Chattanooga Beer Board Meeting - September 3, 2026
Chattanooga Beer Board Meeting - September 3, 2026
The Chattanooga Beer Board met on September 3, 2026, at 1:00 PM to consider routine applications, violation hearings, and a recommendation from the hearing officer. The meeting began with a correction of the date from August 7 to September 3. Board members present: Chair (name not stated), Brooke, Veronica, Christy, Reginald.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approval: The minutes for the August 6, 2026 meeting were unavailable because the secretary was absent. The board agreed to use the transcript of that meeting as the official minutes.
- Beer Applications Approved by Regulatory: TE 145 (Birds, Brew, and Barbecue) and Nephews Bar (beer 1429) were approved.
- Temporary Beer Applications: TE 146 and TE 150 were approved. TE 149 (Octoberfest at Cambridge Square) remains on hold pending legal and zoning review.
- TE 144 (Creative Discovery Museum): Dismissed after it was determined the museum used a caterer for the event. The caterer failed to notify the city regulatory office five days before the event (only notified ABC). The board voted unanimously to dismiss the application.
- Beer 1395 (Rain Ty Bistro): A pending violation was resolved; the application was approved immediately after the hearing officer's recommendation was sustained.
- New Beer Applications: Beer 1440 (Trisha Sports Bar), Beer 1448 (Creeks Bend Golf Club), Beer 1449, and Beer 1454 (Brew House) were all approved that morning.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke during the public comment period.
Discussion Items
Hearing Officer Reports and Recommendations
Four violation cases were considered, all involving sales to minors or permit posting issues. The hearing officer (Rachel Hodges) provided recommendations for each.
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Hampton Inn (400 Chestnut Street)
- Violation: Underage sale (Section 5-50 B1) and permit not posted (Section 5-30A).
- Finding: First violation; no robust training or SOPs.
- Recommendation: 2-day suspension for underage sale, $50 fine for permit posting, and suggested additional training.
- Board voted unanimously to sustain the recommendation and set the suspension for September 18–19, 2026.
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Hilton Garden Inn (311 Chestnut Street)
- Violation: Underage sale and permit not posted.
- Finding: First violation; some quasi-robust training procedures.
- Recommendation: 2-day suspension and suggested additional training.
- Board voted unanimously to sustain and set the suspension for September 18–19, 2026.
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Double Tree Hilton (407 Chestnut Street)
- Violation: Underage sale (Section 5-50 B2) and permit not posted.
- Finding: First violation; some quasi-robust training; no proof of responsible vendor program.
- Recommendation: Option of 2-day suspension OR a $1,000 civil penalty for underage sale, plus a $50 fine for permit not posted. Also noted an apology for not addressing the issue fully during the hearing.
- Board voted unanimously to sustain a 2-day suspension plus the $50 fine, and set the suspension for September 18–19, 2026.
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Rain Ty Bistro (6933 Lee Highway, Suite 200)
- Violation: Permit not posted (Section 5-30A); permit had fallen from its location but was later found.
- Finding: First violation in ~20 years; no fault; technical violation.
- Recommendation: No fine.
- Board voted unanimously to sustain the recommendation.
Board Discussion on Penalties
- A board member (likely the chair) questioned whether a $1,000 fine sends a stronger message than a two-day suspension for hotels, which derive little revenue from alcohol sales. Member Brooke noted that the hearing officer recommended a fine only for the establishment with quasi-robust training. Discussion included the possibility of imposing both a suspension and a fine, but no formal action was taken. The board agreed to consider this topic further at a future meeting with full board attendance.
Key Outcomes
- Dismissals: TE 144 dismissed; TE 149 on hold.
- Suspensions: Three hotels (Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Double Tree Hilton) each received a 2-day suspension of their beer permit for September 18–19, 2026. The first two also received a $50 fine for permit posting; the third received a $1,000 civil penalty option but the board chose the suspension.
- No Penalty: Rain Ty Bistro received no penalty.
- New Permits: Seven beer permits were approved (TE 145, Nephews Bar, TE 146, TE 150, Beer 1440, Beer 1448, Beer 1449, Beer 1454).
- Next Meeting: No date set; board encouraged to discuss penalty consistency.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning, everyone. This is like a call to order this meeting of the Chattanooga Beer Board for August 7th. Uh welcome everybody. The um please turn off your electronic devices. So it's not disservice. And uh I think everybody here knows what to do when they come to the podium. So our first item on the agenda is the approval of the minutes for the July sixteenth meeting. Oh, you got an old agenda. August seventh. Oh, that's my sorry. There we go. Pardon me. Start that over again. Let's try that again. Thank you. I'm glad you noticed that. Good morning, everybody. Good morning. This is the uh call to order the Chatonica Beer Board meeting of September third, twenty twenty-six, and welcome to our visitors. Um please silence your electronic devices, and individual any individuals wishing to address the board must do so from the podium. When you come up, please state your name and speak loudly so we can all hear. Now, on the approval of the minutes, we have uh two sets. We have uh is there a motion to approve the August sixth, twenty twenty-six minutes. I have not been a question about that. Okay. I know that you was unable to attend August 64 office. So she cannot produce minutes. So am I to go ahead and top up those transcripts and use them as the official minutes? I have done that in the past, but and I may have been told by someone, either Catherine or Harold, I cannot apologize. Okay, I'll do that at the one minute. I'll just email it out. I'll email it to you, Mr. Fetters, and to you very much. At this time, anybody wishing to come before the board today needs to be sworn in. Is there anyone wishing to speak? Okay. Yep, yes. And I think other groups I hope you got. I do. Thank you, sir. Right. All right. I will let you proceed, sir. Um, so we've got the first thing on the agenda is the beer applications approved by regulatory. Um, TE 145, the birds bruise and barbecue. It was approved. Nephews barring real beer 1429 was also approved. Next thing to oh wait, there's more. See five. There it is.
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