Common John Brewing Company: The Brand Behind the Beer

Common John Brewing Co. started where a lot of good things do: in a garage. LeBron Haggard, a lifelong Manchester native, spent almost 25 years in corporate life before a homebrew kit turned into a full-blown obsession. The group who now calls itself the "OG Beer Crew" spent the better part of a decade brewing hundreds of batches "for quality control." Somewhere along the way that turned into visiting more than 700 breweries and tasting over 10,000 beers, which is either a very serious research project or a really fun excuse to travel.

Manchester didn't have a craft brewery, so LeBron built one. He teamed up with his aunt Renee Haggard-Agee, started planning in 2016, and opened the doors in 2020 as Manchester's first craft brewery. The name came from a song LeBron heard at Bonnaroo, the music festival that has been held in Manchester for the last 24 years.

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From One Taproom to Two

Once Common John opened, word got around fast. People showed up for the beer and stuck around for everything else: the food, the music, the general feeling that you could pull up a chair and stay a while. That reputation has only grown. These days you don't even have to visit a taproom to get a Common John beer in your hand. You'll find it on tap and on shelves at gas stations, restaurants, and bars throughout Middle Tennessee. They keep an updated "beer tracker" on their website if you're ever trying to track down a pour nearby.

Common John's second taproom opened in Historic Downtown Pulaski this spring, giving people there the same experience Manchester regulars have known for years.

Good Beer, No Pretense

There's a lot of care that goes into the brewing process at Common John, and you can taste it. In 2024 alone, they brought home 8 medals from the Tennessee Championship of Beers. But what really makes the beer special is the personality attached to it. Most of the names come from songs the crew loves. If you walk in without a clue what to order, just ask for a flight. It's the fastest way to find your new favorite.

The food menu keeps the same energy as everything else: simple, good, and built for sharing. They serve flatbread pizzas, sandwiches, pretzels, and plenty of stuff meant to get passed around the table.

Not a Bar. A Brewpub.

Common John is pretty clear about what it's not trying to be, and that's a bar. It's a brewpub, which in practice means you can grab a beer, eat something good, catch some live music, and hear the person sitting across from you. Kids run around playing games while their parents catch up. A few tables over, someone's dealing a hand of cards. Somebody just clocked out and needs a minute to decompress. It all fits under the same roof.

Music has been part of the plan since day one. Both locations have a live stage and performance space built for local artists, and there's almost always something going on, whether that's a live show, trivia night, Singo, or comedy show.

Built on More Than Beer

The mission at Common John has never been about what's in the glass. LeBron and Renee set out to build a workplace better than the ones they came from, one that pays people well and treats them right. That same mindset shows up in how they engage with their communities. The brewery currently partners with more than 15 local nonprofits. Giving back is baked into how they operate.

Everything Common John does traces back to a few simple ideas: beer is better shared, quality is worth the extra time it takes, and if it isn't fun, what's the point.

Two taprooms, beer on shelves across the region, and a shelf full of medals to back it up. Common John Brewing Company set out to build a place people actually want to hang out, and that's exactly what it's become.