Blackstone Brewing
Blackstone Brewing is Nashville's oldest craft brewery (founded 1994), brewing award-winning beer on German-engineered equipment, selling through its on-site taphouse, retail distribution across Tennessee, keg orders, and guided brewery tours.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersNashville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Blackstone Brewing does
Blackstone Brewing Company is a privately held, founder-owned craft brewery headquartered at 2312 Clifton Avenue in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1994 as Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery, the company claims to be the oldest craft brewery in Nashville and the most award-winning brewery in Music City, with medals from the World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival accumulating continuously since 1996. Its portfolio includes year-round flagships (Chaser Kölsch, Nut Brown Ale, St. Charles Porter, HopJack IPA, Adam Bomb IPA, Black Belle), seasonal and special releases, and a Nashville Hard Cider sub-brand at 6.2% ABV.
The company's production infrastructure centers on a 30-barrel, fully-automated four-vessel brewhouse custom manufactured by ROLEC Prozess- und Brautechnik GmbH (Chieming, Germany), paired with a Krones double pre-evacuation bottling line (Neutraubling, Germany). In 2011, Blackstone built a standalone brewing and bottling facility; in 2016 it closed the original brewpub and converted that facility into its operating headquarters and taphouse, where it consistently serves 16 rotating taps alongside a retrofitted food bus.
Revenue is generated across three channels: direct-to-consumer taphouse sales (flights, six-packs, crowlers, growlers), wholesale distribution to retail stores throughout Tennessee, and bulk keg orders for events and on-premise accounts. A secondary revenue stream comes from guided, historical, and founders-led brewery tours. Distribution is geographically restricted to Tennessee, the team consists of roughly 15-20 people including co-founders Kent Taylor and brewmaster Chase, and the business is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding.
Blackstone Brewing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blackstone Brewing
- Legal name
- Blackstone Brewing Company
- Website
- https://blackstonebeer.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Blackstone Brewing is Nashville's oldest craft brewery (founded 1994), brewing award-winning beer on German-engineered equipment, selling through its on-site taphouse, retail distribution across Tennessee, keg orders, and guided brewery tours.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blackstone Brewing industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Craft Brewing
- NAICS
- Breweries (312120), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)
- SIC
- Malt Beverages (2082), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Microbreweries & Craft Breweries (THAFALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Taprooms & Brewpubs (CRANACAF), Packaging & Production Breweries (Limited/No On-site Service) (THAFALAB)
Keywords
Where Blackstone Brewing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nashville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Blackstone Brewing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Taproom Sales: Direct beer sales through taphouse featuring 16 rotating taps. Sells individual pours, flights, six-packs, crowlers, and growlers for on-site and off-site consumption.
- Retail Distribution: Beer distributed through stores throughout the state of Tennessee.
- Keg Sales: Bulk keg orders available for events and on-premise accounts.
- Brewery Tours: Guided tours (1 hour, $10/person), Historical tours (1.5 hours, $15/person), and Founders tours (2 hours, $30/person) each including beer samples.
- Hard Cider: Nashville Hard Cider line including apple, salted caramel, pineapple, and white cranberry varieties at 6.2% ABV, gluten-free.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Guided Brewery Tour - 1 hour with 2 beers |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Historical Tour - 1.5 hours with 2 beers |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Founders Tour - 2 hours private with co-founder Kent Taylor |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Blackstone Brewing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blackstone Brewing is a craft brewery and taproom that brews, packages, and sells its own craft beer portfolio (year-round, seasonal, and special-release recipes plus a Nashville Hard Cider line) from its Nashville facility. The company earns revenue through direct taproom sales of 16 rotating beers, packaged beer distribution throughout Tennessee, keg orders for events/on-premise accounts, and ticketed guided brewery tours of the brewing and bottling facility.
Product overview
Blackstone Brewing Co. is Nashville's oldest craft brewery (established 1994) operating as a combined brewing company and taproom. The product portfolio centers on craft beer production with year-round flagships (Chaser Kölsch, Nut Brown Ale, St Charles Porter, HopJack, Adam Bomb, Black Belle), seasonal releases (Blueberry Picnic, Strawberry Picnic, Dark Matter IPA), and special experimental releases. The company also produces Nashville Hard Cider, a separate gluten-free cider line. On-site services include the Taphouse serving 16 rotating taps and guided brewery tours (Guided, Historical, and Founders Tours).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Nashville Hard Cider™: Hard cider line featuring apple, salted caramel, pineapple, and white cranberry flavors, each at 6.2% ABV and gluten-free.
Products and services
- Year-Round Beers Year-round craft beer portfolio of flagship recipes brewed continuously, including Chaser Kölsch, Nut Brown Ale, St Charles Porter (8 GABF medals), HopJack IPA, Adam Bomb IPA, and Black Belle; sold on draft at the Nashville taphouse and in packaged form through Tennessee retail stores.
- Seasonal Beers Rotating seasonal craft beer offerings released on a limited-time basis, including Blueberry Picnic, Strawberry Picnic, and Dark Matter IPA, designed to complement the year-round lineup with seasonally appropriate styles.
- Special Releases Limited and experimental beer releases including Barista Brew, Ex-Girlfriend, Fancy Boy, ImperialJack, Phaze Shift IPA, TropJack, and other one-off or small-batch offerings crafted to extend the brewery's style range.
