PINSPOTTING DECEMBER 2024

Xul (pronounced “Zool”) Beer Company has been on our radar to visit for some time but only recently, after a Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (KSO) holiday concert, did we make the time to stop by. Here is what we found out about this eclectic Knoxville taproom and social center.

Xul is located in the Knoxville downtown district and is one of Knox county’s newest brewery and social destinations. Xul has opened a second location in the western Knoxville suburbs, but this review focuses on the original location located on E. 5th Avenue.

The building in which the Xul 5th Ave. brewery is housed was formerly a Volkswagen automobile dealership. Xul’s tap room area has high ceilings and large panoramic expanses of windows that overlook downtown Knoxville. There is also a patio area that is used in the warmer months of the year.

Having pinball in the ‘warehouse’ area at Xul is relatively new, and the warehouse area is only open certain nights of the week. The game line-up consists of newer Sterns so far, but I have been told that there are plans to add additional games in 2025. Check on Pinball Map for the latest game list.

Xul regularly hosts IFPA-sanctioned tournaments. Additional games are brought in on days where Xul hosts tournaments. On tournament days, the pinballs are not available for the public to play after 6 PM. Prizes and gift cards are awarded to the winners and at random times during the tournament.

The Knerds of Knoxville host a yearly charity pinball tournament at Xul; it is usually held the second weekend in December. The 2024 tournament proceeds benefited the Knoxville Salvation Army Angel Tree.

Xul does not have a kitchen but they usually have at least one food truck near the main entrance on the weekends. When we visited, the Abridged Burger Company (ABC) truck was serving up their delicious ‘smash burgers’. Abridged Burger offers their sandwiches with impossible burger or ground turkey patties instead of their usual beef brisket blend for a small up-charge. 

All sandwiches include their seasoned fries, called magic wands, which I found to be just a touch over salted. Next visit I will ask for light salt.

Abridged has a ‘burger of the month’; December’s burger was the Good Ole Boy which is topped with Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce, fried Bologna, Lays potato chips, spicy sweet pickles and American-style cheese.

When your meals are ready, the food truck sends a text message to the mobile number that you provide to them, so you can come and pick up your sandwiches. On days when Xul does not host a food truck, customers are welcome to bring in outside foods (but not beverages).

But, as their name says, Xul is about ‘beer’. Their fruited sours are their most popular beverage on tap by far, and within that category the PB&J Mixtape is the favorite. 

As amazing as it might seem, Xul has somehow has created an adult beverage that tastes almost exactly like the PB&J sandwich of your youth. They brew PB&J Mixtape alternatively with grape and strawberry jelly flavors. Even Terri seemed to enjoy PB&J, and she is not necessarily a big fan of beers.

Other popular Xul sours are Tiny Umbrellas, Supernova Goes Pop, Palm Tree Paradise and Paper Crowns (to name a few). 

Worth noting are Xul’s flavored ciders such as Son of a Peach, Babe Magnet and Bob’s Your Uncle.

Xul has a good description of the flavors found in each of their beverages on their website and I would encourage you to check them out. Most Xul beverages are available in 16 oz ‘tall boy’ can 4-packs for home, party or picnic consumption.

Xul occasionally does collaborations with other local breweries. Recent colabs included 8-bit Sunset with Bearded Iris Brewing, Evil Shin Destroyer with DSSOLVR and Mango Dragon Imperial Smoothie with Untitled Art.

Xul frequently invites other breweries as guest ‘tap takeovers’. Recently the Other Side Brewing Company (NYC) was the guest at Xul.

Tuesdays are trivia nights at the Xul 5th street brewery and Wednesdays at the Hardin Valley taproom, starting at 7pm. Trivia is usually hosted by Not Rocket Science Trivia. Gift card prizes are awarded to the top three teams each week.

In addition to themed trivia, Xul has beverage release parties and Xul’s answer to Oktoberfest – Kill The Lights – which is an annual beer fest with typically 70+ guest breweries, food vendors, music, new merch and new beer releases.

In summary, we enjoyed our visit to Xul Beer Company so much that we were planning our next visit before we left. We feel that you will also have a great time when you visit.

Note: Some photos used in this site review were furnished by Xul Beer Company and are used here with their permission.