Long lines, drained kegs: How a single PB&J beer is captivating Knoxville taste buds

Knoxville hip-hop artist Jarius Bush has never been a craft beer drinker. He much prefers something simple and light.

But that all changed ? as it likely did for other craft beer skeptics ? when someone convinced him to try the PB&J Mixtape sour by Xul Beer Company.

Since then, he has stood outside the brewery waiting for doors to open just to get his hands on a can. He has shared it with his mom, his dad and his friend from Chicago, who calls regularly about getting the beer shipped.

"Just tasting (the Mixtape) reminds me of childhood," Bush told Knox News. "It feels like me being a kid listening to Biggie Smalls ? old hip-hop tracks ? and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It tastes like nostalgia."

Although it's just one drink, the product has potential to take Knoxville's brewery scene to new heights as it brings more people aboard the craft beer train. But on this train, there is no chugging. The beverage truly is something worth savoring.

Bentley Blackshear, the brewery's co-owner and director of brewing operations, equates the uncanny flavor to an Uncrustables snack. This 6.5% ABV beer sells roughly 10 times faster than any other product the brewery makes, he said, and part of the reason is this: When they say it tastes like a PB&J, they mean just that ? no exaggeration, crust and all.

Don't believe them? Just ask the 165 people who stood in line downtown on Black Friday when the brewery advertised a limited release of four packs. Even when restricting sales to two cases per transaction, Xul had no problem selling out. The brewery had a similar line Dec. 22 when they did it again.

"It's a wonderful thing for the business," Blackshear said. "Our customers love it. Our staff, I think some of them tend to really embrace the chaos of that day. It's a high energy ? everyone's really excited about being here. ... I hope that people continue and it's not just a flash in the pan for us."

The craze has showed no signs of stopping since the first batch hit kegs in late January. Simply put, the PB&J Mixtape was Knoxville's breakout beverage of 2023.

PB&J Mixtape is a gateway to craft beer in Knoxville

People like to take a whiff before they take a sip, Blackshear said, and that's when the shock kicks in.

"We look at our product line, and I don't really believe that PB&J is objectively our most delicious product that we make," he said. "But I do think it is the most spot-on to something."

The secret is not all that secretive: "a pretty outrageous amount of grape concentrate" and a hundred pounds of roasted peanuts in each batch, Blackshear said. Not so great for anyone with a nut allergy, but the product is gluten-free.

This ties into the accessibility and shareability of the Mixtape, named in honor of the brewery's affinity for old-school hip-hop ? a perfect connection for Bush, who considers himself an unofficial ambassador for the beverage as he continues sharing it with everyone he knows.

Knox Brew Hub owner Zack Roskop, an expert on all things local beer, has watched the hype grow at his own business. The Mixtape kegs drain quickly, he said, and people have called the store to make sure it's on tap. That doesn't happen often.

"Every now and then you catch lightning in a bottle," Roskop said. "It's a great beer to kind of ease someone who thinks they know what beer tastes like. ... If you ask any craft beer drinker what got you into craft beer, it's usually a very vivid memory. And there's no doubt in my mind there's a handful of people whose story now begins with the PB&J Mixtape sour from Xul Beer Company."

That includes Bush, who is already exploring other craft beers at Xul.

Untappd reviews are in: PB&J Mixtape is one of the best all time

The rollout was just like any other product. With new brands that don't yet have a label, the brewery typically fills 50 to 80 crowlers over a week.

"We filled like 180 of those (Mixtapes), and it was gone that afternoon. And I was just in shock," Blackshear said. "So, we came in the next day and we filled a couple more kegs worth ... and I was like, 'Oh boy, this is definitely another animal than the rest of our products' in the sense of people were buying three to five crowlers at a time to take home."

The brewery now keeps four or more batches prepared "just to have enough to feed that monster," he said.

But how good can it be? Let's put it this way: the PB&J Mixtape is one of the top-rated fruited sours of all time on Untappd, the quintessential app for global beer ratings established in 2010.

"With a lot of our sour products ... we make a large batch of neutral-base alcohol," Blackshear said. "On the back end as brewers, we get to kind of play around and add and be mixologists and create a lot more on that end. The process can take between six and 10 days."

That time period equates to roughly 500 gallons, and the process is repeated four times per month. All in all, that equates to 2,000 gallons, or roughly 20,000 12-ounce cans each month.

Is the PB&J Mixtape by Xul the next Cold Mountain by Highland?

Part of the equation for a good beer, Roskop said, is that it must be something people want to drink. An imperial stout could win trophy after trophy, but the audience for stouts is smaller.

The industry is evolving along with tastebuds. It used to be cool ? almost "punk rock" ? to enjoy a beer that was so outrageously bitter no one else understood it, Blackshear said.

"Well, craft beer is mainstream now, and if you're not considering someone's mother or grandmother or not-your-classic-craft-beer-drinker, I think you're missing out on a lot of the market," he said. "We do, probably at any given point, four to six completely gluten-free products, and they typically don't taste like beer at all."

Perhaps, the business should be called "Xul Beverage Company," he said.

The brewery's reach goes beyond Tennessee. In addition to regularly sending beer throughout the South, the brewery also has sent products to Europe. Roskop said the success of this beer in other markets could help elevate the local scene.

"When (Highland Brewing) comes out with its Cold Mountain, and people from Knoxville travel to Asheville for that beer, it's because they have a familiarity with that brand," he said. "That's happening a little bit with Xul. Imagine, the reach and the impact (the PB&J Mixtape) is having is only going to go up as Xul's reach goes up."

The success of Xul ? including a gold medal for the Rhymes Like Dimes IPA at the 2022 World Beer Cup ? has made breweries in other markets pay attention, Blackshear said.

"To just smash every expectation that we ever had, it's really cool for the whole team, and everyone takes a whole lot of pride in we get to produce, sell and provide this to people that really genuinely want it and are really genuinely excited about it," Blackshear said. "And that's not something that you get every day at every job."

Xul has two locations: 213 E. Fifth Ave. in downtown Knoxville and 10677 Hardin Valley Road. To keep up with Xul, follow the brewery on Instagram @xulbeer.

Ryan Wilusz is a downtown growth and development reporter. Phone 865-317-5138. Email [email protected]. Instagram @knoxscruff. 

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville brewery Xul Beer Company PB&J Mixtape sour rocks