Growing Fat Bottom Brewery plans move to The Nations

Big changes are in the works for East Nashville's Fat Bottom Brewery.

The brewery, which has outgrown its 3,000-square-foot space at 900 Main St. in the three years since its launch, plans to relocate to The Nations to accommodate the company's growth.

Fat Bottom plans to open a 16,000-square-foot facility at 800 44th Ave. N. in January after purchasing the property, according to a media release. Fat Bottom founder Ben Bredesen said he finalized a deal at 10 a.m. Tuesday to purchase the site.

"This is a bittersweet situation for me," Bredesen said in a prepared statement. "I am sad to move the brewery from the neighborhood that I live in and that has helped us grow so quickly. Our new location is also based in a neighborhood though, which is important to the business and to me personally. I hope folks in The Nations will embrace the brewery and taproom in the same way that East Nashville did."

Fat Bottom produces draft beer, along with 16-ounce cans distributed in Tennessee. The brewery also serves dinner and hosts live music from its taproom and beer garden in the old Fluffo Mattress building on Ninth and Main in East Nashville.

Bredesen said the brewery was facing capacity issues as it grew, and he started looking for a new space in April 2014. He said he came close to finalizing a deal for several properties before landing on the site in The Nations. He bought the property from Toni Rothfuss, who once planned a 27-home community on the property.

Fat Bottom's announcement is the latest in a string of real estate activity in the West Nashville neighborhood, which by one estimate has more than 400 homes under construction with another 200 coming.

Recent commercial activity in the neighborhood includes a new women's boutique called The Mill, which opened in April at 814 51st Ave. N., as well as Fifty First Kitchen & Bar that is preparing to open later this month at 5104 Illinois Ave.

"The thing I really like about The Nations is it's certainly starting to blow up, and it feels a lot like East Nashville did a few years ago," Bredesen said. "I moved to East Nashville in 2005 and at that time, it was really starting to pick up ... and I get the same vibe out of The Nations."

The move to The Nations will give Fat Bottom nearly double the seating capacity, an expanded kitchen and menu, and a private space for events. Bredesen said the brewery will consider opening for lunch on Fridays and Sundays, in addition to the Saturday lunch service it already offers.

The brewery also plans to start a sour and barrel-aged beer program with the move.

"That is something that we cannot do in our current location because the risk of cross-contamination is too high," said Fat Bottom brew master Drew Yeager in a prepared statement. "We will build a dedicated facility for fermenting and aging those beers, separate from the main brewery."

According to a media release, the East Nashville brewery will close once construction is finished in The Nations and the brewing operation moves.

Reach Lizzy Alfs at 615-726-5948 and on Twitter @lizzyalfs.