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Tennessee craft breweries rebound post-pandemic

A pint of the Conspiracy fruited IPA at Bearded Iris. Photo: Nate Rau/Axios Tennessee's largest craft breweries massively rebounded in 2021, a year after the pandemic . The state of beer: Bearded Iris was Nashville's fastest growing craft brewery in 2021 with a 42% increase in sales, according to an exclusive analysis of Brewers Association data by Axios reporter John Frank.Wiseacre Brewing Co. from Memphis saw 32% growth last year.Yazoo, the godfather of Nashville craft brewing, sold 16,000 barrels and grew by 28% in 2021.Tennessee ranks No. 21 in the nation for number of breweries with 141, according to the data. The big picture: The craft beer industry , while the overall market moved up 1%. Between the lines: The annual data — published for its members in the New Brewer journal — is the most comprehensive breakdown of the state's craft beer industry. Yes, but: Not all craft brewers are represented in the rankings because some do not submit sales and production data to the Colorado-based Brewers Association, the industry's trade group.TailGate Brewery, which , is not included in the data. Just this year, TailGate announced new locations in , and .Our analysis looked at sales from breweries, brewpubs and taprooms, but excluded contract brewers.Also excluded are local breweries that don't meet the definition of independent.Note: Some breweries did not provide data to the Brewers Association; Data: Brewers Association; Table: Thomas Oide/Axios What's next: The association's Bart Watson compiled the data and says 2022 is producing mixed results, with growth projected near 4-5%.Inflation in the cost of raw goods, particularly grain, is hurting the industry. So is competition from other alcohol products, such as canned cocktails and seltzers.One clear pandemic recovery, he said in a recent industry briefing: "At the brewery sales are stronger and still growing so that's a bright spot." The bottom line: For the next year, Watson sees an elevated "long-term growth rate … but below [2021] when there was still strong growth bouncing back from those pandemic losses." Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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