Innovation Brewing

Great place! Drink the amazing beer then get a burger from the food truck in the beer garden and prepare for pure happiness.

What a gem of a brewery in Sylva! Stopped here on our way back to Atlanta and boy talk about impressed! I could not believe that a 7-​barrel system would have over 20+ beers on draft! A craft beer lovers dream come true! This place boasts a strong hop and sour game. The DIPA is world class! Just do yourself a favor and go there for this… and they even have bottles to go! The bartender was one of the friendliest but also cool outdoorsy people my wife and I have ever met! We wish she lived closer to hang out more! She was such a treat! Other beers that I loved were the Hoppy Camper, Soulvation, Spaceman, Midnight Rey-​der, Catamount Sour… I mean we ended up doing many flights because there was so many good things going on here. We left with a full case (which are 10% off when you buy 12 bottles to go). Definitely will be making this a mandatory stop on our way to and from the Smokys!

A real hometown gem! I have never had a bad beer here! The IPA’S are phenomenal as well as the array of seasonal beers they offer. The service is always stellar and the staff really knows their beers. The Cosmic Carry Out food truck on sight has some of the best burgers ever. All of this in an inviting enviroment nestled creekside in downtown Sylva

Lots of great hand made beers. Awesome burgers from the food truck. Cool people to hang out with.

I’m not a beer drinker, but I was sad when we had to leave — a bold statement. We’d been wanting to visit and support Innovation since we heard about all the Bell’s drama, so we made a day of it, hiking beforehand and stopping in around 1:00. There were a few spots left in their parking lot and a few seats left at the bar, so we settled in.
For such a seemingly small place, they had a million beers on tap! I was a little worried that that meant none of them were good… but I think they were ALL good. They had wine, non-​alcoholic drinks, and a couple of ciders (my usual go-​to when we visit breweries), but I also saw that they had 5 different sours. Holy moly! The bartender patiently answered all my questions about them, explained the differences, and let me taste everything. I settled on their Flanders Red and Raspberry Sour, but the Blonde Sour was pretty good, too. They had so many «regular» beer options that the fella wound up getting two flights! Each flight had 5 beers, and the first one was lighter beers, while the second moved onto some higher gravity ones.
It had warmed up enough by the time we left that their patio was starting to fill up, and it looked pretty cool — dog friendly, food truck on site, some covered seats and some in the sun.
Their musical selection was also fantastic (bluegrass and folk with some renditions of popular songs), and the bartender told me the Pandora station; again, he was super patient and super friendly. We also wound up getting a beanie because they had some pretty cool branded shirts, hoodies, glasses, stainless steel tumblers, etc.
It’s a good thing this place isn’t in Charlotte, or I could do some serious damage to my liver.

As someone that fly fishes the mountains of Western North Carolina a lot… I find that I am deep into the mountains with little — if any — opportunities to partake of good food and/​or drink.
Innovation Brewing was a nice little discovery between rivers I was fishing.
The space, albeit small, is well laid out and actually feel bigger once inside the bar area. They have an outdoor space (half covered) that is even larger than the indoor space.
Throw in a food truck that appears to be permanently housed at the end of the outdoor space along with a large selection of beers and you have an oasis in the Appalachian Mountains.
Staff allowed me a taste of a few of their beers before deciding on a tasty one.
Sitting beside a stream it was a nice break to sit and have a beer outside in the little town it is nestled in.
As we WNC natives like say, «if you are ever out in that neck of the woods» you should try Innovation Brewing.

Staff is amazing, always welcoming, and makes you want to come enjoy awesome beer! They have a beer for every kind of taste! I love the sours.

Love this place! Our bartender Martha was awesome, and Phil was also great when I visited with my wife and son two months ago. It says something about an establishment when they have a proven track record of high quality customer service. Oh, and the beer is great. I had the Hops and Robbers IPA (6% ABV) and the Double IPA (8.4% ABV) and was very pleased with both.
It’s not just about the beer, it’s also about the humanity and how we should treat each other. BTW, Jerry Garcia was playing on the stereo… big plus! Peace!

Love this place. Brewery combined with the Cosmo Takeout cart outside and you can easily lose a few hours here. Amazing seasonal brews, for fall get the Pumpkin Chai-​5. Will come back again and again.

I’m not much of a beer drinker but when I’ve gone to Innovation Brewing; I tend to find something that I enjoy.

Oh Innovation, it was love at first sight. This place was packed when we went and I know why! Luckily we stalked out some seats at the bar and got to really research our flight picks. The flight includes 5 of any beers you want — and they have a TON. OF. BEERS. Honestly, the brews taste like the earth and pine and camping and… nature. In the best way. I don’t really know how to describe it. It’s just damn good. I had quite a few so I really couldn’t tell you a favorite. I don’t remember! The two that opened this place have live music and cool food trucks all the time — they are doing a fantastic job. Living my dream job. I can not wait to get back here. Definitely my kind of place (and the flight was like 8 bucks I think… maybe even less. Such a great deal.)

