Linus Hall is a hero of mine. You may not know the name, but Middle Tennessee residents have at least seen the fruits of his labor. Many of them drink it. Linus is the proprietor of the Nashville original Yazoo Brew.
Linus was a young quality engineer for a major tire manufacturer headquartered in Middle Tennessee that sounds like Flintstone. He’d been homebrewing for several years and made so much he gave it away. And they liked it! So after much debate with his wife, he began the process of starting a brewery.
The first step was to quit his job. His steady paycheck gone, Linus completed an MBA at Vanderbilt Owen School of Management, a craftbrewing degree from the American Brewer’s Guild and an internship with the Brooklyn Brewery.
In 2003, he signed a lease on space in the old Marathon Motor Works building and acquired brewing equipment. Six years later, Yazoo Brew is a rousting success. A Yazoo tap has a place in most every restaurant and bar in Nashville. Yazoo bottled beer occupies shelf space in Nashville area Kroger, Publix, Walmart and Whole Foods stores. They operate a small tap room with limited hours that Nashville Scene readers voted Best Underground Happy Hour (shhh, don’t tell).
It’s taken 6 years, but Yazoo has outgrown it’s space in Marathon Motor Works. It’s a good problem to have. Linus is in the process of building out a new facility in the Gulch, giving them ample room to expand operations. I’m looking forward to many a cold one and the new concotions from the new facility.
My personal favorite Yazoos are the Sly Rye Porter and the Hefeweizen (fresh from the tap). The chocolaty porter is my favorite cool weather beer. And for cooling down in hot weather, it’s none other than the fruity Hefe.
If you’re a beer lover and visiting Nashville, stop by the tap room, try it at a restaurant, or buy a six pack. You’ll be glad you did. And if you don’t, I’ll buy one for you.
And why is Linus a hero of mine? Because he quit his steady paycheck to follow his dream.
Be sure to check out
- Yazoo Brew’s blog
- Forbes article on craftbrewing that interviews Linus
- Tennessean article on the new facility and here.
- Yazoo on Twitter here and here
This is a post of Favorites Friday. Each Friday, I share some of my favorite music, writing, movies… anything that’s a favorite of mine.