Western North Carolina is a beer lover’s dream. For the longest time, that was mainly because of Asheville, but great little breweries are popping up everywhere you turn. Bryson City, not far from Asheville or Cherokee if you’re in either of those areas, is no exception, and though I haven’t been to the brewery yet, I have seen their beers popping up frequently.

Like many breweries in the area, Nantahala offers a staple light offering: Dirty Girl Blonde Ale; a hearty and malty classic American IPA; and an authentic English mild-Nantahala Bryson City Brown Ale. I was attracted to this beer when I saw it on Harrah’s Cherokee draft menu for their Ultrastar Multi-tainment Center. So, I bellied up to the bar there and ordered one and got a pint-in a plastic cup to boot.

A plastic cup, you say? I can hear your horror, but trust me, the beer tastes just as good and it’s easier to carry around the casino that way. Anyway, although I had seen Dirty Girl Blonde frequently at Harrah’s, this was the first time I had seen another beer from Nantahala offered.

Nantahala Bryson City Brown Ale has an alcohol content of 3.8% by volume with 14 IBUs. That alcohol content was one of the selling points for me. A proper mild should be 4% by volume or lower, and this one fits that bill. Why are so many American brewers afraid of low strength beers? I’m sure I don’t know. I paid $6.60 for my pint, which is high, but all the beers at the Multi-tainment center were higher than in the rest of the casino. Total Wine sells it in six-packs for $9.99.

Nantahala says:

Dark in color, yet our lightest beer. Smooth with a slight roasty, chocolate flavor.

A mild, easy drinking "session" beer with a complex flavor. The chocolate and nutty character is flavorful yet not too heavy. There is very little hop bitterness and the finish is smooth and pleasant.

And I say:

My cup of Nantahalla Bryson City Brown Ale arrived dark brown in color with a light cap of creamy tan foam and chocolate chip cookie malts in the nose. Taking a sip, I got more of those wonderful chocolate cookie favors combined with fresh nutty malt notes and a gently bitter balancing finish.

A wonderful beer you can sip again and again, perfect for enjoying while you feed the one-armed bandits or do whatever it is you do at a casino. I loved it, and I think you will, too.

Update 12/5/2019: Just enjoyed this fine beer again at Harrah's Valley River, this time for a reasonable $4.67 for a pint. Full on flavor with luscious malts but not on alcohol so you can enjoy a few if you like.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

Try?

Rating  

Home

Re-buy?