Monday, September 29, 2014

Taps at the Beer Pale will be flowing soon

I recently was in touch with Myers Lambert and John Craver – owners of The Beer Pale – who will soon open a beer filling station at the adaptive-reuse development at Charlotte/42nd. They were gracious enough to spend a little time telling us about who they are and what The Beer Pale is all about.

CAISU: Tell us a little about yourselves, where you're from and why you decided to open The Beer Pale.
(Myers) Originally, I am from Lewisburg, TN.  Ended up going to Battle Ground Academy from 7th-12th grade.  John and I met there and have been friends ever since. We always wanted to start a business, but we just didn’t know what that was! I called John a little over two years ago with the idea of opening a growler bar and to see if he was interested. We both were pretty tired of working for other people, so we gave it a shot.
(John) I was born in Nashville and moved to Arrington (outside Franklin) so my mom could start her own horse farm/riding academy. Myers' father owns Lambert Lumber in Lewisburg. So we both came from parents who run their own businesses. Seeing that side of things, where there is no day off and you eat, sleep and breathe for the business it gave us a perspective a lot of new business owners don’t have. The hard part was finding something to put everything we had into. Luckily we both love beer and figured if we can’t sell beer, there is probably not much we can sell. 

CAISU: Give us the low down on The Beer Pale experience (beer only? serving food? how many beers do you hope to have on tap? is this a bar too or just a filling station?)

24 taps. Beer is the only alcoholic drink. We will be serving Coke products as well. We will be serving food. We will be opening everyday @11, so please come for lunch! This is a bar as well, so you can sit down and enjoy a pint! Charlotte is where we’ve always wanted to be. We looked at a couple of different locations located in Nashville and Franklin. Charlotte is where it’s at especially in the coming years. 

CAISU: Is this your first endeavor into the restaurant/bar biz?

(Myers) Definitely our first endeavor, but we have both restaurant/bar experience.  We both work for Lipman Brothers, a Tennessee distributor for beer, wine, and liquor.  I have worked in the business for about 12 years now.  I use to work at Frugal MacDougals doing various things from cashier, stocker, and warehouse manager.  

(John) I worked in several different restaurants in Nashville, Knoxville and Franklin, doing everything from bussing tables to management. The ownership side is definitely new though. It’s been fun to actually start a place from the ground up, making every little decision along the way. From the floor plan, to light fixtures, to wall colors. Hopefully people like what we have done, if not I’ll just say that was Myers choice. (only kidding)

CAISU: When do you hope to open?

Any day now. Everything depends on construction and beer permit. We are going to open with a pretty simple menu. Just sandwiches, salads, and a few appetizers. We want to make sure we can do a few things well before we try to expand our food menu. We will also have some domestic cans and bottles of the bud/miller/coors variety. Of course we prefer craft beer and want to help grow the craft beer scene in Nashville as much as possible, but we don’t want to be beer snobs and we have some friends and family that don’t drink craft beer…Yet!

CAISU: What made you decide to open your business on Charlotte Avenue?

West Nashville is way underserved in many areas, particularly bars and restaurants. It feels like the perfect time and the perfect place for us to start  our business and become part of the fabric of the community. 

CAISU: How did the name "Beer Pale" come about?

(John) I think coming up with names can sometimes be the hardest part. Whether it’s your children’s names, a band name or a business. Good or bad, you’re gonna be stuck with it. When we were researching growlers and finding out they used to be metal pails, that led to Beer Pail. We both love Pale Ales, so the play on words of "The Beer Pale” just kind of felt right. If people don’t like it, I get the blame on this one.

CAISU: What are some of your favorite beers right now?

(Myers) Good People IPA, Sweetwater IPA, Rodenbach Grand Cru, Yazoo 10 year, Yazoo Pale, AND the go-to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

(John) Founders All Day IPA, Yazoo 10 year,  Little Harpeth Stax, TN Brew Works Cutaway IPA