Memphis-based Wiseacre Brewing Company has acquired Nashville’s Bearded Iris Brewing, uniting two of Tennessee’s largest craft breweries under one ownership. The deal, executed through Wiseacre’s Abel Brewing LLC, includes permit changes for Bearded Iris’ sites at 101 Van Buren St. and Sylvan Supply on Charlotte Avenue in Nashville.
Founded in 2013 by brothers Kellan and Davin Bartosch, Wiseacre is known for its pilsner Tiny Bomb, while Bearded Iris, launched in 2014 by Paul Vaughn, Matt Miller, and Kavon Togrye, gained fame with its IPA Homestyle. The merger aims to strengthen both breweries amid rising production costs, pandemic aftereffects, growing insurance expenses, and shifting consumer tastes.
Bearded Iris had been part of IndieBrew, a collective started by Atlanta’s Scofflaw Brewing in 2021 to share business resources among member breweries. Co-founder Kavon Togrye played a key role in the initiative, but with little public activity from IndieBrew since late 2022, the acquisition—unrelated to Scofflaw—could mark the end of that partnership.
According to industry reports, Vaughn, Miller, and Togrye will remain in leadership roles and continue to hold a significant stake in Bearded Iris. Brewing operations will move from the Germantown production facility to Wiseacre’s Memphis brewery, while the Germantown taproom will remain open and receive further investment.
The combined portfolio brings together two of the state’s most popular craft beers without announced leadership exits. Financial terms of the transaction remain undisclosed.