We were looking for a new brewery to try in Western NC. Sure enough we found this one through Unilocal.It was a Sunday afternoon and we headed right over and pulled into their small lot. They had a lot of interesting beers. I remember there being a beet beer on tap, which my boyfriend tried and enjoyed. But ultimately he preferred what I was drinking, which was their Nut Brown. We sat outside under the covered patio. There was also more picnic tables without cover but it was a bit too warm of a day for that. There was a food truck parked on the other end of the picnic tables. We ordered some french fries and they were delicious. They got more crowded as we sat there. It was nice to see that and I hope to see them thrive.
Before taking off, we decided on buying a growler full of the nut brown ale (which we enjoyed a few nights later)

Stopped in & was greeted by a friendly guy behind the counter. The selections were enticing & many… first choice was a beet & basil 5.7% pale then a rosemary 5.8% pale both of which were delicious, the rosemary being my favorite of the two. The outdoor seating is nice, seems separated for smokers down by the Cosmic Carryout food truck (cheeseburgers, hamburgers, hot dogs, chili dogs, grilled cheese, fries & has a 98% sanitation rating) & the upper outdoor area for nonsmokers. Indoors the seating is cozy & there is a dart area & a unisex bathroom

Love that what’s on tap changes all the time. I’ve gone twice and had different beers each time. Including sour beers, which I love. Cool little place that I’ll keep visiting!

On a recent trip to the mountains, I found out there was another brewery in Sylva other than that German place. Well me and beer go very well together. (Have you seen my brewery list?). So I had to check it out.
It was a Tuesday afternoon, they had just opened for the day and their small parking lot was already full and I grabbed the last space. But there is free parking down the street in town.
There was a food truck outside but I didn’t try it since I had already eaten. There’s a nice sized deck for a small brewery. I sat myself at the bar which was in the back corner.
I started with a flight. The most impressive beer for me was the Riverbend Sour which I helped kick the keg for. Their hoppy beers were decent also but there was something about the sour.
For being a small brewery, they do have a lot of beers on tap of different styles and flavors. I’d recommend a visit if you are ever in the area. You are bound to find something you like here.
Staff was great here and it’s always fun talking to the people next to you about great beer.

I’ve been to this brewery both times I was in Sylva on a business trip and both times I have thoroughly enjoyed their beers.
The brewery itself is fairly small with a rustic interior and a patio outside for when the weather is warm. Both times I was there it was very busy and there was a food truck outside.
Though I don’t remember the details about each beer I tried, I do remember liking them, especially because they are so unique in flavor. One in particular, a peanut butter ale, was so good it has me searching in vain trying to find something similar here in Denver.
I definitely recommend trying this brewery if you’re into beer and in the area.

Really enjoyed this place. The piece of wood the sampler came on was pretty unique!
Thought it was great when we pulled up needing to change our baby in the back of the SUV, and there was a guy outside doing the exact same thing. Haha, there were at least 3 of us inside with kids, it was very inviting.
There’s a little room down below with some dart boards.
The beers were varied. I didn’t like them all (who ever does), but the types I usually enjoy were great. They were out of one I really wanted, but it was one they brew and people had just sucked it all down, so can’t blame them for that!

Happened to try it out for the first time on Triva night, was super fun and friendly ! Great staff. We played darts and had some really great beer.

We almost missed out on this great spot on our little tour of Sylva, NC. We had gone to Heinzelmannchen Brewery and didn’t even realize that this was less than a minute walk from there!
This place was pretty busy for how early in the day it was. It had more of a bar feel than where we had just came from. My boyfriend and I sat at the bar and I ordered a cider while he tried the Spare Parts Pale. We were getting a little full at this point, so we decided to take a walk around the area and stop back in while we waited for our ride.
On our return visit, we decided to try a flight out so we could get a better feel for the local beers. The flight comes with five samples on an adorable wooden coaster. We tried:
1. Nut Brown — this was for the mister. It was okay in my opinion, but not for me. He seemed to enjoy it a lot though.
2. Smoky the Beer — true to the name! I have no idea how they did it, but this tastes like smoke in a glass. It’s peculiar and delicious at the same time. This was the bartender’s recommendation and it did not disappoint!
3. Afternoon Delight Blonde Ale — a favorite of mine! I am definitely a light beer kinda gal!
4. Gingerbread Brown — Not great, not bad. Interesting taste but not something I would order again.
5. Some sort of seasonal peppermint patty dark beer — neither of us enjoyed this one. we just aren’t dark beer people. Not to mention, he doesn’t like mint.
As we enjoyed the flight, we decided to venture into a room with dart boards set up and play a few rounds. The atmosphere in this bar only improved as the day went on. A great music selection played from the bartender’s iPod that really set a chill vibe. The bartenders weren’t overly friendly or attentive, but they got the job done. I would definitely go back on our next venture to Sylva and recommend adding Innovation Brewery to your local brew tour of NC.

On a recent trip to Franklin, this was one of two brewery pit stops for me. The place was packed full, some locals and some hipsters. I fit in the old man who likes beer category. It looks like there’s a seasonal outdoor area that had been cleared out. The tasting room is fairly small and has a large garage door at the front — I’m guessing they open it during the warmer months.
This evening, there were 21 beers on tap. That’s an impressive number, I thought to myself. I ordered a flight of 5 ($ 8) — 5 oz pours served on a giant wooden coaster. Let me say it took a long time to order. A male bartender clad in ballcap and plaid shirt with a greenish tattoo on his neck chose to ignore me completely, until a female bartender finally noticed me. I tried multiple times to make eye contact and get his attention (I was 5 feet from him). I did notice a trend = if you were a young pretty girl, he was on you like white on rice.
The beer: The Nitro Irish Stout was stellar. The Oatmeal Stout, Nitro «The Java» and Black Balsam Porter were either «one note» or forgettable. The ESB was enjoyable but not particularly bitter.
Sylva is way out there and it’s really cool have a place like this. I’d rather go somewhere that only had 6 – 10 beers and do them well than trying to «shotgun» the craft beer market. I would also recommend that they find some better representation for the front of the house. Your bartenders, their attitudes, their willingness to talk about your product can make a big difference in how patrons view your beer.