10 Best Breweries in Tennessee with 30 Beers Worth Trying
Tennessee’s beer routes follow its long shape: Memphis lagers and ales in the west, Nashville’s varied breweries in the middle, and Knoxville and Chattanooga in the east. These ten picks offer thirty named beers worth seeking, with enough contrast to build flights around malt, hops, wheat or fruit.
These ten HBA editorial picks balance distinctive beer, style variety and regional coverage. Brewery numbers organize the guide; the thirty beer-card numbers are reading order, not a separate statewide beer ranking.
Beer portfolios and brewery menus were reviewed in October 2026. Rotating and seasonal beers may be between releases; check the current venue, taps and package stock before visiting. Food pairings are suggestions for your own tasting.
Tennessee brewery picks at a glance
| Brewery | City | First beer to try | Flight focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Wiseacre Brewing Co. | Memphis | Tiny Bomb | Pilsner, IPA and coffee milk stout |
| 2. Bearded Iris Brewing | Nashville | Homestyle | Single-hop IPA, pilsner and double IPA |
| 3. Yazoo Brewing Company | Madison | Dos Perros | Brown ale, pale ale and hefeweizen |
| 4. Xul Beer Company | Knoxville | Toro y Oso | Mexican lager and distinctive fruit sours |
| 5. Hutton & Smith Brewing Co. | Chattanooga | Basecamp Blonde | Blonde, IPA and dry stout |
| 6. Tennessee Brew Works | Nashville | Hippies & Cowboys | IPA, Belgian white ale and blonde |
| 7. Jackalope Brewing Company | Nashville | Thunder Ann | Pale ale, maple brown and fruit wheat |
| 8. Schulz Bräu Brewing Company | Knoxville | Munich Helles | Bavarian lager and wheat styles |
| 9. Crosstown Brewing Company | Memphis | Traffic | West Coast IPA, blonde and helles |
| 10. Chattanooga Brewing Company | Chattanooga | Chattahooligan Kölsch | Kölsch, IPA and brown ale |
1. Wiseacre Brewing Co.
Wiseacre leads this guide with three widely recognizable beers that show real range. Tiny Bomb’s lager precision, Ananda’s hops and Gotta Get Up’s coffee character make a useful Memphis starting flight.
Choose the Broad Avenue OG taproom or downtown HQ and check that venue’s menu. Wiseacre’s beer library includes past releases, so use its on-tap list for the day.
Tiny Bomb
Brewed by Wiseacre Brewing Co.
Crisp cereal malt, floral hops and local honey.
BAR NOTES
Tiny Bomb combines German pilsner malt and wildflower honey in a pale lager. Its lightly sweet cereal impression sits against floral, spicy hop character rather than dessert-like honey sweetness.
Taste it first and try it with a lightly salted pretzel. Our pilsner roundup offers other ways to compare the style.
Ananda
Brewed by Wiseacre Brewing Co.
Grapefruit, mango and melon with a wheat-supported body.
BAR NOTES
Ananda uses malted and flaked wheat for texture, with Cascade and Centennial among its hops. Fruit names describe hop impressions rather than additions of mango or melon.
Compare its body with Tiny Bomb, then try a bite of grilled chicken. Notice bitterness in the finish as well as the more immediately appealing fruit aroma.
Gotta Get Up to Get Down
Brewed by Wiseacre Brewing Co.
Coffee roast, lactose sweetness and a silky body.
BAR NOTES
This stout uses Ethiopian coffee, lactose and oats. The blueberry-like impression in Wiseacre’s description comes from the coffee profile; it is not presented as a blueberry-added stout.
Let a small pour warm slightly and try it with plain shortbread. Taste roast and sweetness separately before pairing it with a much sweeter dessert.
2. Bearded Iris Brewing
Bearded Iris remains a Nashville beer destination under Wiseacre ownership. Homestyle and Attention Please make an unusually clear Mosaic-versus-Citra comparison, while Pep Talk keeps the flight from becoming an all-IPA exercise.
Use the current Germantown venue on Van Buren Street. Older references to Sylvan Supply should not drive your plans; check today’s tap and can lists.
Homestyle
Brewed by Bearded Iris Brewing
Mosaic-led grapefruit and berry-like hop character.
BAR NOTES
Homestyle uses Mosaic as its single hop. Grapefruit, strawberry and fruit-tea impressions give you several aroma cues without requiring actual fruit in the recipe.
Taste it beside Attention Please in small servings. Compare hop character first and strength second; a double IPA changes more than the aroma alone.
Pep Talk Lager
Brewed by Bearded Iris Brewing
Bright citrus impression with a snappy finish.
BAR NOTES
Pep Talk is the flight’s quieter lager option. It lets you assess the brewery’s clean, crisp side before the two stronger hop-led beers occupy your palate.
