Three Tennessee craft breweries are merging in what R.S. Lipman Brewing Company vice president Nic Donahue called “a true combination of community, craft and beer,” according to a press release.
R.S. Lipman — the parent company of Nashville-based Hap & Harry’s Tennessee Beer, which also owns Vallejo, California-based Napa Smith Brewery and several wine, spirits and mixers brands — has acquired Little Harpeth Brewing and Turtle Anarchy Brewing in a deal that closed December 31.
“Craft beer is a community endeavor,” Donahue said in the release. “We realized the opportunity to band together with our friends at Little Harpeth and Turtle Anarchy would make us a stronger company, and position the brewery to continue producing great beer in a more sustainable way.”
Little Harpeth and Turtle Anarchy have begun brewing at the Hap & Harry’s brewery in the Nations neighborhood of West Nashville. All three brands will remain independent from each other in product and packaging.
“We’re genuinely excited about – and committed to – maintaining the unique brand personalities of Hap & Harry’s, Little Harpeth and Turtle Anarchy,” Donahue said.
The merger will allow Little Harpeth and Turtle Anarchy to increase their capacity.
“Little Harpeth joining forces with Hap & Harry’s gives us an opportunity for growth that we would not be able to achieve on our own,” R.S. Lipman sales manager Michael Kwas said in the release. “I am excited to bring our beers to a larger community now given the ability for increased production and distribution.”
In 2019, Little Harpeth produced 1,950 barrels and Turtle Anarchy produced 2,750 barrels, according to data from not-for-profit national trade group the Brewers Association. The shared brewing facility, which also contract brews for other brands, has an annual capacity of 18,000 barrels.
The Nations brewery where all three brands are produced does not have a taproom on site, a spokesperson for R.S. Lipman told Brewbound. The only on-premise retail presence for any of the brands is Hap & Harry’s taproom at Bridgestone Arena, a branded private suite-style space.
Little Harpeth’s former taproom on Nashville’s Oldham Street was destroyed in the tornadoes that swept through the city in March 2020.