Gulch site of venerable brewery is slated to be sold to undisclosed buyer

Yazoo Brewing Co. — one of Nashville’s two remaining pioneers of the post-1980 craft beer scene — announced Tuesday it eventually will move to Madison from The Gulch.

The address of the North Davidson County site is 900 River Bluff Drive, with the location spanning six acres overlooking the Cumberland River. The parcel offers no buildings, allowing Yazoo to create its owns campus of sorts.

A release notes Yazoo closed on the purchase of the property in December. However, Metro property records do not provide any insight as to the purchase price or any possible investors involved in the transaction. Chad Grout, principal broker at Urban Grout Commercial Real Estate, represented Yazoo in the purchase.

The announcement comes as the owners of the 0.86-acre property from which Yazoo operates, with an address of 910 Division St., have the site under contract to an undisclosed prospective buyer.

Yazoo’s move to Madison is dependent upon the closing of the sale of its Gulch home and the finishing of construction of its future home.

The original asking price for the Gulch property, listed in mid-2017, was $9.75 million.

Urban Grout Commercial Real Estate is handling the marketing of the Gulch property, at which Yazoo began operations in 2010. The brewery originally was born in Marathon Village in 2003 and is perhaps best known for its Pale Ale and Dos Perros beers.

Linus Hall, Yazoo founder and brewmaster, said the brewery has outgrown its Gulch property (pictured). He stressed there will be no beer production disruption during the transition, whenever that might come.

“We are thrilled to have secured a long-term home for Yazoo that gives us the space to brew without limitations and create a truly special destination for our fans,” Hall said in the release. “Our new brewery will be custom designed and built from the ground up to meet our brewing needs, with expansion space to support our growth. Our campus will feature a taproom, as well as dedicated outdoor space for concerts and picnics. It’ll be a destination worth spending time at with friends and family.”

With the Madison location, Yazoo hopes to increase its production, Hall said. In 2017, the facility brewed 24,000 barrels of beer. The property is industrially zoned and could accommodate multiple buildings.

“Our staff live all over middle Tennessee and we’ve always seen ourselves as a Nashville beer,” Hall said. “We are grateful to have been part of the incredible revitalization of Marathon Village and then The Gulch, and look forward to our new home in Madison.”

Metro Councilman Bill Pridemore, in whose District 9 the Madison property sits, said in the release that Yazoo will be a “fantastic addition” to what is a changing part of North Davidson County.

“The brewery’s relocation is a natural extension of Nashville’s growth and will help drive economic development out into neighborhoods,” Pridemore said. “It will be something for the people of my district to be proud of, and we’ll be thrilled to host Yazoo fans from all over.”

Hall owns a percentage of the Gulch property, having acquired it in 2010 with owner Division Street Partners. The warehouse building span about 24,250 square feet.

Urban Grout Commercial Real Estate also is handling the marketing and sale of that property. According to a source with information about the entities that have looked at the Gulch site, redevelopment for hotel use has been most commonly mentioned.

Unrelatedly, the property home to R.J. Young, also located on Division Street and across from Yazoo, is for sale.

Yazoo is one of five craft breweries located in either The Gulch or SoBro. The others found in what is known loosely as the Brewery District are Czann’s, Jackalope, New Heights and Tennessee Brew Works.

Of note, Czann’s is looking to move, while Jackalope will soon open a second operation in Wedgewood-Houston. Yee Haw, based in Johnson City, Tennessee, is planning to establish a presence in SoBro.

The oldest operational brewery in Nashville is Blackstone, which was founded in 1994. Nashville also saw during the late 1980s and 1990s the starts of Boscos (since closed) Market Street (since closed) and Big River (now Rock Bottom).