Start here and use a clean glass to notice the aroma. Simple fries or a lightly dressed salad are useful pairing trials.
Attention Please!
Brewed by Bearded Iris Brewing
Citra-led tropical aroma in a fuller-strength pour.
BAR NOTES
Attention Please uses Citra alone and is the strongest beer in this trio. The brewery describes a soft, tropical presentation, a different hop picture from Mosaic-led Homestyle.
Try a small pour last and compare its finish after a bite of cheddar. The IPA beer guide supplies more styles to explore.
3. Yazoo Brewing Company
Yazoo is a foundational Middle Tennessee stop with a flight that does not need limited releases to be interesting. Dos Perros, Pale Ale and Hefeweizen show three distinct approaches to malt, hops and fermentation.
Plan for Yazoo’s Madison brewery rather than its former Marathon location. Some producer store pages show older ABVs; the current beer pages below supply the reference figures, with the batch label taking precedence.
Dos Perros
Brewed by Yazoo Brewing Company
Dark malt with a lighter body from flaked maize.
BAR NOTES
Dos Perros combines Munich, pale and chocolate malts with a little flaked maize. The result is a useful brown-ale contrast to the brewery’s brighter pale ale rather than a heavy stout.
Try it with roasted chicken or mushrooms. The producer beer page lists 5.4%, while older store listings differ; confirm the can or tap label.
Pale Ale
Brewed by Yazoo Brewing Company
Citrus and herbal hops with a substantial malt base.
BAR NOTES
Yazoo Pale Ale uses Amarillo, Perle and Cascade with several malts. That combination makes it a useful reminder that pale ale can have supporting bread and caramel character.
Compare it with Dos Perros to separate hop aroma from dark-malt flavor. A burger or toasted cheese sandwich provides a straightforward pairing.
Hefeweizen
Brewed by Yazoo Brewing Company
Banana and clove from wheat-beer yeast.
BAR NOTES
Yazoo’s wheat beer relies on hefeweizen yeast for its banana-and-clove aroma. Those impressions come from fermentation rather than banana fruit additions.
Taste it before the pale ale. Explore our hefeweizen recipe for the brewing choices behind that character.
4. Xul Beer Company
Xul earns its place for recognizable fruit-forward beers and an essential clean lager counterpoint. Its current footprint includes Knoxville and Nashville, with the former Southern Grist locations now part of Xul’s Nashville operation.
Pick an exact venue before checking the menu: downtown Knoxville, Hardin Valley, East Nashville or West Nashville. The selections below are flagship names rather than three unrelated rotating fruit releases.
Toro y Oso
Brewed by Xul Beer Company
Easy-drinking lager with Wai-iti hops.
BAR NOTES
Toro y Oso is the restrained starting point for a brewery known for more intense flavors. Wai-iti hops provide a useful aroma comparison with Xul’s actual fruit-added sours.
Taste it first, and try it with fish tacos before adding a strong hot sauce. Keep the beer’s finish in mind when you move to the richer fruit selections.
PB&J Mixtape
Brewed by Xul Beer Company
Peanut butter and Concord grape in a nostalgic sour.
BAR NOTES
The flagship PB&J Mixtape combines peanut butter and Concord grape. The brewery markets it as a gluten-free sour; fruit-specific Mixtape variants are separate releases with their own labels.
Order a sample before committing to a large pour. A plain cracker makes a better tasting companion than another strongly flavored peanut dessert.
Tiny Umbrellas
Brewed by Xul Beer Company
Mango, guava and pineapple.
BAR NOTES
Tiny Umbrellas supplies a tropical alternative to PB&J Mixtape’s grape-and-peanut profile. Its 7% strength also makes it more substantial than the bright fruit impression might suggest.
Compare acidity and sweetness in small pours. A simple fruit salad or mild cheese is a sensible pairing experiment without adding another layer of intense flavor.
5. Hutton & Smith Brewing Co.
Hutton & Smith makes Chattanooga worth a beer-focused visit with an extensive menu and clear style contrasts. Basecamp, Igneous and Diatomaceous are a manageable starting trio before you explore staff beers or barrel projects.
The MLK taproom is the main planning reference. Confirm today’s pours; the large beer menu includes both mainstays and more occasional selections.
Basecamp Blonde
Brewed by Hutton & Smith Brewing Co.
Light malt backbone with a touch of bitterness.
BAR NOTES
Basecamp starts the flight with a lighter blonde profile and restrained bitterness. It gives you a clear reference before Igneous expands the hop intensity.
Try it with a simple sandwich or pretzel. Revisit it after the stout to notice how much flavor comes from malt choice rather than alcohol strength.
Igneous IPA
Brewed by Hutton & Smith Brewing Co.
