Shale Creek’s owner and Master Brewer, Mike Baker,  knew that he wanted to own his own business one day.  When he fell in a hole and broke his foot in 1999, he had no idea that his dream was beginning.  It took several years for all the pieces to come together.

 

Boredom from the broken foot and being non-weight bearing, gave Mike the chance to start a hobby.  He purchased a home brewing kit which quickly piqued his interest in craft beer.  He only brewed a few times before tucking the interest away for almost 10 years.

 

Round two of home brewing began in 2009 with his old buddy, Roger.  They took turns brewing in each other's garages for several years.  By 2013, the switch was made from kits and bottles,  to all grain and kegs.  Classes were taken, books were read and a custom built homebrew system was built. It was within that time that Mike’s thoughts crossed the line between thinking of craft brewing as a hobby to the desire to build a business.  Visits to other breweries and research clarified the vision.  

 

At the same time, Mike’s brother-in-law, Fred Paris, had his own vision.  As a past mayor of Franklin, Fred wanted to see the city continue to grow and develop.  He purchased two buildings on West Jefferson Street; the former Sparkle Cleaners and Juke Box.  Both buildings had not been utilized since the flood of 2008.  Acquisition, clean-up, and remodeling took approximately two years. During this time, Mike and Fred began to blend their visions.  In February 2016, Mike and his wife, Jenni, opened Shale Creek Brewing.  We are proud to be Franklin’s Hometown Brewery!