Bringing Yee-Haw brews home to you

yeehawToday we announced a partnership with Yee-Haw Brewing Co. to distribute the brewery’s products across East Tennessee – from the Tri-Cities to the greater Knoxville area.

YEE-HAW_TankYee-Haw Brewing Co. announced in March the launch of its production facility in a historic building in downtown Johnson City. The brewery, located in the renovated East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Depot at 126 Buffalo St., plans to open a taproom to the public starting early this summer.

But for customers eager to enjoy Yee-Haw’s East Tennessee-born craft brews at their favorite restaurant or neighborhood bar, that’s where our Cherokee Distributing team will deliver.

PaleAle

Here’s what our general manager Jeff Knight says about the partnership:

“We will be bringing Yee-Haw beers to 22 East Tennessee counties from the Tri-Cities to Knoxville and beyond. Our team has served this region for 57 years, and as longtime beer enthusiasts, we believe Yee-Haw Brewing is a great addition to our portfolio of products. We’re excited to make these ‘hometown’ brews available even closer to home for the many beer lovers and craft beer supporters throughout our service area.”

With the launch of Yee-Haw Brewing products set for early summer, we will begin distribution of the beers to regional restaurants, pubs and bars in July. Distribution to retail stores is slated for fall 2015.

Yee-Haw Brewing has announced two of its flagship beers – the Yee-Haw Pilsner and the Yee-Haw Pale Ale. The brewery expects to add two additional year-round brews, as well as seasonal offerings.

Yee-Haw beer is being crafted by brewmaster Brandon Greenwood, a former organic chemist turned brewer with 20 years of experience in the beer-making industry. He most recently assembled and led the team responsible for building and operating the Lagunitas Brewing Co. (another brand Cherokee is proud to distribute in East Tennessee!) facility in Chicago, Illinois.

PilsnerJoe Baker, founding partner of Yee-Haw Brewing Co., said this about today’s announcement:

“Yee-Haw is East Tennessee craft beer, and we’re proud to establish our roots here. It’s important to us that our products are accessible to our friends, family and supporters in this region, so they can get to know our brewery and the quality of our beers – because we believe our beers celebrate good times and good community. And this is our community. Cherokee Distributing Company is the right partner to help us share our craft with our community throughout East Tennessee.”

Starting now, East Tennesseans should start seeing a 35-foot Cherokee Distributing Company delivery truck sporting Yee-Haw Brewing Co. branding along local interstates and highways.

It’s a sign of good things to come. Our two companies are excited about good things happening in the beer industry right in our own backyard. But, literally, that truck means good beers are coming to your backyard very soon.

Cheers!