Turtle Anarchy Doesn’t Stay in its Shell

There’s something about the light industrial zoning that force many nascent brewers to less populous parts of cities. Often, there are hidden gems among office parks and warehouses.

Most of Nashville’s breweries are a stone’s throw from downtown or in trendy neighborhoods, so there’s no hunt involved. Turtle Anarchy in suburban Franklin definitely sat off the main drags, but Nancy had little trouble finding it (I am directionally illiterate in Franklin). In a deserted office park, the brewery’s taproom and brew kettles hold court in a new building with a dance studio next door.

 I didn't ask where the name came from, but with something as intriguing as Turtle Anarchy, why tear down the mystique? Middle Tennessee has had some questionable name choices lately and this one redeems the rest.

The straightforward taproom boasts a nice bar, chalkboards announcing available beers and where to find Turtle Anarchy on tap around Middle Tennessee. On a Friday, the taproom was maybe half-full this Friday. With a pair of samplers, Nancy and I worked through Turtle Anarchy’s standard beers and a special series that separates its from Middle Tennessee’s other nascent breweries.

We started with Arumglas is a light golden ale with a trace of honey to round out its affable character. Its nice display of fruits led by apples mix nicely with the complexity offered by the honey.

Our initial pass with Wit’s End was quite yeasty and mostly uneventful. A pint from a fresh keg changed our minds. Cloudy and burnt orange, the second batch improved upon the light pear and lemon flavors of the initial pass. Nancy and I each had a full pint and found it much more palatable.

Turtle Anarchy’s Another Way to Rye hits all the right notes, with the spicy rye delving easily into the grapefruit floweriness of the hops that develops on the back end. It does suffer from the curse of Rye IPAs; with its intense dryness, I couldn’t muscle through more than a single pint. Middle Tennessee doesn’t have a flagship IPA, so it's a good market to attack. The brewmaster told us it has already become their best seller.

Portly Stout was a workmanlike stout, with lots of creaminess and roasted malt character. Definitely more sweet than Irish-style, Portly was quite drinkable and probably more notable for being the base beer in each of Turtle Anarchy’s experimental stouts.

To complement its standard ales, Turtle Anarchy also offers its 50 Shades of Black series, a experimental flight of stouts. Building off its Portly Stout, a decent blend of roasted malts and oily, viscous tones, Turtle Anarchy is producing a wide range of flavored stouts. This taproom-only, rotating series immediately brands the new brewery. 

Blackwater Dark moves Portly Stout into still-wet barrels that housed Collier & McKeel Tennessee Whiskey. Mike the Brewmaster told us the whiskey had been emptied from the barrels just hours before Turtle Anarchy loaded them with stout. The barrel imparts vanilla, spearmint, firm traces of oak and some slight Tennessee whiskey sweetness. Blackwater Dark has more notes of molasses and dark fruit than the other stouts in the series.

No one need guess the central ingredient in Down with the Coconut. The brewers layer toasted coconut on the aging beer and only consider it finished when the coconut character properly influences the stout. It turned out quite complex and even haters of actual coconut should find much to like.

The last in the series, Ninja Star Stout, doesn’t do any sneaking around. With its infusion of star anise, licorice takes center stage. Traces of fennel pop in. This stout tastes as though it received a good dose of licorice liqueur (Ouzo or Sambuca). The licorice lines up well with the stout’s oily character. The licorice is potent but doesn’t linger. With Bell’s not coming to Tennessee anytime soon, this could be the best bet for anyone longing for a splash of Kalamazoo Stout.

The brewmaster told us the next debut will be cinnamon chipotle stout. Just a few months out of the gate, Turtle Anarchy seems to have control of its destiny within an increasingly crowded Middle Tennessee brew market.