NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Harding House Brewing Co. in West Nashville is is one of the driving forces behind Farm To Tap (FTT), a partnership launched by the Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture in 2021 to encourage Tennessee brewers to use Tennessee sourced ingredients in their beer.
Sharon Cheek, Executive Director of the Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild, credits Harding House Brewing Founder Nate Underwood with helping launch the program and for his advocacy around it, including speaking at the 2022 Tennessee Legislative Session to secure the program’s second year of funding with an increase from $350,000 to $400,000.
In year one, Farm To Tap kicked off with three events at Guild member breweries— at Harding House Brewing Co. in Nashville, at Printshop Beer Co. in Knoxville, and at Soul & Spirits Brewery in Memphis — aimed to engage the public in this initiative by offering flight tastings, brewery tours and panel discussions. Additionally more than 1900 tickets were sold for three FTT festivals that also took place in Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis. “The festivals brought together farmers, brewers and consumers for these interactive half-day events that included beer tastings, music, food trucks and other Tennessee vendors to enjoy,” says Cheek. “Additionally, more than 30 Guild member breweries showcased beers utilizing Tennessee grown crops and several local vendors also attended and offered their products for sale.”
Riverbend Malt House, a Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild member, provided many of these brewers, Harding House included, with Tennessee-grown malt offerings like Cumberland Pilsner and Cumberland Corn. “We’re honored to have Riverbend’s partnership from the very beginning,” says Cheek “From ‘what if’ chats over beers, to informative calls about malted barley, the entire team has made themselves available to help the Farm To Tap mission succeed.”
For More Information:
https://riverbendmalt.com/farm-to-tap-2022/