We acknowledge native winners of spirits competitions right here on Bites pretty typically, however beer awards typically get missed. To be trustworthy, Center Tennessee beers don’t win many main nationwide and worldwide awards. Off the highest of my head, I can bear in mind just a few nods for Blackstone Brewing, Yazoo’s “Embrace the Funk” sequence and TailGate Brewery within the years I’ve been penning this column.
Properly, I missed one this yr. What’s worse, I missed a fair larger recognition for the beer again in 2023.
The beer is named The Fulkin, and it’s a Scottish-style ale courtesy of Nate Newton, founder and brewer at Half Batch Brewing in Hendersonville. This yr, The Fulkin received a bronze medal on the World Beer Cup, often called the “Olympics of Beer.”
In addition to the truth that now I’d actually wish to see folks compete within the Olympics whereas consuming beer (aside from the javelin throw), it is a fairly huge deal, particularly as a result of Newton received a gold medal in the identical competitors for a similar beer two years in the past. This achievement cements The Fulkin as a worldwide chief on the earth of Scottish-style ales.
Newton acknowledged the achievement within the official launch of the information, saying: “We’re extremely happy with The Fulkin. It has been our best-selling beer since we opened in 2017. Successful gold in 2023 was a dream come true, however being acknowledged once more in 2025 with a bronze exhibits our consistency and ongoing dedication to high quality.”
Greater than 250 judges sampled 8,375 entries from 49 nations to find out the best-in-class winners of the multitude of beer types within the competitors, which has been round for nearly three many years. Whereas Scottish-style ales could be uncommon round these elements, it’s a well-liked worldwide model.
To not be confused with the stronger (and generally peated) Scotch ale, the Scottish-style ale encompasses a candy malty character and low bitterness. The Fulkin is available in at a sessionable 5.2 % ABV and a low bitterness ranking of 20 IBUs.
Naturally, I needed to attempt it for myself — however I had by no means seen The Fulkin on the cabinets of my normal beer marts or on an area restaurant menu. Think about my shock after I noticed it sitting on ice in a satellite tv for pc beer stand at a current Nashville SC sport. I assumed, “Properly, If I’m gonna attempt it, I’d as properly pay a greenback an oz for it, amiright?!”
So I swiped my bank card and popped open a tallboy can of Scottish-style ale. Even earlier than the primary sip, the caramel/toffee notes have been highly effective, like a Werther’s Authentic sweet from the underside of your grandma’s purse. I occur to love Werther’s, so I dove in.
Individuals typically assume that darkish beers are heavy, serious about stouts and porters, however The Fulkin is sweet and light-bodied. The caramel was joined by brown sugar and raisin flavors upon first style, and the end was clean and dry. Versus my regular Nashville SC libation, the a lot boozier and hoppier Homestyle IPA from Bearded Iris, this was a pleasant change of tempo. I’ll be on the lookout for packs of 16-ounce cans at spots like Frugal MacDoogal and Corkdorks Wine, Spirits and Beer Midtown — the place I should buy 4 beers for the value of 1 soccer beer.
Or I’d make my strategy to 154 Bonita Parkway in Hendersonville, the place I can drink The Fulkin straight from the faucet on the brewery and congratulate Nate on his achievement. I’ll in all probability additionally ask him the place the beer’s identify comes from. On the brewery web site, there’s a line about, “Say ‘falcon’ in your finest Scottish accent,” however I select to imagine it’s a shortened model of a phrase from The That means of Liff, British wags Douglas Adams and John Lloyd’s humorous dictionary of issues there must be phrases for. They outline “fulking” as “pretending to not be in when the carol singers come spherical.”
That method these bloody singers received’t interrupt your beer consuming. Cheers!
