The Black Abbey Brewing Company, Nashville

While the influence of monk-brewed Trappist beers is evident in The Black Abbey Brewing Company, the full muse behind the operation is far more specific. Katharina von Bora, a refugee nun, married Martin Luther after the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Before fleeing her nunnery, Katharina obtained a brewing license, and she and Martin transformed his former monastery, the Black Cloister, into Wittenberg's premier brewery—a community-focused abbey that worked together to handcraft ales.

The Black Abbey's founders don't ignore the 600 years of brewing traditions forged since then, though. Among their beers—predominantly Belgian-style ales—are American riffs on German and English standards, such as POTUS 44, an inky porter that nods to President Obama with its hints of Kenyan and Hawaiian coffees and its ability to impart its drinkers with great diction. Despite debuting in 2013, Black Abbey's beers are already a local favorite, available in more than 150 area bars.

Devotees can also sample the suds in Black Abbey's taproom, which is open for happy hours and events every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The space keeps with the brewery's inspirations—iron lanterns hang above communal tables, and the day's drafts are listed on hymnal boards displayed on either side of the taps.