Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., which had been considering placing an East Coast brewing hub in Eastern Tennessee, confirmed today that Tennessee has been eliminated from the brewery’s list of possible candidates.
“Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. has decided not to pursue a potential second brewery location in Tennessee,” the company said in a statement. The brewery has reportedly been conducting due diligence research on sites in Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee—in the latter targeting a mixed-use community named Pellissippi Place, which is located in Blount County near the cities of Maryville and Alcoa.
“An attractive business climate, ideal location in Pellissippi Place, and warm welcome by Blount County and the entire state of Tennessee made this decision very difficult,” Sierra Nevada’s statement continued. “Unfortunately, the needs of the brewery made any further exploration within the state impossible.”
In May, the Tennessee State Legislature hurriedly passed new alcohol legislation, citing an attempt to lure, as state Senator Doug Overbey (R-Maryville) stated on May 17, “a significant economic development opportunity that required some changes in state law in order for our state to stay in the mix for this economic development opportunity.” The new legislation primarily defined high-alcohol content beer and made provisions for Tennessee breweries to produce and sell it.
When asked by FledglingBrewer.com via e-mail to disclose the reasons why Tennessee was eliminated from contention, or if the recent legislative changes did not make the state inviting enough, Sierra Nevada communications coordinator Bill Manley replied, “This decision was EXTREMELY difficult. Out of fairness to our hosts in Tennessee and their counterparts in all of the other locations we’re still considering, I’m afraid I can’t comment on specifics of our search.”
An Oct. 14 report from the Asheville Citizen-Times said the Board of Alderman for the town of Black Mountain, N.C., was requesting that a new interchange be built from Interstate 40 to help handle traffic into and out of an undisclosed brewery that would be locating in the area. Speculation is that the brewery could be Sierra Nevada.
“No final decisions have been made on where a potential new brewery site will be, but several states are still under consideration by Sierra Nevada,” the brewery’s statement said.
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I was really hoping Sierra Nevada would move this facility here. They brew some of my favorite beers. I went to college in Chico, CA where Sierra Nevada is from. Since we lived so close to the brewery, you could buy six packs for under $5.00!
Posted by Taylor | 02. Nov, 2011, 4:58 PMThanks for the comment, Taylor. Sierra Nevada could have definitely been a boon for Tennessee’s beer culture (and would have probably greased the wheels for some additional modernization of state beer laws). Regardless I’ll likely be taking a trip to wherever they land on the East Coast to check out their new digs. And any Sierra Nevada sixers I might find there under $5 would be welcome.
Posted by Doug Brumley | 02. Nov, 2011, 5:26 PM