My favorite local beer I didn’t brew

Even before I drank beer, I collected beer cans and was fascinated with the history and the brewing process. As the owner of Nashville Brewing Co., I have been typecast as a lager guy. However, I enjoy a variety of styles, including the classic British brown porter.

At the end of 1994, a brewpub opened in Nashville called Blackstone Restaurant and Brewery. This was the first of its kind in Nashville — microbreweries were fairly new at the time and the term “craft beer” had not yet been coined. When I first tried Blackstone’s St. Charles Porter, I was blown away. This is a traditional brown porter, brewed just like they were in 19th-century England, when porters were the most popular beer.