John E.
Yelp
You can find Barrique Brewing and Blending at 30 Oldham St, Nashville, TN 37213 in Downtown Nashville close to the stadium. The brewery occupies an old warehouse (this is a commercial and industrial manufacturing area) and you enter via a loading dock. There's parking along the entry platform, I'm not sure if there's additional but it appeared to be adequate to the clientele.
Most breweries start with a few simple staples that can be made fairly cheaply and easily in quantity. Barrique went another route and focused on spontaneous fermentation - the stuff that Belgian Abbeys are famous for - typically called Lambic in Europe, more properly called AmLambic in the US (seems they're some protection to the use of "lambic" similar to the use of "champagne"). What's interesting about Barrique is that they developed various sponfon cultures that they use to create large batches, which are then divided and put into traditional French wooden barrels called "barriques" - where they got the name. Once these get going they use various blending techniques to combine flavors, add fruit for the natural yeast to feed upon, and come up with some amazing beer flavors, most are at least a little funky and tend to be tart, but through blending they've ended up with a plethora of flavor selection from sweet to tart, less funky to chewy. This is beer ART taken to the NEXT LEVEL!
I'm hesitant to really talk too much about this brewery - it's one of those hidden gems that few craft beer people that aren't local to Nashville really know about as distribution is limited. After entry you'll see a large wooden map of Tennessee - that'll tell you most of what you want to know about this great brewery. Since opening in this location they've begun to offer more traditionally brewed beers and from what I've tried, they're all competently made and worth a taste.
The taproom has a bar that stretches along one wall backed by barrels stacked about 4 high - this continues throughout this gigantic warehouse space. There are a few tables if you don't care to sit at the bar itself. Prices are super reasonable for a bottle - there's enough in there to split 2-3 ways - we try to go as a group and everyone gets one bottle - we then share everything. Honestly I haven't had a beer that I hated, noting rating less than a 4/5 for me. Only downside is that the taproom shares space with the barrelroom so can get a bit warm during summer weather. I've tried the following:
* Nectarine Gose 4.5/5 - Quite nice natural fermentation sour with intense nectarine and citrus fruit tartness, a puckering mouthfeel and a touch of funk and salt on the finish.
* Field Blend Wild Ale 4.5/5 - Love this brewery, sweet muscadine grapes imbued in natural fermentation producing the perfect tartness with a touch of funk. Delicious, finishing fruity and dry.
* Pivot Pale Ale 4.1/5 - Interesting melange if tropical notes in a dry body and hoppy finish. Notes of papaya and melon.
* 019 Flanders Style 4.5/5 - Barrique probably does the best Flanders I've had in the Southeast - tart fruity wild yeast mouthfeel, notes of cherry and oak, eye-opening effervescence and a dry satisfying finish.
* Rye Barrel Plumbus Saison 4.4/5 - Delicious plumb saison, barrel notes, tart body with a great earthy mouthfeel and a sweet dry finish, touch of funk, so good.
* Big Cherry Wild Ale 4.3/5 - Bright, nice cherry and dark fruit notes in a beautiful mouth feel body, finishes funky and effervescent.
* Flanders Style (Blend 2) 4.5/5 - Delicious, tart red fruit, cherry and plum notes layered into oak and smooth barrel additions, finishing slightly sweet, satisfying with a touch of funk.
* BBA Batey Noir 4.3/5 - Sour dark farmhouse ale with 100% tennessee malt. Bourbon, raison, fig, cherry.
* Two Season White Peach 4.5/5 - Quite tasty tart peaches with additional barrel notes, finishing crisp, a bit sweet and funky.
* Petite Biere De Coupage 4.1/5 - Tasty, oaky fruit nose on this tart lightweight lambic style beer, finishes dry with a hint of funk.
* Flanders Style Strawberry 4.5/5 - Loved this, classic cherry and strawberry rich Flanders with barrel notes, great mouthfeel finishing dry and funky.
*Peach TenneSPON 4.5/5 - Delicious fruity lambic with intense peach and stone fruit nose in a tart body with amazing mouth feel. Finishes slightly sweet and funky.
* Icaria Double IPA 4.2/5 - Well executed robust west coast IPA with malty backbone, fruity notes and piney hoppy finish, extremely well balanced.
* Basique Fraise Fruited Sour 4.4/5 - Delicious citrus and strawberry notes in a somewhat bright body, finishing crisp and funky.
Service here is fantastic - you'll often see the brewers wandering around and they're pretty easy to interact with - the taproom peeps are all very knowledgeable and can answer questions about the various brews in question - Love, love this place!