I like to travel just for beer. What I mean to say by that is that at times we plan trips entirely around brewery and brewpub visits. That’s all well and good, but you can’t do it all the time. Sometimes, the wife wants to go other places. Case in point: our recent trip to the Smoky Mountains, specifically Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, both in Tennessee.

What’s really nice about craft beer today, though, is that even when you aren’t heading to a beer mecca, you can still usually find good beer wherever you go. This was the case in the Smokies; as we visited two different locations of the Smoky Mountain Brewery. The first, in Pigeon Forge, was less than a mile walk from our condo rental, while the second and my favorite was only about 8 miles away in Gatlinburg.

The second has fantastic atmosphere and a great location at the feet of the mountains; I would recommend staying downtown where everything is in walking distance including the Smoky Mountain Brewery. They offer a fair array of decent if not exceptional beers at fantastic prices. One of these is the beer under consideration tonight: Smoky Mountain Whitewater Wheat. I got a six-pack for $5.99 at the brewery. Pints were $3.50, growler fills $8, and amazingly, they have 99 cent pints weeknights after 9 PM.

The Whitewater Wheat is an American Hefeweizen is style. It has all quenching characteristics of that style and is designed to be very refreshing indeed. At the brewpub, I enjoyed one with a delicious plate of ginger soy wings; it went equally well with a bite of the wife’s tangy Reuben sandwich.

Smoky Mountain Whitewater Wheat pours to a cloudy yellow color with a medium fizzy head formation that fades as quickly as it forms. Carbonation is light and the beer seems almost flat when I sip. My draft example had lots more carbonation, though. The nose has lots of crackery wheat and a hint of citrus. A bit of yeast is left at the bottom after I empty the bottle; I swirl to rouse it and add to my glass.

Taking a sip, I get a lot of tart wheat that makes the beer very, very refreshing indeed. No clove or banana in this hefe but I do love the soft bready malt underneath, the layers of tart wheat and the hint of citrusy lemon. The tartness really accentuates the finish nicely.

It’s nice to be able to find beers like this in a non-beer mecca. If you happen to find yourself in the Smokies, make the time to stop at Smoky Mountain Brewery for tasty beers at very reasonable prices.  

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

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