After experiencing early growing pains and overcoming a setback that would have decimated a less resilient business, Saw Works Brewing Company now stands as a pillar of quality and consistency in an otherwise turbulent industry.
In a rapidly growing market, in which at least three competing craft breweries are set to open in Knoxville alone, SWBC is not content to rest on its laurels. Instead, it intends to further entrench itself in the minds and hearts of local craft beer aficionados by increasing production, expanding the volume of distribution and rolling out packaged beer.
SWBC has operated from its headquarters at 708 E. Depot Ave. since 2010 when it was cofounded by cousins/business partners Adam Palmer and Johnathan Borsodi. In honor of a moniker the city had earned more than a century earlier for becoming well-known for its extraction, finishing and exportation of marble for commercial use, they originally named it Marble City Brewing Company. Inheriting all of the equipment left behind by the previous occupants, New Knoxville Brewing Company, the duo spent much of that first year restoring the equipment, fine-tuning their process and hiring their first brewmaster, Jennifer Muckerman.
Palmer, when asked what precipitated his decision to purchase the Depot Avenue development, replies, simply, that it was “opportunity.”
“The startup cost was very low, comparatively speaking. In a major SEC town with no microbrewery in a 90-mile radius and in a state where you knew things were changing,” said Palmer. “Where if you could just get your foot in the door and get that brand established, then when those changes did take place you could have a good foothold in the market.”
MCBC’s first public exposure came at the 14 Annual Community Shares Knoxville Brewers’ Jam in October 2010. On tap that day was a delightfully spiced pumpkin ale that had attendees lining up en masse for second, third and, in some cases, fourth pours. By the time MCBC took part in the inaugural Knoxville Brewfest the following summer, many locals already were familiar with the brewery’s two other beers, the excellent Dad’s Dime Amber and Nectar Rubus, a well-balanced raspberry wheat ale.
Although the business will celebrate its fifth anniversary on April 16, such longevity is rare for a Knoxville brewery, and befitting the city’s long and complicated history regarding libations, MCBC did face a significant impediment that threatened to derail its early success.
Marble Brewery, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but headed by Karns High School/University of Tennessee alum Jeff Jinnett, expanded into the Knoxville market not long after MCBC announced it was starting operations.
Though seemingly innocuous at the time, litigation in the craft beer industry is notoriously rampant, and the move paved the way for Jinnett to sue MCBC for trademark infringement over its name. Negotiations soured, leading to an impasse between the parties. Even though it was a location-specific, historical allusion and the possibility of anyone confusing the two brands seemed remote at best, MCBC relented and changed its name in mid-2012.
The new name, also referential/reverential to local history, is an homage to Wallace Saw Works, the building’s original tenant, which occupied the space from the 1950s until its sale in 1995. While he is very familiar with the history of the property itself, Palmer says that he has set up a meeting with McClung representatives in order to learn more about the antiquity of the surrounding warehouse district. He hopes to find an artifact or two from that period, as well.
“I think there are two things that sell beer,” he explains, “the beer itself and the story [behind it]. If you have both, then you’ve got a nice product.”
When the brewery rebranded in 2012, Dave Ohmer replaced Muckerman as head brewer. Previously in charge of Woodruff Brewing Company’s operation, Ohmer provided SWBC with a fresh start and a new identity. Under his direction, the brewery produced two very fine English-style beers: a traditional pale ale and a brown ale.
Also around this same time, SWBC began to focus on what it meant to be local, placing greater emphasis on regional sourcing and sustainability practices. Most ingredients are provided by a craft supplier in Atlanta. A partnership was formed with Century Harvest Farms in which spent grain was used as feed for livestock, resulting in no leftover waste after the brewing process was completed.
Though the affiliation with Century Harvest no longer exists, SWBC’s local commitment still does. The same deal now is in place with a Corryton farmer, James Thompson. Also, Knoxville-based Riot Printing Co. supplied the graphic design for the most current set of logos and produced the brewery’s first run of t-shirts. (Another local company was responsible for the latest.) Moreover, SWBC teamed with the Casual Pint to provide a proprietary brew to the chain of craft beer markets.
With all of the developments that are occurring in East Tennessee at a breakneck speed, Palmer says “local takes on a whole new definition. Local in Nashville is a brewery that is in Nashville, because there are twelve of them. A brewery in Knoxville, today, is us, but there’s more [coming], and local will mean Knoxville. Five years ago, local meant Atlanta or Cincinnati.”
