USA, TN: Fanatic Brewing Company gearing up for its second location in Knoxville

Ever since he began tinkering with his own home-brewed beer in 1978, Fanatic Brewing Company founder Marty Velas’ passion for and expertise in the brewing arts have taken him all over the world — from Germany to Japan, from California to Czechoslovakia and much more, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported on June 2.

Highly sought after as an engineer, consultant, judge and educator, Velas holds multiple international and national awards and has trained more than 200 successful brewers. He started Fanatic Brewing Company on Central Avenue seven years ago.

And now he’s gearing up for his latest growth spurt — Fanatic’s second location, Fanbase West, at West Town Mall.

“We’re shooting for June 1. I’ve got some items that I want to use for the buildout — we want it to be perfect. But definitely sometime in June.

“The food court was remade three years ago to include a craft beer pub. We’re taking over the operations of that; they’re confident that we can make a go of it, as are we. The mall has been re-energized. It’s doing much better than it was pre-pandemic.”

Velas originally came to East Tennessee in 1994 on a consulting job.

“I was setting up breweries all over the world. In the mid-‘90s I was working in Japan, South Africa, Texas, and one of my projects happened to be in Knoxville. I got the equipment in place, did the formulas, and then flew away.

“They called me again, wanting to do a second one in Gatlinburg. They asked if I would consider going on staff for a year or two. I continued to consult, and gradually built the brewery division for their restaurant group.”

Eventually, Velas dropped the consulting work. “My wife and I wanted me to settle down and start a family. I was living on airplanes and in hotels!”

Marty and his wife, Solange, welcomed the opportunity for him to stay put, continue doing what he loves, and have time with their three children, all now young adults.

He started Fanatic Brewing Co. with a mission to create the most “drinkable beer,” and though his brews have won dozens of awards, he’s most proud of the gold he won for Velas Helles in 1999 at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, and the World Beer Cup gold he won for German Bock Beer in 2000.

“It’s kind of like the Olympics of beer brewing, open to all nations. Those medals are very highly prized. And I beat the Germans at their own game!”

Incidentally, Velas was offered an opportunity to build and run a brewing school for Glen Ellen in Sonoma, Calif., after a scion of the winemaking family took a brewing class with him and decided the company needed to diversify. But Velas had already fallen in love with East Tennessee.

“Yep,” he says. “I turned down Glen Ellen for Knoxville.” Any regrets about that? Velas says no. “We love it. We are so glad that our kids grew up here with the four seasons and people who actually take time to balance their lives. We wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

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