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What: Nashville has a small but strong craft brewing scene, with four main players—one brewery (distributing throughout Tennessee and parts of Alabama and Mississippi) and three solid brewpubs.

Where: Established in 2003 by Linus Hall, who interned under veteran brewmaster Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery, Yazoo Brewing Company (910 Division St.) is at the heart of Nashville craft brewing—these are the beers you’ll see all over town. Luckily, it has just the snazzy new taproom for the job, having relocated to its current location in the Gulch in early 2010: modern, glass-fronted, and warehouse-like, with lots of interior space, a sweet patio, and 18 taps pouring six different Yazoo beers. We love how seamlessly integrated the taproom is with the community—within walking distance of downtown, it’s just another cool neighborhood bar, albeit one with limited hours and good craft beers (plus locally sourced cheese plates and other yummy snacks).

When: The taproom is open Thu-Fri, 4pm-8pm and Sat, 2pm-8pm (open for growler fills only Wed, 4pm-6pm). Hour-long brewery tours are available every Sat, 2:30pm-6:30pm ($6; includes samples and a cute Yazoo pint glass).

Order: Sample the goods before you order a pint ($4): Six five-ounce pours run $8 here. Our favorites were the smooth, chocolatey, easy-drinking Sly Rye Porter and Hop Project, the brewery’s ever-changing version of an IPA in which every batch is brewed with a different hop blend—chances are, you won’t get the same beer twice.

Good to know: At Bravo Gelato, you can try some of Yazoo’s beers reinterpreted via gelato—past flavors have included banana-Hefeweizen and cherry-porter.

Brewpubs: Nashville has three notable brewpubs making their own freshly handcrafted beers: Big River Grille & Brewing Works (111 Broadway, map), right downtown near honky-tonk central; Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery (1918 West End Ave., map), where an alleged killer burger joins the award-winning brews; and Boscos (1805 21st Ave. South, map), which bills itself as “The Restaurant for Beer Lovers.” You can visit three of the city’s four beer producers (the route varies) with Nashville Brews Cruise: $40 per person (or $75 a couple) buys four hours of personalized tours and tastings—while they do the driving.

Alternatively: If you can’t make it to Yazoo’s new taproom, head to its former digs (1200 Clinton St. #110, map; Thu-Sat only), where Corsair Artisan, a booze micro-distiller, is keeping the tasting tradition alive—for craft beers, that is, not its own whiskey (see also: local spirits). Or, check out these solid area bars carrying Yazoo: live music venue 12 South Taproom and Grill (2318 12th Ave. South, map); East Nashville sports bar Beyond the Edge (112 S. 11th St., map); and our favorite downtown honky-tonk, the boot-lined Robert’s Western World (416B Broadway, map). Fifteen minutes out of town, the Farmhouse Restaurant at Fontanel (4225 Whites Creek Pike, map) always has a few Yazoos on tap to accompany its live music and locavore “farm to fork” Southern menu.

Also good to know: One of Yazoo’s most interesting and popular beers, Sue—a high-alcohol full-bodied porter made with cherrywood-smoked barley malt (yep, smoked)—is not available at the taproom; to find a pint, try The Flying Saucer (111 10th Ave. South #310, map) downtown.