Microbreweries in Franklin, TN

Franklin, TN is the home of three distinguished microbreweries; Cool Springs Brewery, Bosco Beer, and Battle Ground Brewery.

Microbreweries have gained popularity as consumers have sought out artisan and craft beers as they grow tired of the formulaic and uniform taste of many of the traditional, large breweries in the United States. A microbrewery can offer a patron a more intimate beer tasting experience because they tend to have individual brew masters, offer seasonal beers, and typically produce less than 15,000 barrels of beer annually.

Located on Frazier Street, Cool Springs Brewery was Franklin's first microbrewery. Brewing is headed by Mike Kraft, who prides himself on using traditional brewing techniques and fresh ingredients in the beer making process. Cool Spring's craft beer offerings range from the light end of the beer color spectrum to the very dark end. On the light end is the Piledriver Ale, a traditional American Pale Ale. On the dark end of the beer spectrum is the humorously named Kilt Lifter, a traditional Scottish Ale brewed from malt imported from England. In the mid range of the spectrum they offer Fatback Amber Ale, a traditional Hefeweizen, and Franklin's First, the first beer commercially brewed in Williamson County. All of Cool Spring's craft beers are available to go in 64 oz growlers.

In addition to their craft beers, Cool Springs also offers a large assortment of beers on tap and bottled beer, an impressive wine list, signature cocktails, and traditional cocktails. Cool Springs also serves a wide assortment of food and is well known for their signature pizzas, pastas, and appetizers.

Bosco Beer prides its self as "a restaurant for beer lovers." Located on Meridian Boulevard, they offer a number of chef-created daily specials, appetizers, salads, entrees, and gourmet pizzas. Their signature items are their fresh salmon baked on a cedar plank and their double-cut pork chop. Bosco's lives up to their beer lover's moniker with their Flaming Stone Beer, Bombay IPA, Brown Ale, and Isle of Skye Scottish Ale.

Reminiscent of traditional public houses in England, Bosco's has an offering not often experienced in US microbreweries: They serve an award winning Cask Conditioned Ale produced using traditional British methods and dispensed using their authentic beer engine. Their Cask Conditioned Ale has been a medal winner at the Real Ale Festival six times. They have also been frequent winners at the Great American Beer Festival and won the Brewers Association Recognition Award in 2006.

From their location on Bridge Street, Battleground Brewery, rounds out the list of notable microbreweries in Franklin. Battleground's beer offerings include the BGB American Pale Ale, BGB Light, and the unique BGB India Pale Ale. The India Pale Ale is named for the unique style created by British brewers who were producing beer for export to India. It's known for the intense hop flavor that was used to preserve the beer for its long trip to India.

Battleground also offers an ample food menu including roast chicken, salmon, rib eye steak, and their Ale Steak, a rib eye marinated in their own ale. Brewery sandwiches, burgers, and appetizers are available during lunch. They even offer breakfast, a rarity at a microbrewery!

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