Another SWBC enterprise with indigenous roots was initiated in 2013 in conjunction with Dr. Todd White, director of the Professional Brewing Science Certificate program. In it, participants gain firsthand knowledge not just about how to brew beer, but also the methods to the mayhem. Their specialized small-batch concoctions, branded as the Rough Cut series, are available to the public to sample at SWBC’s tasting room, the Mill. Both of these titles, of course, are historical nods to the Wallace legacy.
Last year, Ohmer left Knoxville for Houston in order to become brewmaster for Whole Foods’ first-ever in-store pub. As fate would have it, though, his replacement, Will Adams, matriculated from the South College program.
Currently, the SWBC staff – or Brew Crew, as they call themselves – comprises the small but dedicated team of Palmer, president and cofounder; Adams, head brewer; Johnny Miller, tasting room manager and assistant brewer; Jeff Adams, brewer; and two sales managers, Ashley Taylor and Jennifer Duerer.
Although Palmer maintains that the Mill is more of a marketing tool than a moneymaker (“If we break even in this room, I’m thrilled.”), it nevertheless is an inviting space, and clearly one into which a lot of effort has been placed.
Open Wednesday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., it caters to a diverse clientele. Miller mans the bar efficiently and is quick to answer any questions patrons may have. Keeping with the theme, the sleek handcrafted bar, barely a month old, features saw blades inset into the rich, dark wood. The lighting is warm, and chalkboards neatly and artistically reveal what selections are currently available on draught.
Growlers are available for purchase for $7 and can be filled for $9. SWBC merchandise also is available at the bar. With proper ID, students and military personnel receive a discount of $2 pints, and plans are in the works to institute a mug club similar to that of Downtown Grill & Brewery, only with a few quirks. There are regular fun runs, as well as music and comedy performances. Also, the room is available to rent for any manner of corporate or private event.
A fun, brand-new feature that is unlike anything seen elsewhere in Knoxville is the “Pour it Forward” program. Patrons are invited to choose a friend and pay for his/her first beer for when he/she next visits the Mill, and the bartender will write the name on the chalkboard behind the bar. Patrons then can tag that friend on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SawWorksBrewing), Twitter (@SawWorksBrewing) and Instagram (@sawworksbrewingcompany).
“It gives us some really good exposure on social media,” says Miller.
Operating at full capacity as it has done for quite some time now, SWBC produces its three flagship beers, Rocky Hop IPA, Pale Ale, and Brown Ale throughout the year. A fourth, Chocolate Porter, is brewed from November to March.
The team brews 3-4 days a week and distributes kegs 1-2 times a week, depending on demand. They are able to produce 750 gallons at a time of the flagships for a total of 2100-2800 per week. Rough Cuts are brewed in 30-gallon increments. At 3-4 days, though, the fermentation process is the step that takes the longest.
“Really, our only limitation right now is our fermenters,” explains Miller, “because we can only brew three at a time.”
SWBC already claims a 7.5 percent share of craft sales in Knoxville, and having invested in new equipment, including more fermenters, to help deliver packaged beer to shelves sometime in the second quarter of 2015, the brewery is making a concerted push toward cornering the local craft market. When asked if he thinks that market could be oversaturated at some point, Palmer shrugs off the suggestion, stating that it won’t happen “anytime soon.”
What he definitely finds exciting, however, is the prospect of working with materials other than just kegs. He describes draught beer as a “destination purchase,” something customers must go out of their way to find. Packaged beer is different in that you can pick it up while shopping normally.
“It allows us to market our brand to a much larger audience, but also allows us to open up our distribution [channels],” Palmer says.
Also, it is much simpler from a practical standpoint, With kegs, he says, “you’re shipping 160-pound weights around. It’s expensive, cumbersome, labor-intensive- packaged product is easy.”
Palmer for the time being is keeping mum about specific details concerning the packaging, instead waiting to issue a proper press release that will reveal all pertinent information. In the meantime he and the rest of the Brew Crew are reveling in the fact that they took top honors at this year’s Tennessee Winter BeerFest in Townsend for their Honey Rye. Fans of SWBC also have had reason to celebrate, as it was recently reported that the brewery had been commissioned by AC Entertainment to produce another specialty beer for the promotion firm’s Big Ears Festival that will take place at the end of the month. Brewed in the Belgian tradition, the Big Ears Sonic Wit is slated for release March 20.
“We’re starting to hit another stride,” says Palmer in summation. “Every year I feel like we accomplish something more, whether it be in the marketplace or with products.”
