4 minute read
BRINGING A TRUE CRAFT BREWERY TO SPRING HILL
Brad Eldridge-Smith and Mark Valencia met each other through the local homebrewing community. In the two and a half years since they met, it has been rare for them to brew without each other. It was evident early in their partnership that the two were going to be fast friends.
Eldridge-Smith is originally from Knoxville, Tennessee. His introduction to zymurgy, the study or practice of fermentation in brewing, winemaking, or distilling, started with wine. “I was living in Tullahoma and a local shop had winemaking classes. My wife and I thought it would be a great date night, so we signed up. After making wine for a while, I got a beer making kit for Christmas. That was more than a decade ago at this point,” Eldridge-Smith explained.
Valencia, a native Californian, has been in Tennessee for the last several years. Like Eldridge-Smith, he has been an avid homebrewer. He was used to a
BRINGING A TRUE Craft Brewery
TO SPRING HILL
COMMON LAW BREWING CO.
BRAD ELDRIDGE-SMITH MARK VALENCIA
wide array of craft beer being at his fingertips since California has the largest number of craft breweries in the United States, with nearly 1,000 calling the state home.
Spring Hill, on the other hand, has never had a craft brewery of its own. That is all about to change when Common
Law Brewing Co. opens this summer. As
Common Law Brewing Co. enters full production, you will be able to find their beer all around middle Tennessee, but with a heavy emphasis on Maury and Williamson counties. “We’ll be available in taprooms and restaurants all over the area,” noted Eldridge-Smith. “We’ve been working on local partnerships for the last few months. We will be at some of the best spots in Spring Hill, Thompson’s Station, and Columbia. Our reach should extend up into Franklin and Nashville as well.” Common Law beer will also be available in cans early on. Since Eldridge-Smith and Valencia didn’t have the space to build out a taproom of their own, they decided to invest in other ways to get Common Law beer into peoples’ hands. This led to them picking up a small canning line so that they could put out four packs quickly. These cans will be available at several local stores as well as directly from the brewery during limited business hours.
SO NOW TO THE IMPORTANT QUESTION … WHAT SHOULD YOU BE EXPECTING FROM THE BEER? According to Eldridge-Smith, “Common Law will have a little something for everyone. While we love doing traditional styles like our American amber, Caught Red Handed, or our British golden, Rule of Law, we also love to experiment. In the last couple of months alone, we have put out a mango margarita sour, a coconut lime curry gose, and a beer loaded with sour patch kids.” It is this balance of the traditional and the adventurous that will drive Common Law’s menu.
Common Law Brewing will also feature local ties. “We love to use local ingredients. In the past, we have used honey, coffee, and stone-ground grits from right here in the area,” stated Valencia. Common Law also has plans to base some of their beers on locally grown grain. “It is important for us to be a real part of our community, and that means supporting other businesses around us,” Eldridge-Smith added.
Spring Hill and Maury County definitely have something to look forward to with the addition of Common Law Brewing Co. Visit commonlaw.beer for additional information. n
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