East Nashville Beer Works is a neighborhood gem; it boasts a spacious beer garden where it can host pop-up yoga classes or classic movie screenings. This impressively sized patio is dog- and kid-friendly, too — so much so, in fact, that its jungle gym rivals most local parks (and is probably sanitized more consistently). Inside, the taproom hosts live music night and you can find a variety of great beers including seasonal flavors, creative IPAs, and stouts. If you get hungry, it has pizza, appetizers, and salads on its menu.

Living Waters is Nashville’s little engine that could. Along with its well-crafted beers, it also features an impressive coffee program. And while it may not be remotely close to being the largest brewery in East Nashville, that hasn’t hindered its ability to make great beer. Brewer-owners Ryan McCay and Thomas Becker create some wonderfully crafted beers that beer geeks across the country dream about getting their hands on. Their taproom is a warm, welcoming space with a small outdoor patio. They always strive to support local businesses, offering pastries and bites curated from local businesses daily while supplies last.

Smack in the heart of East Nashville, Southern Grist is known for its ambitiously creative beer selection — one glance at its menu and you’ll realize that it doesn’t put any traditional beer constraints on its creations, adding personality through ingredients to every style of beer it produces. From exotic fruits to pickles and marshmallows, Southern Grist fearlessly brews with anything you can think of. If you’re on the move, Southern Grist sells to-go beers in cans and crowlers, but it also has a super comfy, family-friendly lounge and a pet-friendly porch if you’d rather sit and sip through its beer list. Southern Grist opened its second location in the Nations with more seating, a larger bar and patio, plus a fast-casual version of the original’s signature restaurant, Lauter.

Monday Night Brewing opened Monday Night Preservation Co. in Germantown in 2021, bringing the Atlanta-based brews to an enormous tap room. Expect to find long picnic-style tables in the transformed Neuhoff development, which was formerly a meatpacking district in the early 1900s. The brewery breathes new life into the area, offering 24 craft beers on draft plus cocktails, wine, and a handful of snacks. Check out the weekly events calendar before your visit for trivia and bingo nights. 

Barrique is the most niche kid on the block. Specializing in wild ales fermented in oak barrels, brewer-owner Joel Stickrod started in 2018 with his first beer ready for release in 2019. Barrique moved into the space that was formerly home to Little Harpeth Brewing; its taproom is lined with barrels and wooden accents. Although it specializes in wild ales, Barrique also puts out ales and lagers for beer palates that prefer simpler brews. It hosts a rotating cast of pop-ups, so your food is guaranteed to be as satisfying as the beer.

Located in The Nations, Harding House Brewing Co. is a brewery and taproom with a major focus on its community and brewing beers with local and seasonal ingredients — a farm to pint concept, if you will. Its menu has recurring selections, as well as seasonal offerings and some experimental sprinkled in the mix. Harding House has a good blend of beer styles, but its saisons are not to be missed. The taproom is cozy for a weeknight pint, but the roll-up garage doors are ready for when it’s party time.

Fat Bottom essentially swapped a small, 5000-square-foot facility in East Nashville for a state-of-the-art 33,000-square-foot home in the Nations. The new facility sits on an acre and a half plot of land which afforded Fat Bottom space to not only expand the production floor and taproom but also build a giant event space and The Hop Yard, its outdoor beer garden. The brewery also operates a full-service kitchen that’s open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.

Formerly a SoBro staple, Czann’s up and moved its operation to The Nations where it’s taken over a space that once accommodated a church. Just a hop, skip, and jump away from a handful of other breweries, Czann’s is another addition to what seems to be becoming Nashville’s brewing district. Unlike his younger peers, founder Ken Rebman is not chasing the latest beer trend or looking to pump his beer full of fruit puree. Ken is focused on making solid, clean beer and marching to the beat of his own drum. The Czann’s taproom is a tall, open space with ample TVs, but if you want to take in the fresh Nashville air, its patio is also open for seating.

What started as a hobby among friends has evolved into a brewery with a two-story taproom and a full-service kitchen that offers lunch and dinner. If you’re privy to watching brewers do their job, you’re in luck. The production floor is on full display behind large windows in the seating area. If you want to do more than ogle at the brewers, stop in on a Saturday and enjoy a guided tour to learn about their eco-friendly brewing methods. It also has live music throughout the week and one of the best burgers in the city.

Jackalope Brewing opened this space, affectionately known as the Ranch, as a production facility with a taproom in 2018. (Its original location, the Den, closed in early 2021.) Aside from offering consistently solid year-round beers, it supplements its lineup with tasty seasonal selections and fun, creative beers with its Shapeshifter Series. Throughout the week, various food trucks rotate in and out of the venue, and its staff is some of the friendliest and most knowledgeable around town.

Nashville’s first craft cidery, Diskin Cider, opened in Wedgewood-Houston back in 2018 thanks to Pacific Northwest transplant Adam Diskin and his pal, Todd Evans. After studying under an English cider master, the pair opened a warehouse-style cidery that boasts plenty of seating both inside and out, along with a menu of craft brews made with fresh-pressed apples. If you’re wary of ciders, fear not, a team of experts stands ready to help you find your new favorite. The cidery hosts regular events like drag brunch, trivia, and comedy shows, plus pregame parties (and transportation) for Nashville SC games.