DIY Knoxville Distillery and Brewery Crawl Itinerary

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Downtown Knoxville is a haven for beer and whiskey lovers, with a plethora of breweries, taprooms and a couple of distilleries all within walking distance of each other. Being fans of both craft beer and various spirits, I created this DIY distillery and beer crawl for my husband and I so we could experience a slice of what Knoxville had to offer all in one day! The crawl was a success, so I thought I would share it with you to join in on the fun!

The best part of this Knoxville distillery and brewery crawl is that it can all be done on foot, which a safe and fun way to explore the the beer and distillery scene. It’s also a great way to get acquainted with with the city itself! Of course if you get tired of walking, there’s always rideshares to get you where you need to go.

Pro Tips for the Crawl

• Stick with flights instead of full pours and split flights between two people if you can. The point of this crawl is not to get you to the point of no return – you want to be alert enough to fully enjoy what you’re tasting (and also be able to remember it!).
• Carry a nice big bottle or hydroflask of water with you on your journey and drink water at each stop. It’s important to stay hydrated!
• Wear comfortable walking shoes since this distillery and brewery crawl is done on foot.
• Bring a backpack in case you want to purchase any cans of your favorite beer or bottles of whiskey on your journey. Being on foot can be limiting, so if you don’t want to pack around any extra weight, just make a mental note to return at a later time to stock up on your faves.

I recommend splitting one dish like their yummy shrimp and grits with a partner, or going with something lighter like avocado toast or a salad for a second meal option.

For the beers, you can choose a flight of four 5oz pours. Keep in mind, beer offerings at breweries usually rotate, especially when it comes to seasonal beers.

On our visit, we tried the Firebelly IPA, Maypop IPA, Oktoberfest (we visited in the fall), and Neon Graffiti (fruited kettle sour). Being IPA fans, the Firebelly was our pick for the best of our flight!

Note: To get to Balter, we walked 12 minutes from our hotel (Hyatt Place) along Gay Street and then to Jackson, but you can easily take a rideshare to get to the first stop on this crawl!

At Knox Whiskey Works, we had the choice between two different flight options – a flight of 5 spirits for $5, or a flight of all 13 for $10. We went with the full flight of 13 as we wanted to try a tasting of everything they had!

I thought the Tennessee Tailgate Orange Vodka (a nod to the VOLs college football team) was super festive and tasty, and the husband loved their Deals Gap Dragon Tail habanero and ghost chile infused whiskey.

They also make cocktails here and you can even get a cocktail tasting flight! I think next time we visit we’ll give this a shot, since we’ve already tasted the spirits individually.

PostModern has several different tasting options to choose from depending on your spirits preference. We went with the Original Spirits tasting, which was $9 and included a flight of 9 pours at 0.25 oz each. If you ask me, these pours were so tiny we could barely share them (compared to the more generous pours at Knox Whiskey Works). So, this may be one stop where you’d like to pay for a tasting for each person.

I did really enjoy the gins in the tasting flight, but there was sadly only one whiskey included. I also thought the Original Spirits tasting had too many liqueurs which were very floral in nature. If we had a do-over, I’d definitely focus on the Whiskey Flight.

PostModern also offers a cocktail menu and makes some delicious-sounding seasonal beverages. If the weather is nice, I also recommend sitting out on the front patio and enjoying the views of the city in the sun!

Xul really excels in their hazy IPAs, fruited sours, and smoothie beers. Not only are they complex in flavor, they are also just beautiful to look at! Some of our favorite pours were Lite Brite Party Nite (a pretty pink smoothie sour that is basically rainbow sherbet in a glass) and Rhymes Like Dimes hazy IPA. You can get as many as you’d like in a flight, with each pour cost varying depending on the beer (probably averaging around $3.75 for each 5 oz pour).

We spent the most time here on our distillery and brewery crawl since they had Sunday football on. We also wanted to get a few extra beers to taste because they had so many options to choose from!

Xul also typically has a hosted food truck so if you’re hankering for a snack at this point in the day, this would be the perfect stop for it. Just keep it light so you don’t spoil your dinner!

We got a flight of four IPAs, all which ranged in price depending on the selection (i.e. $2.50 for a 4 oz. pour). We also got a full pour of their Cherry Was a Racecar Driver fruited sour since it was our last beer stop and it was excellent!

Adopo is about an eight-minute walk south of Next Level, so if you’re staying in Downtown Knoxville, this walk will start taking you back towards the city to end your evening.

Note: I would either plan for your day to end at Adopo at or around 5:00 p.m. when they open (like we did) or make a reservation to guarantee yourself a seat! It’s a small spot and options may be a little limited, especially on a Saturday evening.

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I hope you enjoyed reading through my DIY Knoxville Distillery and Brewery Crawl! If you end up recreating it yourself, please let me know.

Read Next:

• Knoxville Food Guide: Where to Eat in Knoxville, Tennessee
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park Day Trip from Knoxville
• The Perfect 3-Day Knoxville Itinerary