The brewers at Fat Bottom will tell you that craft beer has gotten too complicated. So, they brew the other way: simple recipes, top ingredients, and relentless quality control. Every pint is easy to drink and made for sharing. That approach earned the nickname the brewery proudly uses: the OG Nashville craft brewery.
One of our own chauffeurs takes you and your friends to the taproom in The Nations and back on our Fat Bottom Brewery tours, while the brewery takes care of everything poured and served inside. Downtown is a short drive away, and on-site parking is free and plentiful. Hiring a chauffeur for this trip, then, has more to do with your group than the distance: everyone shows up together, and whoever usually drives can order that second pint.
Longtime East Nashville regulars may remember the brewery’s original home, and perhaps you do too. Founder Ben Bredesen turned a homebrewing hobby into a business and opened it there in 2012 as the area’s first brewery; it quickly became a local favorite. After about four years, it moved across town to the west side, trading roughly 5,000 square feet for a brand-new 33,000-square-foot facility.
Curious about the brewhouse? Book the brewery’s own behind-the-scenes tour on its website, and our chauffeur will pull up out front before it starts. The team also gives back by supporting area businesses and community groups and hosting Community Sunday Suppers for the neighborhood.
The flagship Ruby American Red Ale and the refreshing Teddy Loves Pilsner pour year-round, next to bolder choices such as the Knockout IPA and the Hazel Hazy IPA, plus seasonal specialties like the bright, citrusy Daisy Tangerine Wheat. Your bartender can tell you what is new, since the lineup changes through the year, and the taproom sells 6-packs, cases, and growler fills for anyone who wants a favorite at home.
The kitchen goes well past bar snacks. Favorites include the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich and the Classic Smashburger, while the outdoor menu adds pretzels with beer cheese and even fried Oreos if you still have room.
On game days, you can skip the crowded indoor bars and watch the whole game outside instead. The beer garden has picnic tables, cornhole boards that come out whenever the sun does, and string lights that glow after sunset. The weekly calendar adds food and drink deals on Fat Bottom Fridays and Sippin’ Sundays with brunch and local artists.
Whichever day suits you, doors open at 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. on Friday, and 10 a.m. on the weekend. Last pours run until 9 p.m. early in the week, 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 7 p.m. on Sunday.
On either side of a bigger outing, the taproom works equally well. Since it sits a stone’s throw from plenty of popular stops, you can treat it as the meal before a night out or the afterparty after the main event, with our chauffeur moving everyone between the two. Should you have a few extra minutes, we can also pause at The Nations silo, under a mile down the road, where artist Guido van Helten painted a 15-story portrait of a longtime neighborhood resident.
“Can we bring the kids?” comes up with almost any brewery, and parents usually expect the answer to be no. Here it is a happy yes: Fat Bottom set up its beer garden with families in mind and describes it as a safe spot for every member of the family. Open grass gives little ones room to run, the menu includes dishes for picky eaters, and on Wednesdays children eat free with the purchase of an adult entrée. Parents, meanwhile, get a pilsner and a seat under the colorful umbrellas.
We welcome kids in our vehicles, and the pints go only to grown-ups with ID, so three generations can make an afternoon of it together. If you trust a friend’s recommendation most, our Google reviews come close.
We recommend you check the brewery’s current calendar before choosing your date.
Big nights here happen in The Reserve, the brewery’s private event venue, or across the whole property with a full brewery buyout, and a class reunion with classmates flying in from all over fills that space nicely. We roll out our Motorcoach, the biggest vehicle in our fleet list, and shuttle a full 56 guests from their hotels and back, while the brewery’s event staff guide you through every detail on the venue side.
A team outing calls for something smaller. Upstairs, The Loft suits meetings and more intimate gatherings, and we drive up to 14 colleagues there in our Executive Sprinter, so the agenda gets one last look during the drive.
For Thursday trivia, we send our SUV. Six friends fit inside, and the team has its name picked out by the time everyone walks in.
Reaching out takes one line. Something like “Ten of us, Saturday afternoon, leaving from a hotel in the Gulch” gives us plenty to start with. At Whiskey Trail Tours, we put together our tours to Fat Bottom Brewery around that line, and all you need to bring is an appetite to go with your thirst.
Calls go to (615) 942-1033, and emails go to info@whiskeytrailtours.com, or you can fill out the quick request page.
Tour distilleries, wineries, breweries and the city of Nashville in a private chauffeured vehicle, for groups of 2 to 56.
