Brewery Spotlight

Abridged Beer Company

To many beer lovers, owning a brewery is a dream come true. Many home brewers take a step forward and try their luck on starting a brewery or invest in an already existing one. As time goes on, they either find a lot of success by improvising time and again, or they fail over a period. But there are very few brewers who introduce creativity into brewing so well that they manage to open more than one outlet, one of them being the Abridged Beer Company.

Tucked into a hillside by a Presbyterian church, the Abridged Beer Company is the first craft brewery in West Knoxville. The story begins with founder Jesse Bowers brewing his first batch of beer at home. Like any other beer lover, Jesse is a beer enthusiast who decided to start his own microbrewery. He wasted no time in finding a place and looked everywhere from downtown to Old North to South Knoxville. Little did he realize that what he was looking for was right there in his own town. 

Jesse, with a lot of support from his co-founder wife, Lyndsay, found a rehabbed 1950s-era mechanics’ garage on Lockett Road in Deane Hill, and that became the beginning of a new journey. To open up a brewpub, the Bowers needed more than just a location. He needed a zoning variance that would allow the customers to park at Erin Presbyterian Church. There was no way he could have opened up a brewpub without getting it sanctioned, and fortunately, he did. Jesse then talked a culinary professional and old friend, Joey Trott, into taking on head chef duties. He also hired Josh Hill as a chief brewer, and the brewery took its first big step. In August 2017, The Brew Pub by Abridged Beer Company opened its doors to the public.

The Brew Pub has been virtually packed from the moment they opened in August 2017. Being a resident of West Knoxville, Jesse realized that there were a lot of families like his own in his backyard that showed interest in a craft brewpub. His intention was to make his brewery a family-friendly location where children had enough space to play while parents enjoyed a chilled beer full of flavor. The mechanics’ garage was just perfect. The Brew Pub must be one of the very few breweries to be pet friendly.  Jesse envisioned a brewery where kids and dogs were also welcome, and he successfully managed to open one. 

The biggest surprise to Jesse was the volume of business the brewpub had made, and it was all done through word-of-mouth and social media. Their success was so high that, within two years, the Bowers decided to open another venue and name it The Oak Room. Abridged Beer Company had expanded within a very short period. 

Image by Abridged Beer Company on Google Maps

Their Best Brews

Josh Hill, the head brewer at Abridged Beer Company emphasizes beer with more flavors and less alcohol. He believes that enjoying the amazing flavor while still keeping your senses is more important to appreciate the taste and texture of the beer. Some of their best brews include the following:

  • Blue on Black Dollypop
  • Currant Passion Dollypop
  • Mosiac Synchronous
  • Don Lucas De Vienna
  • Hill’s Pils
  • Pride of Bearden
  • Hellescopter Dad

On any given day, the brewpub serves about seventeen beers – that also includes a couple of beers from other craft brewers.

What to Expect

The last commercial business for the present venue of The Brew Pub was a mechanics’ garage. But a lot has changed since then, and luckily, you will not drink and dine in a garage. The Bowers refurbished the place to look heavenly. There are picnic tables laid out on the patio that give an aura of peace and tranquil. 

Head Chef Joey Trott has a knack of satiating every taste bud with his exceptionally delicious Southern-style pub food. The combination of the southern food with a beer that is oozing with enticing flavors makes you feel more welcome than the comforts of your own home.

Owner and founder Jesse Bower, a graduate of UT with a professional background in hospitality management, is one of the friendliest faces you will see. Along with his wife and twenty-four other staff members, he has made Abridged Beer Company, a craft brewpub, one of the best family breweries to visit. 

Image by Sacheta Singh on Google Maps

In the News

The Abridged Beer Company was already in the spotlight for being the first craft brewpub in West Knoxville, and it made the news when Jesse Bower announced the opening of The Oak Room in November 2019, an exclusive barrel-aged sour beer facility. The Oak Room is a 2,500 square feet facility that has over a hundred oak barrels stacked in rows with wooden tables between them. It includes twelve rotating taps, including eight sours that are barrel-aged, two kettle sours, an India Pale Ale, and a lager. The Oak Room is expected to see immense success, just like The Brew Pub. 

What the Customers Say

Customers believe that the place stands out as one of the best craft brews in Tennessee, one which also serves the best food. From roast nachos that takes you to nirvana to a buttermilk chicken sandwich and burgers that get your taste buds dancing, every food goes great with the flavorsome beer offered. The place offers the best of all worlds: food, drink, family, and a fantastic time. A customer who visits once is tempted to visit again and again. Abridged Beer Company is a fabulous family-friendly and pet-friendly place that serves amazing food and beer that makes you crave for more.

Abridged Beer Company’s locations are:

  • The Brew Pub: 100 Lockett Road, Knoxville, Tennessee 37919
  • The Oak Room: 109 W. Anderson Avenue, Tennessee 37917

For more information, you can visit the brewery’s official website

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