Iron Forge Brewing Company
My first stop was a highly-recommended brewery that just celebrated its first anniversary on April 27, 2024: Iron Forge Brewing. Located just off Winfield Dunn Parkway, its modern design and expansive property includes a fenced-in biergarten with Adirondack chairs surrounding a fire pit, picnic tables, and cornhole setups. Simply put, it’s a perfect area to kick back. Beyond that is the Little Pigeon River and a decent view of the Smokies. The owners are a husband-and-wife team, Rani and Audrei Dabul.

Inside, the taproom is spacious and airy, with lots of windows, seating, and a long bar where about a dozen ales, lagers, and specialty meads are poured. Through a window you can see the brewhouse and tanks adjacent to the taproom only take up a quarter of the large warehouse, leaving an open area able to host events, including weddings and company gatherings.

The very hospitable Audrei joined me as we tasted numerous beers, including Iron Forge American Lager, Little Pigeon Vienna Lager, Rio Sunrise Pomegranate Wheat Ale, Lilikoi Hazy IPA, Tropicadelic Hazy IPA, potent Oil Quench Russian Imperial Stout, and my favorite, the Resin Trail Pale Ale. They were all solid and true to style.

Gatlinburg Brewing Co.
Although this brewery shares the name of the nearby town of Gatlinburg, Sevierville hosts its second location, and the locals evidently don’t mind the monicker after seeing how packed it was on a Tuesday night. Nestled at the end of a shopping plaza off Winfield Dunn Parkway, all its tables within the taproom and spacious patio were occupied by couples, friends, and families while sports played on numerous TVs and eclectic music entertained.

Owner and founder Steve Wilson and his crew obviously love to flex their creativity when it comes to beer. Besides the standard IPAs, a brown ale, Irish stout, and a couple lagers, the beer choices written on wooden planks lined against a wall shared quirky names and eccentric adjuncts, including the “Sheen'o Grigio” coconut milkshake IPA; “Sauced and Found BBQ Porter” brewed with actual barbeque sauce; “Citrus Mistress” margarita wheat ale; “Epi-Pen” peanut butter stout; and homebrew competition winner, “Spring Gets Me Sprung French Saison,” with elderflower, coriander, elderberries and orange peel. Ciders, seltzers and collaborations were also available. I shared a couple of four-glass flights that Steve pulled from customized tap handles with the mascot bear in outdoor gear. The G.P.A. session ale won me over.

Gatlinburg’s inventiveness did not stop with the brews. The food menu raised my eyebrows while getting my stomach growling. Joining the wings, apps, and a salad, a woodfire oven steadily cranked out build-your-own, hand-tossed pizzas with two types of crust: traditional and gluten-free cauliflower. And the toppings? There are six different sauces: alfredo, white American, BBQ, house-made marinara, buffalo, and beer cheese. Plus there are 22 (!) toppings to choose from, plus a list of humorous-named pizza combinations including the “We Put That Sh*t On Everything,” “Dirty Hippie,” and “Hangover Helper.” I did my own thing and chose the cauliflower crust out of dietary restriction and pure curiosity, the red sauce, a load of veggies, mozzarella cheese, and fire-roasted chicken. The crust became a newfound love: delicious and healthy, my favorite combination.

A tour with Steve followed and he gave me a sneak peek of the new tanks Gatlinburg just ordered which were stored in a large space behind the brewery. This confirmed the brewery’s need to answer its growing demand, and that is impressive. I left content.

While both Iron Forge and Gatlinburg Brewing Company offer great beers, I would like to recommend some restaurants downtown that also boast a solid craft beer selection, including Pinchy’s Lobster & Beer Co., The Appalachian, and The Pines, an entertainment venue featuring duckpin bowling, snookball, foosball and more. The best craft beer retail selection goes to The Casual Pint, where you can also hang out, imbibe, and eat.

In two days, I explored as much as possible, and then reluctantly packed, leaving behind one of Oak Haven Resort’s luxurious two-level cabins where I stayed. I look forward to discovering more places to quench my thirst throughout Sevierville in the very near future.

Cheers!
Ale