Nashville Brewing

William Gerst and the Nashville Brewing Industry

By Scott R. Mertie

Known for country music, antebellum homes, the Parthenon, and Civil War battlefields, Nashville also has a rich brewing history that spans 100 years. Several breweries were established in the late 1800s, but the William Gerst Brewing Company alone endured into the 20th century and even survived Prohibition. Once one of the largest breweries in the South, Gerst brewed its last batch in 1954, leaving Nashvillians unable to enjoy locally brewed beer until the dawn of the recent microbrewery revolution. Nashville Brewing offers readers a pictorial account of the William Gerst Brewing Company--an important but almost forgotten part of Nashville history.

Scott R. Mertie has been interested in the brewing industry since he started collecting beer cans as a six-year-old. As he became older, Scott expanded his hobby to include brewery advertising and home-brewing. Upon moving to Nashville in 1992, Scott visited the Gerst Haus restaurant and noticed vast amounts of breweriana displayed on the walls that once promoted the restaurant's namesake a century earlier. This started his fascination with the William Gerst Brewing Company and the brewing history of Nashville.

The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.