OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Knoxville Beer Board Regular Meeting - August 18, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, August 18, 2026
BodyKnoxville, Tennessee
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, August 18, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 28:43
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Hello, Knoxville.

0:02

This is your Knoxville Beer Board, and today is Tuesday, August 18th, 2026.

0:06

Welcome everyone here and to those watching at home.

0:09

Mr.

0:09

Johnson, please call the roll.

0:11

Councilwoman Adams.

0:12

Here.

0:12

Councilman DeVarto Labon.

0:14

Here.

0:14

Vice Mayor Fugood.

0:15

Here.

0:15

Councilman Grant.

0:16

Councilman Helsley.

0:17

Here.

0:18

Councilman Honeycutt?

0:19

Here.

0:20

Councilman Lloyd.

0:20

Here.

0:21

Councilwoman Parker.

0:22

And Councilman Thomas.

0:24

Eight members present, Chair.

0:26

Thank you.

0:27

Minutes from the last meeting were distributed by email.

0:29

Are there any corrections to the minutes?

0:32

Motion to approve.

0:34

I was going to say hearing none.

0:36

No corrections.

0:37

They will be stand approved as distributed.

0:43

Mr.

0:44

Johnson, do we have anyone signed up for public comments remaining to today's agenda?

0:48

No, ma'am.

0:49

Thank you.

0:51

There being no one signed up for public comment.

0:53

We'll proceed to the reports of officers.

0:55

Officer Presley.

0:58

TABC did go out and do some alcohol compliance this month on the 13th.

1:03

They visited 12 of our businesses here in the city.

1:07

Two did sell alcohol to a minor.

1:09

They were both on Asheville Highway.

1:11

That would be the Kroger and the Habaneros there.

1:15

Thank you.

1:16

Mr.

1:16

Johnson.

1:18

Thank you, Chair.

1:19

Council at your seats.

1:21

You do have a copy of my report for this meeting.

1:24

I'll begin with the act of suspension revocation hearings.

1:28

Harbs Market or HENA Inc.

1:31

on Burnside Street.

1:33

That case has been resolved recently.

1:36

They entered, or rather, an order of suspension has been entered by the hearing officer in that matter.

1:41

They are going to serve a 30-day suspension.

1:44

Or until such time as the business changes hands.

1:47

It was sold, and at your last meeting, you conditionally approved a new beer permit.

1:53

They're going to pay or they are rather they already have paid $1,550, which includes a $750 fine and includes the costs of the hearing.

2:04

In the case of Suttery's high gravity tavern, that was at your last meeting, and you referred that to a suspension revocation hearing.

2:12

And that was for a cast class requirement that had not been met.

2:16

That complaint has been filed and a pre-hearing conference is scheduled for early September.

2:21

Moving on to the beer funds, we do have some uh receipt of fines.

2:27

And we do also have the first payment to Metro Drug Coalition.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement█████████████████████████████████████████████50%
Procedural████████████████████████████████35%
Cannabis Regulation██████████████15%
Summary of Proceedings

Knoxville Beer Board Regular Meeting - August 18, 2026

The Knoxville Beer Board met on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 5:00 PM in the Main Assembly Room at 400 W Main Street. Eight members were present. The meeting covered routine approvals, special event permits, new beer permit requests, extensions, and a report on alcohol compliance checks. No public comments were made.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes: The minutes of the July 21, 2026 regular meeting were approved as distributed without correction.
  • Postponements: Item 6A (Weigel's #131, 9629 Kingston Pike) and Item 8K (Scruffy Pig, 937 N Central St) were postponed to the September 15, 2026 meeting at the applicants' request.
  • Withdrawal: Item 9A (Los Portales, 4505 Asheville Hwy) was withdrawn by the applicant.

Reports of Officers

  • Beer Inspector (Officer Presley): Reported that TABC conducted alcohol compliance checks on August 13, 2026, visiting 12 businesses. Two establishments on Asheville Highway—Kroger and Habaneros—sold alcohol to a minor.
  • Clerk (Mr. Johnson):
    • Harbs Market (HENA Inc.) on Burnside Street resolved a suspension/revocation case: a 30-day suspension was ordered (or until business changes hands), and the permittee paid $1,550 (including a $750 fine and hearing costs).
    • Suttery's High Gravity Tavern was referred to a suspension/revocation hearing for failing to meet the CAST class requirement; a pre-hearing conference is scheduled for early September 2026.
    • Beer Fund balance: $271,000. A first payment of $75,000 (plus up to $35,000 in reimbursable expenses) was made to the Metro Drug Coalition for a youth prevention coordinator position, as approved by City Council for fiscal year 2026. The coordinator will present at the September 2026 Beer Board meeting.

