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Tennessee brewery creating 150th anniversary beer

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) — Johnson City Brewing Co. is brewing up a one-of-a-kind birthday present for the city.

On Thursday, community members trekked to the downtown brewhouse to contribute to the brewery’s special sesquicentennial beer.

“Before it was Johnson City, the area was called Blue Plum, so we figured, let’s make a Blue Plum Lager, light and crisp, well-balanced; and then through fermentation, we’ll add fresh, pureed plums into the beer,” said head brewer Eric Latham.

The brewing process for the special 150th-anniversary beer began at 10 a.m. with help from the public. This is Johnson City Brewing’s second community brew since the move to its new brewhouse.

“We’re kind of community-owned, so in the spirit of that model, every few months we do what we call a community brewing session and we just invite the community to brew with us,” said Latham.

People showed up throughout the day to pour ingredients, mingle with friends and share a drink or two. It’s an atmosphere that the business has been surrounded by since its start four-and-a-half years ago.

Johnson City Brewing Co. is a staple in the downtown area. Almost every night people huddle around tables in its tap room at 257 Main St. playing Dungeons and Dragons, board games or calling out trivia answers.

“The reason why we created this business was we wanted to build a place for people to come together to enjoy community, to enjoy fellowship, enjoy a beverage,” said Latham.

The togetherness and the ever-changing beers on draft seem to keep people coming back.

“There are all kinds of styles of beers to brew and we love to experiment,” Latham said. “Whether it has to do with trying a brand-new style of beer, whether it’s experimenting with different ingredients, that’s what we live for.”

The Blue Plum Lager, which is scheduled to be released in about two months in the taproom, will be a German lager-style beer. It will be sold in commemorative bottles for the sesquicentennial, a special nod to the anniversary because the company does not often can or bottle its beers.

The release date for the Blue Plum Lager is scheduled for Thursday, April 4. The public can RSVP to the event through the Johnson City Brewing Co. Facebook page.

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