- Nashville Hard Cider Gluten-free hard cider line marketed as Nashville Hard Cider, offered in apple, salted caramel, pineapple, and white cranberry varieties at 6.2% ABV, providing a non-beer craft option for gluten-intolerant consumers; a sub-brand operated by Blackstone Brewing Company.
- Taphouse On-site taproom at 2312 Clifton Avenue, Nashville, serving 16 rotating seasonal craft beers on tap, with flights, six-packs, crowlers, and growlers available to go; backed by on-site food from the retrofitted B-Stone Bus.
- Brewery Tours Ticketed guided tours of the brewing and bottling facility, including a Guided Brewery Tour, a Historical Tour led by Nashville Brewing Company historian Scott Mertie, and a private Founders Tour led personally by co-founder Kent Taylor; all tours include beer samples and target adult visitors interested in brewing process and Nashville brewing history.
Quantifiable outcome
- 8 medals at Great American Beer Festival for St. Charles Porter
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Blackstone Brewing
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Blackstone Brewing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Blackstone Brewing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ROLEC Prozess- und Brautechnik GmbHcoreGerman company that custom manufactured Blackstone's 30-barrel brewhouse. ROLEC designed and supplied all equipment from silo to cellar including the fully-automated 4-vessel brewhouse system. Located in Chieming, Germany.
- KronescoreGerman company headquartered in Neutraubling that engineered and manufactured the heart of Blackstone's bottling line - a double pre-evacuation filler.
- Scott Mertie / Nashville Brewing CompanyminorLocal historian, author, and owner of Nashville Brewing Company (est. 1859) who conducts Historical Tours at Blackstone, sharing Nashville brewery history from early 1800s through 1950s. Tours scheduled one Friday afternoon per month.
- Nashville Cider CocoreRelated brand operated by Blackstone Brewing Company producing hard ciders including apple, salted caramel, pineapple, and white cranberry varieties. Marketed via Instagram @nashville_cider_co.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Blackstone Brewing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Dogfish Head Craft Brewery: Established regional craft brewer with a broad style portfolio, brewery tour program, and multi-state distribution—illustrative of the scaled-up craft model Blackstone could aspire to.
- The Boston Beer Company: National craft-adjacent brewer (Samuel Adams, Twisted Tea, Angry Orchard) providing context for how a craft-rooted brand can scale into multiple beverage categories—relevant given Blackstone's cider line and seasonal experimentation.
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Large-scale U.S. craft brewer whose flagship portfolio and broad national distribution define the category benchmarks for award-winning craft beer and taproom experience that Blackstone competes against at a regional level.
Regional players
- Mantra Artisan Ales: Nashville-area craft brewery focused on small-batch artisanal beers, comparable in scale and style focus to Blackstone's craft portfolio, though operating primarily off-site rather than with a flagship taproom.
Direct peers
- Jackalope Brewing Company: Nashville craft brewery with brewpub and packaged distribution, similarly competing for local craft beer share and on-premise accounts in the same Tennessee market.
- Yazoo Brewing Company: Nashville-based craft brewery and taproom with comparable scale, distribution footprint in Tennessee, and overlapping product positioning versus Blackstone. Most direct local competitor for taps, shelf space, and tourist traffic.
- Fat Bottom Brewing: Nashville craft brewery operating a taproom and regional distribution, overlapping with Blackstone in product mix, channels, and Middle Tennessee customer base.
- Tennessee Brew Works: Nashville craft brewery with taproom and statewide distribution, directly comparable in size, channels, and customer base to Blackstone Brewing.
Emerging players
- Bold Rock Hard Cider: Regional hard cider producer operating taprooms and packaged distribution—most directly comparable to Blackstone's Nashville Hard Cider sub-brand for category benchmarking.
- Nashville Brewing Company: Historic Nashville brewery brand (est. 1859) revived by local historian Scott Mertie, who also partners with Blackstone on Historical Tours. Adjacent brand and partnership peer in the same local market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Blackstone Brewing social profiles
Digital presenceBlackstone Brewing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blackstone Brewing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Blackstone Brewing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blackstone Brewing M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blackstone Brewing
What does Blackstone Brewing do?
Blackstone Brewing is a craft brewery and taproom that brews, packages, and sells its own craft beer portfolio (year-round, seasonal, and special-release recipes plus a Nashville Hard Cider line) from its Nashville facility. The company earns revenue through direct taproom sales of 16 rotating beers, packaged beer distribution throughout Tennessee, keg orders for events/on-premise accounts, and ticketed guided brewery tours of the brewing and bottling facility.
Is Blackstone Brewing a public or private company?
Blackstone Brewing is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Blackstone Brewing founded?
Blackstone Brewing was founded in 1994. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Blackstone Brewing based?
Blackstone Brewing is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Blackstone Brewing make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Taproom Sales are the primary driver. The others are retail Distribution, keg Sales, brewery Tours and hard Cider.
Who are Blackstone Brewing's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, The Boston Beer Company and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.. Mantra Artisan Ales is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Jackalope Brewing Company, Yazoo Brewing Company, Fat Bottom Brewing and Tennessee Brew Works. Emerging players are Bold Rock Hard Cider and Nashville Brewing Company.
Does Blackstone Brewing have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blackstone Brewing.
What industry is Blackstone Brewing in?
Blackstone Brewing's product category is Craft Brewing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFALAC, Microbreweries & Craft Breweries, with a secondary code of CRANACAF, Taprooms & Brewpubs. Its NAICS code is 312120 and its SIC code is 2082.