Dawn Mild

Review Date 6/15/2018   Last Updated 12/8/2019     By John Staradumsky

So there we were, on the way to Harrah’s (fairly) new casino in Murphy, North Carolina when we saw the sign for Valley River Brewery. It’s hard to go anywhere these days without finding a brewery nearby, and this one is only 3 miles from the casino. That visit was a daytrip, so I didn’t get to stop by the brewery. Worry not though, dear reader, a few weeks later we were back in Murphy and Valley River Brewery was my first target.

Valley River Brewery is a brewpub in downtown Murphy, tucked away on a side street amidst several restaurants and shops. I got there around 7PM on a Wednesday night, and they were one of the few businesses open. Valley River Brewery offers pub fare at reasonable prices, beer for on premises consumption, and beer to go in growlers. They now have a second location in Hayesville, North Carolina.

All the prices were reasonable and the beers very enjoyable with an old-world English flare. The atmosphere was small-town southern, homey and welcoming.  The bar staff was knowledgeable and offered up suggestions (I chose not to betray my familiarity with beer just to see what they would recommend). I chose the nachos to munch on as I had not had dinner but also didn’t want anything too heavy.

For $7.95, you can get corn tortilla chips or homemade wheat tortilla chips topped with burger, cheese sauce, onion, tomato, sour cream, salsa, and jalapeno. The portion was large and I could only eat about half, taking the rest back to the hotel for later. My daughter asked me to bring her back a soft pretzel for $3.95, which came with a tub of tasty pub cheese.

I enjoyed a sampler of four beers ($5) and a fifth sample that was on the house. First up was Dawn Mild, an English Mild, which like most of the beers was $4.50 a pint or $2.25 for a half pint. It was of proper strength for the style at 4% by volume. I liked that they don’t upcharge on the half pints. Even the samplers, at $5 for 4 times 4 ounces, are only 50 cents more than a pint. A 64-ounce growler fill of Dawn Mild is $14.95.

My sample of Valley River Brewery Dawn Mild arrived a light mahogany color with a small white cap of foam and an inviting soft malty nose. Taking a sip, the beer is flinty and rich with cookie malts then nicely balanced with English hops. The beer is slightly bitter at the last.

This was a tasty mild ale indeed, a beer that you could sip over and over again without getting tired of it and without getting too inebriated. I very much enjoyed this beer and my visit to Valley River Brewery. I know I’ll be back, and if you’re in the area, you definitely should check them out. It's a nice break from the limited beer choices at the casino. Be sure to tell them the Bruguru sent you.

Update 12/8/2019: Last week we were in Murphy, so of course I stopped by Valley River Brewery for a beer and a growler fill. Today I'm putting up Christmas lights and enjoying this malty, flinty brown ale perfectly balanced by a gentle kiss of hops. The low alcohol content allows me to enjoy it over a session of sipping, too.

 

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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