XÜL Beer Company opened in October 2020. But no pandemic would keep partners Brad, Tara and Bentley from achieving their dream of providing quality beer, sours and a great atmosphere for the community. The brewery is known for its diverse and innovative beer offerings, including adjunct-heavy stouts like their VHS series, super fruited sours, and aggressively dry-hopped IPAs. They also pay meticulous attention to detail, serving beers at optimal temperatures tailored to each style.
Xül Beer Company was founded in 2019 and is owned and managed by Brad West, Seth Thacker and Tara Thacker. The brewery’s name, “Xül,” is pronounced with a “Z” sound—”Zul”—and is inspired by various cultural references, including a classic 1980s movie and a 1990s computer game.
Over the years, Xül has gained popularity for its quality brews and its commitment to the customer experience. Brad told me their key to success is the whole vibe. They want to provide more than just a product. “We live to provide a whole experience here. It’s important for us. The beer (product), the ambiance, music, comfortable seating, merchandise/visuals and the customer service are all important to that experience.“
Tara’s team handles the business’s cleanliness and service aspects. “Cleanliness is important. We want clean bathrooms. We want stocked bathrooms. We want dirty glasses picked up. We want people to have a good experience while they are here. We are all about the details here.“
They’ve hosted various events and collaborated with local artists, musicians, and businesses to create a vibrant and inclusive atmosphere. Their themed Trivia Tuesdays always bring a huge crowd. This popularity has allowed them to grow exponentially while other breweries are sadly shutting down production.
Xül’s original taproom is housed in a renovated 1960s car showroom, offering patrons a unique atmosphere to enjoy their craft beers. In June 2023, they expanded by opening a second taproom in Hardin Valley, featuring a darker, more elegant ambiance with lounge seating and a media room for movies and sports. They have also continued to expand in their downtown location piece by piece. An adjacent warehouse space holds tanks and coolers. This area is regularly opened for extra seating and entertainment. If you enjoy games, you’ll love this spot with its pinball machines. This indoor space welcomes dogs in winter, while they are allowed on the patio year-round.
When Geezers Brewing announced its closing in June 2023, Xül purchased that section and has used it for production and storage. However, the first weekend in April it opened as Passenger bar on Fridays and Saturdays from 5p-9p for additional bar service and seating area. In 2024, they purchased the Fanatic Brewing space and use it for production and private events. This allows them to produce more of their most popular brew, the PB&J Mixtape and other core brews like Toro Y Oso Mexican Lager and Paper Crowns IPA.
The most recent expansion is Xül’s patio space, which increased its capacity from 70 to 200 patrons this spring. This new outdoor area features durable furniture from By The Yard for customers to enjoy while having their beverages. The design of the space was done by Carex Design Group. The Abridged Food Truck continues to be the food vendor and is also located within the patio area.
Xül is nationally known for its epic beer fest titled “Kill the Lights,” which showcases its commitment to creating a vibrant and expansive atmosphere for beer enthusiasts. With over 70 invitation-only vendors, they bring one of the best beer fests in the country to our area. With other local beer festivals in the area, they wanted to offer something a little different. Brad and Bently spend time tasting and vetting each brewery they invite. You’ll find local, national brands and international brands. Kill the Lights ranked nationally at #4 in 2024 for their second festival, and the rankings for 2025 have bumped them up to #3 for their third! You can find the rankings here: USA Best Beer Festival. 2025’s fest will be no exception. Who knows, maybe they will knock off those first 2 seats to hit the #1 spot!
From their Instagram post:
🚨 𝑩𝒊𝒈 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕! 🚨
Over the past few years, our festival has grown bigger & bigger, even claiming the #3 spot in USA Today’s Best Beer Festivals in the US. So this year, we’re going even bigger to try to claim the top spot. We’re stoked to announce that this year’s @killthelightsbeerfest will be held on October 25th at Covenant Health Park, home of the @smokiesbaseball & @oneknoxville! ⚾️ ⚽️
What can you expect?:
– More breweries 🎉
– More world class beer 🍻
– More vendors 🎨
– And lower ticket prices! 🎟️👀
🎟️ Tickets go on sale 𝑱𝒖𝒏𝒆 7𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒕 𝑵𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝑬𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏! Be on the lookout for another post next week about tickets and all the details. 🎟️
This move will increase ticket sales from 1,200 to 2,000 available tickets. With lower prices for GA tickets and increased ammenities for VIP tickets, you better not sleep on this one!
If you haven’t stopped by Xül yet, this is the perfect time to go. Get yourself a fan favorite -PB&J Mixtape or one of their other popular varieties and enjoy springtime in Knoxville.
If you are interested in hosting a private event at Xül, reach out to Amanda Lafratta at events@xulbeer.com. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on events, Kill the Lights, their awesome merch and other fun announcements!