One of Nashville’s pioneering craft breweries is changing hands after 23 years, with TailGate Brewery purchasing Yazoo Brewing Co.’s production facility and taproom in Madison.
Yazoo co-founder Linus Hall announced Tuesday, Oct. 13, that he and his wife, Lila, are selling the brewery, describing the decision as bittersweet.
“No lie, the past six years have been emotionally, mentally, physically, and financially draining as we’ve tried to keep our company going amidst all the struggles of the craft brewing industry,” Hall said in a video posted to social media.
TailGate is acquiring Yazoo’s physical assets, while the Yazoo brand and associated intellectual property are part of the R.S. Lipman Brewing portfolio. TailGate will continue producing Yazoo beers at the Madison facility under contract with R.S. Lipman.
The 6.5-acre campus will become TailGate Brewery Madison, the company’s ninth Tennessee taproom and one of two main production facilities.
The existing Yazoo taproom will remain open for another two to three weeks as the sale approaches its closing date.
The Yazoo sale is the latest in a series of ownership changes involving Tennessee craft breweries as the industry faces slowing growth, rising costs and other financial pressures.
Memphis-based Wiseacre Brewing Co. acquired Nashville’s Bearded Iris brand last year. Earlier this year, Knoxville’s Xül Beer Co. acquired Nashville-based Southern Grist Brewing, while Jackalope Brewing acquired Black Abbey Brewing in Nashville. In Memphis, Soul & Spirits Brewery acquired the intellectual property of Memphis Made Brewing at auction and is continuing to brew Memphis Made beers.
Yazoo’s place in Nashville brewing history
Founded in 2003, Yazoo was Nashville’s first production brewery to open since Prohibition and helped establish the city’s modern craft beer scene. The brewery initially operated in the historic Marathon Motor Works building before relocating to The Gulch in 2010 and eventually to its Madison campus in 2019.
Yazoo earned national recognition early, winning a gold medal for its Hefeweizen at the 2004 Great American Beer Festival, the first of four GABF medals.
Yazoo’s lineup grew to include beers such as Dos Perros, Hop Project IPA and Sue, an Imperial Smoked Porter introduced in 2009 as Tennessee’s first legally brewed high-gravity ale.
Yazoo later developed a following for its Embrace the Funk series of sour and wild ales.
The brewery also helped preserve Nashville’s brewing heritage by reviving Gerst Amber Ale, a brand associated with the historic Gerst Brewery, which closed in 1954.
Hall said he has known TailGate founder Wesley Keegan for years and admires the business he has built.
With the ownership change, Hall expressed confidence in TailGate’s plans to continue producing Yazoo beers.
“They’re committed to bringing all of our employees on at their current levels of pay and benefits, and they’ll continue to brew the Yazoo brands under contract with R.S. Lipman Brewing,” Hall said.
“All the Yazoo beers coming out of here will continue to be brewed by the same people, the same equipment, the same recipes, and the same high standards that we’ve always held ourselves to.”
Hall encouraged customers to visit the Madison taproom during its final weeks under Yazoo’s operation, thanking them for their support over the past 23 years.
“It’s been a fantastic ride, and cheers to that,” he said.
TailGate expands production amid continued growth
TailGate’s purchase of the Madison facility comes as the brewery continues to become a craft beer powerhouse in Tennessee.
Keegan started Tailgate in an old Moose Lodge in Nashville in 2014, with a 3-barrel brewhouse and a panini press.
The company has since expanded across the state, with taprooms in Nashville, Murfreesboro and Chattanooga. It now employs more than 250 people.
TailGate’s West Nashville headquarters has a 50-barrel production system. The Madison acquisition will add Yazoo’s 40-barrel brewhouse, providing additional capacity.
“We’ve simply outgrown our current production capacity and need more room for brewing activities,” TailGate posted on the company’s Facebook feed.
The company reported a 40% year-over-year increase in distribution volume during the first half of 2026.
In a separate Facebook post, Keegan said Hall will join the TailGate team and expressed optimism about the expansion.
“From there, great opportunity for Tennessee craft beer growth, jobs, and wages,” Keegan said. “As a craft beer nerd myself, that’s good news in my book.”
