USA, TN: Elst Brewing Company announces closure after its five-year anniversary in August

Elst Brewing Company, just west of the Oakwood neighborhood in North Knoxville, will close almost immediately after celebrating its five-year anniversary in August, Knox News reported on July 9.

The future of the brewery is up in the air amid mixed messaging about whether the building, brand or both will have new ownership. Here is what is known at the moment:

• On July 6, the brewery and taproom announced new ownership on Instagram.
• Elst will continue to operate its taproom until Aug. 5.
• Elst is planning several events leading up to the transition, including a five-year anniversary party Aug. 3 and 4.

"After five wonderful years of serving this incredible community, we have decided to sell our building and transition to new ownership," the post reads.

It's unclear whether the owners of the brewery − founded by Shane Todd, Chris Hall, Dan Leonard and Chris Sexton − will be involved in the new concept or whether Elst will continue to exist elsewhere.

If Elst were to continue, we don't know whether the "transition to new ownership" also applies to the brand. A section of the post refers to the new owners as "our new hosts."

Knox News contacted one of the Elst owners, who said he will soon have more information to share about the new owner.

The brewery building was listed on Commercial Exchange in September 2023 for $1.3 million. A sale was still pending as of 3 p.m. July 8.

Elst founders purchased the building in 2017 and began renovating the space to operate the brewery. Their brewing operation began before the Elstwhere Taproom opened in 2019.

"Your support, love, and presence have made Elst a truly special place," the brewery said in its Instagram post. "However, we have come to the conclusion that now is the right time for us personally to hand over the keys to a group that will bring new effort and energy to the neighborhood."

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