Special Event Beer Permit Requests

All four special event permits were approved unanimously:

  • Big Kahuna Wings Foundation – Flavorday Festival (6th District): Event at World's Fair Park on September 6, 2026, all day. File complete.
  • Hola Hora Latina – Hola Festival 2026 (6th District): Event at World's Fair Park performance lawn on October 10, 2026, 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM. File complete.
  • Jubilee Community Arts – Traditional Music Concert Series (1st District): Five concerts at Laurel Theater on September 4, October 24, November 6, December 5, and December 19, 2026 (pilot beer sales). File complete.
  • Knox Music Coalition – Sunset on Central (4th District): Event at Central Filming Station on August 29, 2026. File complete.

Beer Permit Requests (New)

Permits were considered individually. Most were approved pending final documentation. Key items:

  • Cafe 4 (4 Market Sq): Ownership change; approved pending surrender of existing permit.
  • The Kennedy (430 S Gay St): Ownership change; approved pending surrender of existing permit.
  • Puckers Sports Grill (115 Mimosa Ave): Approved pending certificate of occupancy and surrender of existing permit.
  • Loco Burro (7600 Kingston Pike, Ste 1040A): Approved pending certificate of occupancy and surrender of existing permit.
  • Flying Biscuit – DT (327 W Summit Hill Dr, Ste 112): Applicant not present; postponed to the September 2026 meeting.
  • House of Strays (205 W Jackson Ave, Ste 206): Approved pending certificate of occupancy.
  • Jackie's Dream (498 E Jackson Ave): File complete; approved unanimously.
  • Lonsdale Market (3208 Rudy St): Approved pending certificate of occupancy and Department of Agriculture approval.
  • Merchants Vapor (112 Cedar Ln, Ste 102): Approved pending certificate of occupancy.
  • Racetrac #2692 (1415 Third Creek Rd): Approved pending sales tax registration, corporate charter, certificate of occupancy, and Department of Agriculture approval.
  • Shona's (1547 Clinch Ave, Ste 2): Approved pending LLC articles of organization, certificate of occupancy, and health department approval.
  • Speedway #42790 (4521 Rutledge Pike): Approved pending certificate of occupancy and Department of Agriculture approval.
  • Taqueria Monarca (6050 Western Ave, Ste 100): Approved pending sales tax registration, LLC articles, certificate of occupancy, and health department approval.

Addendum Items – Extensions

  • Ruff Life Hideout (1935 Callahan Dr): Granted a 60-day extension to the October 27, 2026 meeting due to construction delays.
  • Calhoun's / Copper Cellar Corporation (multiple locations): Five items (9C–9G) granted 60-day extensions to the October 27, 2026 meeting while finalizing certificates of occupancy.

Other Business – CAST Class Compliance

  • Officer Presley confirmed that all permittees previously sent letters regarding non-compliance with the annual Knoxville Alcohol Seller Training (CAST) requirement have either met the requirement or surrendered their permits. Specifically:
    • Seed Coffee Co., Tobacco King (dba Tobacco King), and Honeybee Coffee Co. (dba Honeybee Coffee Company) surrendered their permits.
    • Lucky Shot Billiards Sports Bar & Grill attended the CAST class.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved: All four special event permits.
  • Approved pending final documentation: Cafe 4, The Kennedy, Puckers Sports Grill, Loco Burro, House of Strays, Lonsdale Market, Merchants Vapor, Racetrac #2692, Shona's, Speedway #42790, Taqueria Monarca.
  • Postponed: Flying Biscuit – DT (to September 2026), Weigel's #131 and Scruffy Pig (to September 15, 2026).
  • Withdrawn: Los Portales.
  • Extensions granted: Ruff Life Hideout and five Calhoun's/Copper Cellar locations (to October 27, 2026).
  • CAST class compliance: All outstanding cases resolved.
  • Next meeting: Scheduled for September 15, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Hello, Knoxville. This is your Knoxville Beer Board, and today is Tuesday, August 18th, 2026. Welcome everyone here and to those watching at home. Mr. Johnson, please call the roll. Councilwoman Adams. Here. Councilman DeVarto Labon. Here. Vice Mayor Fugood. Here. Councilman Grant. Councilman Helsley. Here. Councilman Honeycutt? Here. Councilman Lloyd. Here. Councilwoman Parker. And Councilman Thomas. Eight members present, Chair. Thank you. Minutes from the last meeting were distributed by email. Are there any corrections to the minutes? Motion to approve. I was going to say hearing none. No corrections. They will be stand approved as distributed. Mr. Johnson, do we have anyone signed up for public comments remaining to today's agenda? No, ma'am. Thank you. There being no one signed up for public comment. We'll proceed to the reports of officers. Officer Presley. TABC did go out and do some alcohol compliance this month on the 13th. They visited 12 of our businesses here in the city. Two did sell alcohol to a minor. They were both on Asheville Highway. That would be the Kroger and the Habaneros there. Thank you. Mr. Johnson. Thank you, Chair. Council at your seats. You do have a copy of my report for this meeting. I'll begin with the act of suspension revocation hearings. Harbs Market or HENA Inc. on Burnside Street. That case has been resolved recently.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com