Norris Family Farm and Johnson City Brewing

The Tennessee Craft Brewers Guild’s “Farm to Tap” movement is kicking off its “Pioneer Stories” series this fall. This series will highlight the relationships between Tennessee’s farmers and brewers while celebrating the “pioneers” in the brewing and farming industry who are partnering to use Tennessee-grown goods in Tennessee craft beer.

Beginning as home brewing fanatics, Eric and Kat Latham invited friends, family and even strangers over to try their latest craft brew creations. Their brewery, Johnson City Brewing Company, was founded on the same concept: beer brought people together, whether it was good or bad.

Eric, head brewer and a former journalist, and his wife Kat, a firefighter, moved to Northeast Tennessee and began looking for the perfect place for their brewery. Johnson City Brewing Company was born in 2014, and has a story behind every beer it produces.

Each year as the leaves begin to change and the temperatures drop, Johnson City Brewing Company sources pumpkins from local farmer Tom Norris of the Norris Family Farm in Carter County, Tennessee, for their Pumpkin Pie Ale. The Latham’s connected with Tom who like Kat, is a firefighter. The brewery has used Tom’s pumpkins for this once-a-year ale for the last five years. Come harvest time, pumpkin picking becomes a family affair with the Latham’s two daughters pitching in.

Sourcing local is important to Johnson City Brewing Company. Eric and Kat see the benefit in keeping everything they do in the community, whether it be using the freshest ingredients from a local farmer, teaching their daughters where their food comes from or letting the girls help make the brewery’s non-alcoholic beer.

Eric says their community shares this appreciation of locally-made products and at Johnson City Brewing Company, it’s happening one beer at a time. The brewery also uses Tennessee-grown malt in a majority of their beers, and utilizes other locally grown ingredients, like hops handpicked by Eric, in special releases.

Johnson City Brewing Company is celebrating their 8th anniversary and is Johnson City’s longest-running microbrewery.