E-Malt.com News article: USA, TN: Blackhorse Pub & Brewery thinking about opening new location in Knoxville

Blackhorse Pub & Brewery just marked its second anniversary at Western Plaza in Clarksville, but is already dealing with growing pains that have the owners mulling the possibility of a move, Knoxville News Sentinel reported on July 31.

The pub and brewery posted a message on its Facebook page on July 22 hinting at the possibility.

"We had some new tanks come in today to help brew more beer," the message read. "Blackhorse Pub & Brewery may be looking for a new spot in Knoxville. We love the city and our customers but we have to be able to grow."

Contacted by the News Sentinel several times, co-owner Jeff Robinson was reluctant to talk about the situation, but did release a statement on July 31.

"Blackhorse Pub & Brewery just had its 2nd anniversary in our return to Western Plaza and Knoxville," Robinson said in an email. "We are glad to be back. The beer brewing and distribution side of our business is expanding rapidly.

"We have to make some decisions in the near future regarding how we can accommodate that growth. We have to decide if it is even feasible to add more brewing capacity to our current location. Or can we add brewing capacity in a new facility outside of Western Plaza while continuing to operate the restaurant in Western Plaza. Or, do we relocate the whole operation to a site somewhere else in Knoxville where we can still have a restaurant and more easily accommodate growth in brewery operations on the same site."

Contacted for a response, Morgan Bromley, general manager of the Knoxville division for Biltmore Property Group, owner of Western Plaza, said company policy is to not discuss its talks with tenants.

Based in Clarksville, Tennessee, Blackhorse Pub & Brewery is on its second go of the Knoxville market. Jeff and Sherri Robinson started with a restaurant in Clarksville in 1992. Later they began brewing beer as Blackhorse Pub & Brewery.

In 2013, the couple again opened Blackhorse Pub & Brewery at the same Western Plaza location. This time, the plan was to focus on the brewing operation in Knoxville. While both the Clarksville and Knoxville locations have breweries, Jeff Robinson said in a 2013 interview that the Knoxville brewery would have a greater capacity and would be oriented toward regional distribution.


05 August, 2015