It’s a journey we have taken multiple times each year - traveling from Athens, Georgia, to the Great Smoky Mountains via Highway 441. When we reach the tiny town of Dillsboro (not much more than a dip in the road really), we know we are just a breath away from the mountains we love so dearly, and the cities of Cherokee and Gatlinburg. We always pause in Dillsboro and walk the town, enjoy its artisan community (pottery at its finest), a chocolate shop and the perfect Christmas shop. It only took one stop here on our way to another place to make it routine.
During one random trip, we had a little extra time and decided to follow Dillsboro’s main street a little further (only a mile) to Sylva. And were we ever amazed.
Consequently, these two small Carolina towns are routine stops when traveling to the western part of North Carolina, especially now that we call North Carolina home. Sylva caught Hollywood's eye in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” as the perfect mid-western town. The sights are lovely, but it’s what we found on a plate and in a glass that delighted visitors.

Come taste the tiny town of Sylva, North Carolina.

Balsam Falls Brewing Company | Coming Home

After spending most of his life in front of a computer as an IT expert, the man decided it was time to get behind something with more character and meaning. Beer fit the bill.
     Corey Bryson, owner of Balsam Falls Brewing Co. in Sylva, North Carolina, was one of those guys who had more hobbies than pairs of jeans. As an IT expert, "I was good at it," he says,  "and I was always the guy who picked up a new hobby every year, get bored and move onto something else. I got into home brewing about seven years ago and really enjoyed it. It was one of those hobbies that really stuck with me."
     He dove deeper into craft beer while he and his wife Laurie were living in Tampa. "Quite a few craft breweries were opening there" and he wondered if that would be his direction. "We had, for a number of years, come up to the mountains two or three times a year, and we stayed in Sylva and we really loved it. I had always loved it."
    Having grown up "all over the place" because his dad was in the Navy, his family always called Sylva home. "I was looking for a way to come back home."
     He remembers sage advice from his great-grandfather: "It doesn't matter what you do in life, just make sure you work for yourself. Don't work for anyone else."
     The concept of owning his own business stayed in the back of his mind. "I spent years working for other people and saw how people got treated in corporate America. What I saw in the craft brewing industry was something vastly different. Breweries weren't competing against each other; they weren't fighting wars. The were helping each other, encouraging each other. If someone needed something, they would help them out. That was very different from what you see anywhere else in America. I wanted to be part of that."
      Choosing Sylvia seemed to be the best decision. He wanted to make sure the location wasn't seasonal; surviving the winter was a must. Support from students and faculty at Western Carolina University sealed the deal. He couldn't handle the madness in Asheville, and, after all, this was his home to his family.
     His home brewing tastes are found in some of his core brews he keeps on tap. Lauriachi Pale Ale is his wife's favorite (and namesake) gets rave reviews. He brews everything downstairs while his customers are served upstairs in this once-upon-a-time retail store with huge street-view windows. His go-to recipe, "my IPA, but I do like variety and that's what I supply my customers."
     Which comes first, the beer or the name? "I normally brew the beer and then name it. I want to taste the beer. See what it looks like. Then, what is in our local area that can relate to that, or what song lyrics (Into the Mist, Van Morrison) pop into my head. It's kind of a split."
     What was his first introduction to this elixir? "I think the first beer I ever had, I was probably 12," Bryson laughs. "I snuck it out of a cooler at a picnic. It was probably a Budweiser and I couldn't stand it. Then, in my early 20s, I started drinking beer like everyone else. I'd buy the cheapest lite lager I could find. I didn't get into craft beer until 12 years ago."
     People are learning to appreciate artisan products, he believes. "The are appreciating the flavors of beer. It's not just fizzy yellow water any more."
     Bryson's love of the mountains and terrain are revealed in his brews as well as in the brewery's name. Hommage to Dills Falls to the Balsam mountain range of spruce and fir trees, and yes, to his love of rock and roll.
     "We do our best to make the best beer we can," says Bryson, "with as many local ingredients as possible.We have a warm, comfortable environment, a great staff, and a great place to hang out."
     And if beer makes you hungry, there are three restaurants down the street that deliver. "I don't know anything about food," admits Bryson. "I just do beer."

Balsam Falls Brewing Company | 506 W Main St Sylva, NC | Open 7 days as week.

Innovation Brewing | Never In A Hurry

On the way into town sits Innovation Brewing. Following the curve of Scott Creek, it overflows an old renovated filling station with customers and beer. The taproom spills out onto the deck with customers, regulars and first-timers, as it becomes obvious that no one is in a hurry. The chatter, incessant; the movement, little-to-none, unless it's a bee-line to the food truck, Cosmic Carryout, for one of their famous burgers. It is one of those sit-and-stay-awhile places complete with mountain breezes, good conversations and enough beer choices to create a legendary afternoon in the Smoky Mountains.
     Owners Nicole and Chip Owen are now celebrating over a decade of bringing creative taps to Sylva.
     "We were living in Asheville, and we were both big home brewers," says Owens. "We shared the same passion. We had five brews on tap at our house. Our friends were always coming over and drinking, and we thought, 'we ought to do this.'"
     And so the search began for their perfect location. Searches within an hour's radius of Asheville garnered no choices, so they put the brewery ownership dream on the back burners. As luck would have it Nicole took a field biology class in Highlands and the professor told her about Sylva. It was love at first sight, and it was time to brew beer on a much larger scale.
     That was five years ago. Today, over 36 taps line the wall, and of those, 32 taps are crafted in the seven barrels on site. According to customers, the most popular year-round beer is the Black Balsam Porter. More favorites, Soulvation IPA and Pineapple Papaya. There's also a few organic ginger ales and ciders.
     "My favorite beer to drink changes weekly," laughs Nicole.
     There's also the seasonal offerings. Like First Flight Pale Ale in spring, or Peach Jalapeño in summer or Ginger Pale Ale in April. Most unique, peanut butter, and Nicole confesses, "It is gone quickly."
      As for the little jewel of Sylva, "It has been the most amazing community both of us have ever lived in," says Nicole. With the local college (Western Carolina University) providing year-round clientele and the locals and tourists filling in the gaps, they don't experience a swing in business. That might also have something to do with the draw of any craft brewery.
     "The brewery clientele is a lot different, " she says. "People aren't coming in here and getting trashed. They appreciate craft beer, and they appreciate a quality product. They want to know where it comes from and who makes it, and supporting local is important. It's a different atmosphere" one that even offers a playground and coloring books for children. A family affair, one might say.
     For Chip, Nicole and their little one Crosby, its the beginning of a lifetime adventure of "churning out something new. There's a heart and passion behind everything."

Innovation Brewing | 414 W. Main St., Sylva, NC (original taproom) | 40 Deport St., Dillsboro, NC | On the Campus of Western Carolina University, Cullowhee NC