![]() ![]() Don’t quote this,” he says, dryly, with full expectation that I will, “but this is Arrington on steroids.” “I love talking to my wife, but give me a game. “I’ve always enjoyed Arrington, but I get bored to tears,” Jones says, with a laugh. Hop Springs, to paraphrase Hubert Selby, Jr., will be a “brewery-and,” or a place you visit to do other things, and, while you’re there, have a few beers. Its centerpiece, a massive brewery shared by his company Life Is Brewing’s three labels ( Mantra the yearling Steel Barrel and the new Humulus Project), will annually produce a maximum 150,000 barrels, or, in layman’s terms, 4.65 million gallons.īut it’s not just another brewery-in Nashville’s city limits there are already 15, with more in neighboring towns. The property, a former cow pasture, will be a destination brewery with a strong educational component, working hand-in-glove with nearby Middle Tennessee State University. The Hop Springs project is Jones’ brainchild, and its scope dwarfs any other operation like it in Middle Tennessee.Ī large-scale landscape architect by trade, he says, “This is a culmination of all those ideas.” Summer movie nights with a giant projection screen. An amphitheatre over there that will host both local and national acts. And, here, after damming the sliver of spring-fed creek that bisects the property, a five-acre pond. ![]() Over there, a disc golf course designed by world-class athletes. Listening to him talk about it, I can see it, too. “I can see it finished from day one-don’t ask me how,” Jones says, eyes hid by wrap-around sunglasses. In the distance, a perimeter of trees lines the 83-acre property, and, in the mid-ground, thickets of blackberry bushes show tufts of green. The wind bends the tawny marsh grasses below. ![]() Once the ear-ringing subsides, it’s peaceful. We crest the rise, and he cuts the engine. But, after a week of heavy spring rains, this is the only method of getting down to the manmade peninsula that looks out over the back half of the Hop Springs property in Murfreesboro. Reach Nancy DeGennaro at and follow her on Twitter Keep up with restaurant news by joining Good Eats in the 'Boro (and beyond) on Facebook.Sitting on the sideboard of a bulldozer as it rolls across muddy red clay, I’m practically grabbing the machine’s operator, Mark Jones, trying to hold on. “So hopefully … our community space will be open and available … and we’ll hopefully be able to maintain our employees.” “In two months from now when we’re out of this, folks will need to have a place to go to,” Morse said. There’s a walking trail, an 18-hole disc golf course, a dog park and plenty of open space where people can maintain the recommended safe distance from others. In the meantime, Morse invited the community to utilize the 84 acres at Hop Springs. Morse said he hopes Hop Springs can weather the storm and hopes he's able to "give people something to look forward to at the end of the day." Keep up with the latest food and dining news in Rutherford County with a digital subscription to The Daily News Journal. "We're excited for whenever (Hop Springs) reopens." "Hopefully we'll be able to enjoy enough at home in order to get through the craziness of COVID-19," said Lyons, who bought four cases of his favorite beers. View Gallery: PHOTOS: Hop Springs sells cases at cost 'Something to look forward to'ĭenny Lyons was one of dozens who showed up at Hop Springs on Tuesday afternoon to buy the discounted beer. “I felt like this would be an opportunity to give back to the community that supports us. I can’t bring it to my house,” Morse said. In an effort to “keep the lights on” and be able to pay employees, Morse came up with the idea to sell inventory at cost. Newsletter: Stay safe and informed with updates on the spread of the coronavirus. Since February we’ve been dumping money into material costs … so we were really depending on (sales)," Morse said. "Not that there’s a good time for this to happen … but this was the worst time for breweries to have terrible cash flow. With concerns over the coronavirus prompting shutdowns of bars across the state, distributors aren't buying product, leaving breweries like Hop Springs with a larger-than-normal surplus. View Playlist: Coronavirus in Tennessee: COVID-19 patients and prevention “We were really ramping up for springtime,” Morse said. But that wasn't enough to sell off the abundance of product the brewery had produced in preparation for warmer months. 'Worst time' for businessįollowing health guidelines for social distancing, Hop Springs made the decision over the weekend to limit the number of guests in the taproom to 10. We'll deliver it right to their car," Morse said.Īverage prices are $10 to $20 for a case - that's 24 beers - with some of the high-gravity beers going for $25 to $28 a case. "They don't even have to get out of their car. ![]()
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