Cherry Street Brewing & Restaurant aspires to be Chattanooga’s “neighborhood hang-out spot.” Co-founded in 2012 by Alisa Tanner and her Brewmaster brother Nick, Cherry Street Brewing chose Chattanooga for its expansion location, originally hailing from Cumming, Georgia, after Alisa fell in love with the community. The Scenic City’s close-knit neighborhoods and local gems were the draw, and the Tanners were able to gain a new home just as North Shore gained its first indie-owned microbrewery.
Inside Cherry Street Brewing, their massive space and towering fermentation vessels have echoes of a Wonka-like factory. Brew staff shuffle back and forth between wort tanks while taproom patrons admire almost-psychedelic art on the opposite wall – custom creations by SEVEN, a local-to-Chattanooga muralist. Just this year (2022), Cherry Street earned the Brewers Association’s prestigious “World Beer Cup” for their Snapper Red Ale and For-Scythe Golden Wheat.
Just past the enormous metal tanks is a living room-style taproom with a wraparound bar, tables, outdoor patio seating, and board games ready for group play. Long, bright sofas welcome those looking to relax with a cold pint after a long day or occupy a more family-friendly space.
Cherry Street Brewing has recently opened its full-service kitchen. Tanner is excited about elevating the community’s pub-fare offerings; their most inventive menu item is the PB Burger, an original recipe from Executive Chef Steve Patafio.
“It’s got a sweet and spicy taste that incorporates peanut butter and cheese, which sounds a bit weird but it’s absolutely amazing,” Tanner says.
The menu also offers some southern staples including a ‘chicken lips’ appetizer inspired by the siblings’ father, who gave the bro-sis duo their start in hospitality. The family patriarch’s experience, combined with the next-generation sibling collaboration on beer, is what Tanner attributes their success in the food and beverage industry.
“Nick handles the brewing side and I handle the front-of-house including customer service and hospitality. We’re like yin and yang; that seems to work well for us,” Tanner says.
When it comes to advancement and finding new business-growth challenges, the team doesn’t pull any punches. Cherry Street Brewing aims to launch weekend brunch service in October. Tanner, a self-proclaimed “Brunch Queen,” will design beverage pairings that seek to dazzle.
There’s an open invitation to Chattanoogans to make Cherry Street’s North Shore taproom a go-to hangout: “Everybody wishes for a local spot they can call their own, where folks know you and you fit in and feel comfortable. We’re trying to create that space for neighbors around here to come in, pull up a chair and feel like they’re at home,” Tanner says.
Their sense of community, family and home extends to employees as well: Several worked for Cherry Street Brewing for years at the flagship Georgia location and then relocated to Chattanooga with the expansion.
Gesturing at the adjacent square footage right next door to the taproom, Tanner hints at Cherry Street’s “Think Big” business aspirations for future growth in North Shore: A 21-and-up, lounge-style space complete with mini living rooms. Learn more about Cherry Street Brewing Chattanooga here.
