Naked River Brewing Co. has extended a holiday closure for two more weeks, generating speculation about what is going on at the establishment that filed for bankruptcy protection in 2023.
A brewery social media account had posted holiday hours on Dec. 24, stating it would be closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Jan. 5.
Then on Jan. 2, Naked River posted that it would be closed through Jan. 14.
"We will be closed for our yearly break and can't wait to see you again soon!" the account said in the caption.
But this year's "yearly break" is longer than last year's. According to the restaurant's social media, it was only closed Jan. 1-4 last year.
When I called manager Christian Romaine and asked what was going on with Naked River, he said he didn't work there any longer and couldn't elaborate. When I asked when he stopped working there, he said he had to go and hung up.
When asked if Naked River is closing permanently, founder Jake Raulston told me via text that Naked River Brewing would not be doing so.
"The group who was managing," Raulston said by text, "has left, and we are trying to get everything switched back over, which takes time."
Raulston's former business partner, Nathan Woods, told me via text that he has not been at Naked River since 2022. In November 2018, Raulston and Wood opened Naked River Brewing on Reggie White Boulevard, across from Finley Stadium.
Staff photo by Olivia Ross / Beer flights are poured at Naked River Brewing Co. in 2022.The Chattanooga Times Free Press previously reported that in 2023, Naked River Brewing filed a Chapter 11 petition to reorganize its finances as a debtor under the protection of U.S. Bankruptcy Court. While the bankruptcy case is ongoing, after looking over the documents, they show that there have been no new filings since July 2024 from any involved parties.
(READ MORE: Naked River Brewery reorganizes in bankruptcy and other business news)
I hope they do reopen. After attending soccer games, I had tried their crispy, cheesy smashburger and deliciously seasoned fries. Ice cold beer floated around the patio in happy game day hands.
Their meat is, according to their website, "smoked using Tennessee white oak for several hours on a primitive pit offset smoker." That barbecue found its way onto toasted buns with slaw and into tortillas with pickled onions.
The restaurant also hosted a popular beer called the Chocolate Moon Pie Stout, based on the iconic and locally made childhood sweet treat of marshmallows sandwiched between graham crackers and covered in chocolate.
Naked River Brewing is in a historic building. The foundry building is "believed to be one of the oldest buildings in Chattanooga," according to the Naked River website, "built around 1875 by the Wasson Car Works, a manufacturing company that built railway cars in Chattanooga from 1873-1885."
Contact Lyric Lewin at [email protected] or 423-757-6215. Subscribe to her weekly newsletter, "What to Eat Next," at timesfreepress.com/eat.