Panther Creek Brews: From Home Brewing to a Place of Their Own

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Back in 2007, Jeremy Taylor and J.T. Gowen got together as neighbors and friends to split the cost of doing some home brewing. Melvin Stewart joined the team in 2007. While they have been gypsy brewers over the last few years, borrowing facilities from friends at other breweries, they have now found a home in the space where Green Dragon was located.

“We had been home brewing for years, competing in contests, and participating in festivals,” said J.T. Gowen. “We sorta garnered a small but enthusiastic following who urged us to “go pro”. In 2015, we formed Panther Creek Brews, LLC, and began this grand adventure.”

They have been looking for a place to land, and when the Green Dragon space became available, they jumped on the location.

“We knew Joe with Green Dragon,” said Gowen. “He let us brew a few times. It was not the space we were initially looking at, but when it came available, we took it.”

They immediately began deconstructing the space, taking it back to the bare walls, and as Gowen said, turning a Hobbit bar into a real one. Putting in new drywall, sanding down the cement floor, and creating the bar from a sheet of steel, they gave it a look fitting their stripped-down, no-nonsense brand. “We’re lucky we’re all very handy,” added Taylor.

Benches were made by their good friend Thomas Bowen at Construction Arts, and the wall murals and logo on the front of the building were done by Murfreesboro Murals.

“Opening got pushed back because of COVID,” said Taylor. “It’s hard to open a new business during a pandemic. It’s hard to pen a new business anyway.”

“We were bleeding money,” said Gowen, “We really didn’t have a choice. So, we moved forward”

The response was stronger than they expected and they ran out of several of their brews, including Two Scoops Blueberry, Side Muscle IPA, and Porchfyfe. That, and COVID-19, caused them to switch gears to cans for an easy grab-and-go for those who don’t want to be in the physical facilities.

“Crowlers are also available,” said Taylor. “They are canned growlers. We can put in any beer into them and then seal it up.”

Being outdoorsy guys, they liked the idea of cans that can be taken in a backpack and then crushed and recycled instead of glass growlers that are breakable.

For those wishing to sit at the bar and find some semblance of normalcy, they offer that too. They are currently serving three of their own brews, and several of those by friends who have allowed them to brew in their facilities. These include Little Harpeth, East Nashville Brew Works, and BriarScratch. Beers can be paired with the tasty creations of My Roots Food Truck on Fridays and Saturdays, and Rickenbacker Pizza on Thursdays.

“The perfect food pairing would definitely depend on the particular beer you are drinking,” said Gower. “Two Scoops, our vanilla blonde ale, pairs perfectly with sweet, hot, or spicy foods including many Asian dishes, chili, mango or jalapeño salsa. Our Creek Smoke Scotch Ale is rich, sweet-malty, with warm caramel toasty flavors and hints of smoke. It pairs well with roasted pork, smoked sausage, and hearty foods. It also complements the nutty flavors of chicken satay, cashew chicken, pecan pie, and peanut sauces. Intensely flavorful, highly spiced dishes, such as curry are complimented by our PorchLyfe IPA.”

In the near future, they hope to be able to open their patio, and depending on what the future holds, eventually offer live music. They want to make sure everyone is safe, wearing masks and gloves, and they removed tables to be at 50% capacity.

Canning has allowed them to distribute their beer to local restaurants and liquor stores. And they deliver themselves instead of using a distributor,

Panther Creek
715 West Main Street, Suite F
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
(615) 203-5089
Facebook Page
Website: panthercreekbrews.com
Hours: Thursday, 3:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.
Friday, 3:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m.
Saturday, 12:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m.

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