Knoxville Beer Board Regular Meeting – April 28, 2026

The Knoxville Beer Board held its regular meeting at 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in the Main Assembly Room at 400 W Main St. All nine board members were present. The board approved the prior meeting's minutes, approved one special event permit and 17 beer permit applications pending final documentation, postponed several applications to the May 26 meeting, and referred two businesses to hearing officers for failing to meet mandatory CAST class requirements.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes of the March 17, 2026 regular meeting were approved as distributed, with no corrections.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No one signed up to speak during Comments Germane to Today's Agenda.

Officers' Reports

• Officer Presley reported an alcohol compliance check conducted on April 22 and 23, 2026. A total of 30 businesses were checked, and 9 businesses sold alcohol to a minor. First offenses on April 22 were Tienda E Carts (Bruin Road), Lolita Market (Merchants), The Hop In (Merchants), Two Brothers Holiday Market (Martin Luther King), and Express Stop (Cherry Street). On April 23, Harbs Market (Burnside) was a third offense, Woodsmith Market (Woodsmith) was a first offense, Fast Stop Market (Middlebrook Pike) was a second offense, and Green Grocery (Marival Pike) was a first offense.
• Mr. Johnson reported on pending suspension and revocation hearings: Union Jacks, Applebee's, Dollar General (Sutherland Avenue), Cumberland House, and La Panita Mexican Bar and Grill had resolved or were resolving their compliance cases; Dollar General (Amherst Road) has a pre-hearing conference scheduled, with the law department seeking a 30-day suspension and a $1,000 fine; and Harbs Market, due to a third offense in a two-year period, is set for an automatic suspension/revocation hearing, with the law department seeking a 45-day suspension and a $2,000 fine plus costs.
• Mr. Johnson also reported the beer fund had received $29,000 in fines so far this year and stood at $278,000 and some change.

Postponement Requests

• Mr. Byrd identified Blount Mansion Association (Martini at the Mansion, 7A) and Crafty Bastard Brewery (8C and 8D) as requesting postponement. No applicant asked to withdraw. The board postponed these matters to the May 26, 2026 meeting.

Beer Permit Approvals

• The board approved Muse Knoxville's special event beer permit unanimously after Officer Presley reported no record and Mr. Byrd reported the file was complete.
• The following beer permit applications were approved pending final documentation on unanimous voice votes. Officer Presley reported no police record for each applicant; Mr. Byrd listed required documents:
  • Bearden Beer Market (4524 Old Kingston Pike): certificate of occupancy and surrender of existing permit.
  • Corner Market (7325 Middlebrook Pike): certificate of occupancy, Tennessee Department of Agriculture approval, and surrender of existing permit.
  • Petro's Chili & Chips (631 E Emory Rd): certificate of occupancy.
  • Ruff Life Hideout (1935 Callahan Dr): sales tax registration, certificate of occupancy, and health department approval; sales tax registration was already on file.
  • Sonny's Pizza & Wings (2300 N Central St): two permits (on-premises and manufacturer), each requiring only a certificate of occupancy.
  • Up N Smoky (4909 Millertown Pike): certificate of occupancy, Department of Agriculture approval, and surrender of existing permit.
  • Calhoun's / Copper Cellar Corporation locations, represented by President Brad Hedrick: 10020 Kingston Pike; 400 Neyland Drive; 6515 Kingston Pike (two permits); 625 Turkey Cove Lane; Chesapeake's (500 Henley St); Copper Cellar / Cappuccino's (7316 Kingston Pike); Corner 16 (9637 Kroger Park Dr); and Smoky Mountain Brewery (11308 Parkside Dr, two permits). All were approved pending final documentation, generally requiring a certificate of occupancy and surrender of the existing permit.

Discussion & Referrals

• Save A Lot (Shukan Grocery LLC, 2003 N Broadway) was referred to a hearing officer after failing to meet CAST class requirements. Officer Presley described a visit in which the manager said he wanted to surrender the permit but still had two shopping carts of beer on site. Board members noted that holding beer without a permit would violate city code and voted unanimously to refer the matter.
• Melting Pot (JLG Inc, 111 N Central St) was referred to a hearing officer for failing to meet CAST class requirements. Staff reported the last qualifying class attendance was in 2022, and a manager who appeared at the March meeting as a potential buyer had not followed through with a manager application or new beer application. The board voted unanimously to refer the matter.
• Staff noted most previously noncompliant businesses, including Galaxy E Smoke, had come into compliance after adding or completing manager requirements; about three quarters of the businesses that had been out of compliance got into compliance.
• PlugdIn (734 N Broadway) did not appear at the meeting. The board postponed its application to the May 26, 2026 meeting.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the March 17, 2026 minutes as distributed.
• Approved Muse Knoxville's special event beer permit.
• Approved 17 beer permit applications pending final documentation.
• Postponed Blount Mansion Association and Crafty Bastard Brewery requests to May 26, 2026.
• Postponed PlugdIn's application to May 26, 2026.
• Referred Save A Lot and Melting Pot to hearing officers for CAST class noncompliance.
• Applicants approved pending final documentation were directed to bring completed documents to the business tax office during regular business hours; the chair noted that obtaining a certificate of occupancy may require zoning, parking, plans review, and other compliance steps.