TN Beer Run to showcase 76 breweries in 21 days

Three longtime friends are preparing to hit the road on a marathon tour of Tennessee craft breweries in an effort to bring exposure to the thriving industry.

Zack Roskop, Matt Malone and Jessica Warblow plan to cover 1,400 miles in 21 days in a mini-bus visiting 76 breweries during their first-ever TN Beer Run. There’s a lot of beer to quaff in those three weeks but Roskop is more excited about the people they’ll meet and the stories they’ll uncover.

“For me, this trip is not about the beer. This trip is about the people,” said Roskop, who owns a brewery tour company called Knox Brew Tours. “I feel like I’m going on a treasure hunt and I don’t know what I’m going to find, but I don’t think I’m going to get sick of the beer.”

The tour kicks off January 24 in Kingsport and Bristol and ends February 13 in Knoxville. Nashville breweries are on the docket five days during the tour, starting with Mill Creek Brewing Co. on January 31. The trio are documenting their trip via social media and writing a cover article for Tennessee Craft Beer Magazine’s 2017 spring issue.

“It went from a crazy idea six months ago to this and it’s just been incredible,” Roskop said.

At the heart of TN Beer Run is a mission to drive traffic and exposure to small craft breweries, which have become major economic drivers in the state.

Tennessee’s beer industry had an estimated $753 million economic impact in 2014 with 142,818 barrels of craft beer produced each year, according to the Brewers Association. Tennessee ranks 23rd in the number of craft breweries, compared to its No. 27 ranking just one year ago.

Growth in the industry is expected to continue thanks to new laws that have loosened restrictions on brewers, including a law that took effect this month to raise the alcohol by weight limit to 8 percent from 5 percent. That translates to a new alcohol by volume limit of about 10.1 percent from the previous cap of about 6.2 percent. It gives brewers more room for creativity and opens up a new market to consumers.

“With the legal things changing, that has helped grow breweries, but what’s also been exciting is we have areas of towns that were less than desirable that were affected negatively by the recession but places like breweries have been able to help start revitalization of those areas,” Roskop said.

That’s been true in Nashville in developing neighborhoods such as SoBro, Pie Town and parts of East Nashville, where breweries have opened and quickly become community hot spots.

Roskop’s passion for craft beer blossomed five or six years ago when he switched from drinking from Miller Lite and Bud Light to Yuengling when his local beer market started carrying it. From there, he discovered local craft brews and the great variety in Tennessee. TN Beer Run gives him an outlet to further the craft beer industry and to support other small business owners.

“Craft beer breweries tend to be community focused, tend to be family friendly, tend to create local products from local resources and that money gets put back into people’s neighbors that live down the street. It’s a very sustainable local product,” Roskop said.

During the tour, the trio will spend roughly one hour at each brewery, where they’ll take photos and video, interview the brewer and/or owner and of course, drink beer. They’ll promote at least one brewery a day via a Facebook Live tour.

“That way we can get exposure on an international level for those breweries,” Roskop said.

The public is invited to an “after party” every day, where craft beer lovers and members of the community can meet with the TN Beer Run team at a local brewery.

Along the way they’ll stay in hotel rooms provided by local tourism boards and host homes. Worst case scenario, the mini-bus can sleep three. Warblow, who’s two months pregnant, is the designated driver.

All of the gas for the 1,400 mile trip is donated by Kroger, Roskop said.

Follow TN Beer Run on social media to keep updated during the tour. You can find an itinerary and details on the daily after party at thetnbeerrun.com.

Reach Lizzy Alfs at lalfs@tennessean.com or 615-726-5948 and on Twitter @lizzyalfs.