were also left out, since they measure logistics, not brewing skill.

What to look for

Style match matters most when choosing between these breweries: Wiseacre and Yazoo reward lager and amber drinkers, Southern Grist and Jackalope suit hop chasers, Blackberry Farm serves farmhouse and wild ale fans, and TailGate or Smoky Mountain fit groups wanting food with their flight. Decide which styles you actually drink before ranking names.

The mistake most buyers make is treating distribution reach as a quality signal. A grocery-store six-pack from Fat Bottom or Ghost River is not automatically worse than a taproom-only pour at Blackberry Farm or Calfkiller. Availability reflects business strategy, not brewing skill, so judge each brewery on the beer in front of you.

Related questions

What makes a Tennessee brewery stand out in a crowded craft beer market?

Tennessee breweries stand out through regional identity — local ingredients like whiskey-barrel aging, Appalachian honey, or Southern fruit sours — paired with consistent quality across a core lineup. The strongest balance experimentation with dependable staples, so a visitor trying a flagship IPA gets the same experience in January or July, building the loyal following that outlasts passing trends.

Are Nashville breweries generally rated higher than Memphis or Knoxville breweries?

Not consistently — each city has its own scene. Nashville has more breweries and more national visibility, but Memphis spots like Wiseacre and Ghost River hold their own on quality, and Knoxville's smaller scene punches above its weight with medal-winning beers. Ranking by city ignores brewery-specific factors like brewmaster experience and recipe consistency, which matter more than geography.

Do brewery tours factor into these rankings?

Yes, but only as one factor among several. A brewery offering a well-run tour with knowledgeable staff scores better on experience, but it cannot offset mediocre beer. Some of Tennessee's most respected breweries keep tours minimal and let the beer itself carry the reputation, so tour polish alone does not guarantee a high rank.

How much do beer competition medals actually matter?

Medals from GABF or the World Beer Cup are strong signals because they are judged blind by trained panels, removing local bias. A single medal from years ago carries less weight than sustained placements across multiple competitions. Breweries that medal repeatedly for different styles demonstrate depth, not just one lucky recipe, which is why sustained results outweigh a single trophy.

Is a bigger brewery automatically a better one?

No — production volume measures demand, not quality. Some of the most acclaimed Tennessee breweries stay intentionally small to protect batch-by-batch quality control. Larger breweries can maintain excellence too, but size alone is not evidence either way; it just means more people have had the chance to try the beer and rate it online.

What role do Untappd and BeerAdvocate ratings play?

They provide a large, crowdsourced quality signal that is hard to fake at scale, since thousands of independent raters converge on similar scores for genuinely good beer. Ratings are weighted alongside professional competition results rather than alone, because online ratings can skew toward whichever beers get the most check-ins rather than the best overall lineup.

Should visitors expect the same beer lineup mentioned in these rankings?

Core flagship beers are usually stable, but seasonal and limited releases rotate constantly, so a specific beer mentioned here might be gone by the time of a visit. Calling ahead or checking a brewery's taplist online avoids disappointment, especially for small-batch or barrel-aged releases that routinely sell out within days of release.

How often should a ranking like this be updated?

Craft beer scenes shift year to year as breweries open, close, or change brewmasters, so annual updates are reasonable. A brewery's reputation can also shift quickly after an ownership or head-brewer change, so rankings older than 12-18 months should be treated as a starting point for research, not a final verdict.

FAQ

What is the best brewery in Tennessee overall?

There is no single universal best — it depends on style preference. Nashville's Yazoo Brewing and Jackalope are consistently well-regarded for balanced core lineups, while Memphis's Wiseacre Brewing has built a strong reputation for hoppy styles and barrel-aged sours. The strongest approach is trying breweries matching styles you already enjoy rather than chasing one ranked list.

Which Tennessee city has the most breweries?

Nashville has the largest concentration of breweries in the state, driven by tourism and a growing local craft beer culture. Memphis and Knoxville both have smaller but dedicated scenes, and mountain towns like Gatlinburg and Sevierville have breweries built around tourist traffic. Chattanooga has also grown a respected brewery cluster in recent years.

Are Tennessee breweries family-friendly?

Many are, especially those with large outdoor patios, food trucks, and non-alcoholic options, but policies vary by location and by day — some host 21-and-up events on weekend evenings. Checking a brewery's website or calling ahead is the most reliable way to confirm kid and pet policies before visiting, since rules are not standardized statewide.

Do Tennessee breweries distribute beer outside the state?

Some larger Tennessee breweries distribute regionally across the Southeast and occasionally nationally, but many of the most acclaimed breweries sell primarily through their own taproom and limited local accounts. Distribution reach says more about a brewery's business strategy than its beer quality, so smaller taproom-only breweries are often just as good.

What styles of beer is Tennessee known for?

Tennessee breweries are known for hop-forward IPAs, whiskey barrel-aged stouts, and Southern-influenced sours using local fruit like peaches and blackberries. Some breweries also lean into German-style lagers, reflecting the state's brewing history. The variety reflects a broader Southern craft beer identity blending bourbon-country influences with national IPA trends.

How do I find out if a brewery requires reservations for tours?

Most Tennessee breweries post tour schedules and reservation requirements on their websites or social media pages, and larger or more popular breweries — especially in Nashville and Gatlinburg — often require booking ahead on weekends. Smaller breweries frequently allow walk-in tours during regular taproom hours without any reservation needed.

Are there brewery trails or passes for visiting multiple Tennessee breweries?

Yes, several Tennessee regions run brewery trail programs, including passport-style cards stamped at each stop that sometimes reward completion with a T-shirt or discount. The Tennessee Department of Tourism and local visitor bureaus in cities like Knoxville and Chattanooga publish updated trail maps and participating brewery lists each year.

What is the biggest mistake people make when brewery-hopping in Tennessee?

Trying to hit too many breweries in one day, which leads to rushed tastings and missing what makes each place distinct. Spacing visits across a weekend, pacing drinks with food and water, and calling ahead about hours — many close earlier on weekdays — makes for a far better experience than a rushed checklist tour.

Do Tennessee breweries offer non-alcoholic options?

A growing number do, especially larger taprooms in Nashville and Chattanooga that now carry NA beer alongside traditional offerings, plus soda and mocktail options for designated drivers. Availability is inconsistent statewide, so travelers relying on non-alcoholic choices should confirm with a specific brewery before planning a visit around it.

Can you buy Tennessee brewery merchandise or have beer shipped out of state?

Most breweries sell branded merchandise like shirts and glassware online or in their taproom gift shop, but shipping actual beer out of state is restricted by federal and state alcohol laws in most cases. Some breweries partner with retailers in neighboring states instead, so checking a brewery's website for shipping policy is the safest bet.

Sources

• https://www.tnbrewers.org
• https://www.beeradvocate.com
• https://untappd.com
• https://www.tnvacation.com
• https://www.tennessean.com
• https://www.memphisflyer.com
• https://www.nashvillescene.com
• https://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com

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