Knoxville Beer Board Regular Meeting - February 24, 2026

On February 24, 2026, the Knoxville Beer Board convened with all nine members present to address beer permit applications, receive reports on compliance audits and enforcement, and handle administrative matters.

Consent Calendar

• The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as distributed without correction.

Officer Reports

• Internal Audit (Savannah Kirk): Presented findings of a CAST (Alcohol Seller Training) compliance audit. Of 747 active beer permits, roughly 50% were sampled, and 34% of those sampled (approximately 126 permits) were non‑compliant. Certified letters were sent, and all listed non‑compliant permittees have since come into compliance.
• Beer Inspector (Officer Presley): Reported two enforcement actions: (1) On February 1, a patrol incident at Corn at the Corner Market (1316 Maribel Pike) resulted in a charge for sale of alcohol to a minor. (2) On February 7, a joint compliance check with ABC of 15 businesses found four establishments (Cedar Lane Sitco, Flock Beer and Wine, Backdoor Tavern, and Union Jacks) sold alcohol to a minor; Union Jacks was also cited for CAST non‑compliance.
• Clerk (Mr. Johnson): Noted that Union Jacks will appear at the March meeting for an administrative hearing due to a second violation within two years. No active suspension or revocation hearings remain. The beer fund balance stands at $266,000. Fine revenue has reached nearly $15,000 against a $10,000 budget (150% of budget). Postage for CAST compliance letters is now funded from the beer fund.

Discussion Items

• Postponements and Withdrawals: Three items (8C and 8D, Crafty Bastard Brewery; 8G, Rosaritas Mexican Cantina) were postponed to the March meeting without objection. No withdrawals were requested.
• Special Event Permits: All five special event applications were approved unanimously:
  • Dragonfly Aerial and Circus Art Studio (Heather Quincy) – 15th anniversary fundraising gala on March 7.
  • Travis Ferguson – event permit approved.
  • OASI (Davis Parker) – event permit approved.
  • Trees Knoxville (Melissa Hinton) – Tree Fest on April 24 at Baker Creek Preserve, featuring tree giveaways and outreach.
  • Young Williams Animal Center (Janet Testerman) – Marty Grow pet parade and festival. Approved pending final documentation for CAST training.
• Regular Beer Permits: Applications were considered individually; all approvals were pending final documentation unless otherwise noted:
  • 808 Music Group (Brian Coakley) – approved pending sales tax registration, certificate of occupancy, health department approval, and TABC license.
  • Big Orange Bar (Sam Juani) – approved pending certificate of occupancy and health department approval.
  • Gen Z 17th Street (Kara Patel) – approved pending Department of Agriculture approval.
  • Los Portalos (Miguel Nunez) – approved pending sales tax registration and health department approval.
  • Yeehaw Brewing – applicant absent; discussion led to a motion to postpone all three of their permits to the March meeting, which was seconded and passed.
• Extension Requests:
  • Ian's Market (Bogani) – requested a 90‑day extension; upon discussion, the board granted an extension to the May meeting.
  • Stem to Stem North Central (Brooke Martin) – requested an extension due to a family emergency; granted to the May meeting.
  • Kevin Hibbs Amber Green – applicant absent and unresponsive after nearly four years of extensions. No motion was made to extend; the application is considered lapsed.

Key Outcomes

• All five special event permits were approved (one pending CAST documentation).
• Four regular beer permit applications were approved pending final documentation.
• Three permit applications were postponed to March (Crafty Bastard Brewery, Rosaritas Mexican Cantina, Yeehaw Brewing).
• Two permits were extended to the May meeting (Ian’s Market, Stem to Stem).
• Application for Kevin Hibbs Amber Green was allowed to lapse without action.
• Union Jacks will face an administrative hearing at the March meeting.
• The beer board accepted the compliance reports and noted that all previously non‑compliant CAST permittees have become compliant.