Citrus and pine over biscuit-like malt.
BAR NOTES
Igneous combines dry-hop citrus and pine with a slightly malty, biscuit-like foundation. It is the firmer hop beer in this trio rather than a fruit sour or wheat ale.
Sample it after Basecamp and compare the lingering finish. Grilled chicken or cheddar can help frame the bitterness.
Diatomaceous Dry Stout
Brewed by Hutton & Smith Brewing Co.
Dark roast, coffee-like notes and a clean finish.
BAR NOTES
Diatomaceous offers medium body and restrained coffee-like roast in a dry-stout setting. That makes it a useful counterpoint to Wiseacre’s lactose-containing coffee milk stout.
Let it warm a little before trying it with toasted nuts. Our dark beer guide helps continue the dry-versus-sweet comparison.
6. Tennessee Brew Works
Tennessee Brew Works supplies an accessible downtown Nashville flight and a direct connection to Tennessee-grown grain. The three selections distinguish hop aroma from actual citrus and spice additions.
The Ewing Avenue taproom provides a central Nashville stop with its own food program. Confirm current taps separately from the full producer beer catalog.
Hippies & Cowboys
Brewed by Tennessee Brew Works
Tropical and citrus hops with restrained bittering.
BAR NOTES
Hippies & Cowboys emphasizes tropical and citrus aroma without aiming for an especially harsh finish. It is a sensible first IPA for someone deciding how much bitterness they enjoy.
Try it with a burger or grilled chicken. Compare the aroma with Southern Wit, where orange zest is an ingredient rather than only a hop impression.
Southern Wit
Brewed by Tennessee Brew Works
Orange zest, coriander and chamomile with Tennessee grain.
BAR NOTES
Southern Wit combines Tennessee grain with orange zest, coriander and chamomile. Its citrus-and-spice profile is a different brewing route from an IPA’s dry hopping.
Taste it before the IPA and try it with fish or an herb salad. Give the aroma time in the glass so the spice is not lost behind cold temperature.
State Park Blonde Ale
Brewed by Tennessee Brew Works
Light, crisp beer with a biscuity finish.
BAR NOTES
State Park Blonde uses Tennessee grains and is presented as the official beer of Tennessee State Parks. Its lighter profile gives this flight an approachable opening pour.
Start here with a pretzel or uncomplicated sandwich. Compare its malt character with Southern Wit before moving to the stronger hop aroma of Hippies & Cowboys.
7. Jackalope Brewing Company
Jackalope makes a strong Wedgewood-Houston stop through beers with distinctive, explainable ingredients. Bearwalker’s maple and Lovebird’s berries give the flight more variety than simply changing hop strength.
Jackalope now shares its roof and taproom with the Black Abbey brand. Treat them as one physical stop when planning your route and check the current menu for each brand’s beers.
Thunder Ann
Brewed by Jackalope Brewing Company
Citrus-focused pale ale with supporting malt.
BAR NOTES
Thunder Ann is the classic hop-centered starting name in this trio. Some ordering menus loosely call it IPA, but its established beer classification is American pale ale.
Try it beside the maple brown to compare balance. Our American pale ale recipe explains how malt supports citrus-led hops.
Bearwalker
Brewed by Jackalope Brewing Company
Roasted malt and Vermont maple syrup.
BAR NOTES
Bearwalker is brewed with Vermont maple syrup in a brown-ale setting. Maple is an ingredient here, while the level of perceived sweetness still depends on the finished beer.
Try it with roasted mushrooms or pork before reaching for dessert. Let the glass warm slightly and compare aroma with actual sweetness on the tongue.
Lovebird
Brewed by Jackalope Brewing Company
Strawberry and raspberry with a lightly tart finish.
BAR NOTES
Lovebird brings strawberries and raspberries into a wheat beer. Its gently tart fruit profile is a different experience from Xul’s more intense sour selections.
Taste it before Thunder Ann if you want the berry impression to stay clear. A spinach salad or mild cheese gives the fruit a useful pairing partner.
8. Schulz Bräu Brewing Company
Schulz Bräu is the Knoxville choice for a flight centered on Bavarian styles. Helles and Dunkel let you compare pale and dark lager, while Hefeweizen adds fermentation-led fruit and spice.
The great hall and biergarten make this a natural food-and-beer stop. Check the current Knoxville tap list and kitchen service before arriving.
Munich Helles
Brewed by Schulz Bräu Brewing Company
Approachable pale lager with malt-led balance.
BAR NOTES
Munich Helles puts pale-malt balance ahead of aggressive hop aroma. It is the clean opening beer for comparing the brewery’s two lager selections.
Try it with a pretzel or schnitzel. Notice the finish before deciding that a malt-led lager must necessarily taste sweet.