Brewery Spotlight: Jackalope Brewing in Nashville, TN
We love getting to know the breweries that make up the ever-growing craft brewing industry — which is why we started our “Brewery Spotlight” blog series.
With each post in this series, you'll get to know some of our favorite craft breweries, as well as what led them to become such a staple in the craft beer community.
In this brewery spotlight, we are so excited to introduce you to Bailey Spaulding, Founder and CEO of Jackalope Brewing in Nashville, TN.
Work For Your Beer (WFYB): We are so excited to learn more about Jackalope! When did you open, and what is your most popular beer style?
Bailey (B): We opened back in 2011, and our most popular beer is our Bearwalker Maple Brown.
WFYB: We haven't tried the Bearwalker Maple Brown yet! *Adds to list* We'd love to know what beer you are most proud of brewing.
B: I think I’m most proud of being a part of the Black is Beautiful and Brave Noise collaborations, which were both international brewing collaborations born out of a need for social justice and a safer world for all types of people.
WFYB: We love to hear it! Those are two really awesome causes! Now... what's the weirdest beer you've ever made?
B: A beer called Tannakin is probably the most elaborate beer we’ve made. It’s a mocha stout that is then aged in whiskey barrels and finished with guanciale bacon the last few days in the barrel. So our whiskey, bacon, chocolate, coffee stout.
WFYB: That sounds like a wild brew! Bringing it back to your core brews... If you were to make the perfect six-pack, what beers would you include in it?
B:
Sarka (Pilsner)
Fennario (West Coast IPA)
Bearwalker (Maple Brown Ale)
Abominable Snowman (Imperial Stout)
Foghorn (Hazy IPA)
Lovebird (Strawberry/Raspberry Wheat)
WFYB: Okay, what's one fact most people don't know about Jackalope?
B: People often ask about where the name for Jackalope came from. I believed in Jackalopes growing up, to a point that it became a joke amongst my friends. One friend gave me a shirt with a jackalope on it and the words “believe in yourself,” which became our unofficial motto when we were starting the brewery!
WFYB: True story: as a small child, on long vacation road trips, my (Mel speaking here) dad made me search for jackalopes to keep me occupied. I could have SWORN I spotted one (it was probably a groundhog) and then my dad made fun of me relentlessly after telling me they don't exist. Therapy is fun now. ANYWAY. Back to you! What makes Jackalope unique amongst all of the other craft breweries in Nashville?
B: Our beers make us unique! We put our own spins on classic styles and I think it’s really rare for a brewery’s bestseller to be a brown ale in this day and age. As far as our taproom, we are a fun and colorful place with fun and colorful people, and I think people enjoy that atmosphere!
WFYB: How do you support and give back to the Nashville community — tell us a little bit more about that.
B: We have a non-profit pairing program with our taproom, where we donate 20% of one of the beers to a different local non-profit each month. It allows us to raise funds, as well as awareness for some of the amazing local organizations.
We also do Pick-Up for a Pint, in collaboration with our neighbors from Turnip Green Creative Reuse. Once a month we invite people to come to pick up litter, which we then sort into recycling/compost/landfill, and everyone gets a beer on the house after we are done!
WFYB:It's so awesome to know you get to work with a different non-profit each month — how cool! Outside of working with non-profits, we know that Jackalope is an extremely inclusive environment. Do you have a code of conduct you can share with us?
B: Yes, absolutely. You can view our code of conduct here.
WFYB: What is it like being a female founder in an extremely male-dominated industry?
B: I really only have my own experience, which has been an overwhelmingly positive one. The beer industry is known for being collegial and paying it forward, and it was no different for us.
I do think as a woman you need to have the passion and/or confidence to believe that you belong here, and that helps you really ignore the bullshit. I’m also lucky that in my position, if somebody isn’t treating me with respect (which, again, is rare), Jackalope just doesn’t work with them. I try to keep my focus on the people who add, versus those who subtract.
WFYB: We hear you on the need for confidence! Now, what are you most proud of as a female brewery founder?
B: I’m most proud of the community that we’ve created surrounding Jackalope, from our staff to our consumers to the other organizations we work with. One of our founding principles is the idea that you can do what you love (i.e. brew beer) and use it to help the area around you grow and thrive, and that idea continues to guide Jackalope over a decade later. It takes work, but it’s worth it.
WFYB: Amazing! Last, but certainly not least, what fitness events are you hosting at your brewery and why do you support the #WorkForYourBeer mantra?
B: The Jogalope run club meets every Wednesday and are a really fun group of people.
We’ve hosted lots of events such as yoga, spin classes, kegs & kettlebell bootcamp classes in the past and are excited to return to them post-pandemic.
In our line of business, it’s all about finding a good balance between work and play, and we also love supporting strong women. And nothing tastes better than the first sip of beer after a workout!
WFYB: Perfectly said! We'll cheers to that!
Huge shout out to Bailey (and the rest of the Jackalope team) for inviting us into their brewery and taking the time to chat with us.
If you ever find yourself in Nashville looking for an inclusive brewery, definitely check out Jackalope Brewing!
Want to be considered for an upcoming feature? Email cheers@workforyourbeer.com to set up an interview!