We visited the three breweries in Sylva, Balsam Falls and the two tasting rooms of Innovation Brewing Company, one of which is actually in the small neighboring town of Dillsboro.

Innovation Brewing Co

We were quite fond of the two Innovation settings and the beer. We started with the original tasting room, a cool rustic spot on the edge of downtown Sylva. They had about 15 beers on tap including six IPAs. We tried a number of them and were fondest of their hazy V12, the 12th iteration of their seasonal hop-heavy IPAs. Although the brewery is located on Main Street, the balcony has a country feel, nestled in the woods above a creek. We started there, but had to move inside because it was too smoky (they still allow smoking in those parts!).

The next evening, we visited the Dillsboro location of Innovation, which is located at the cute little town’s old railroad depot. J stuck with the V12, but also had a nice taste of an IPA brewed with papaya green tea. And L really enjoyed their beet and basil saison. We left with a growler of V12 to enjoy at our campsite that night.

Balsam Falls Brewing Co

Balsam Falls is located-right on the cute little Main Street in Downtown Sylva. Unfortunately the interior atmosphere is a bit lacking – the place had more of the feel of an ice creamery than a brewery. We tried their three pure IPAs plus a cucumber lemongrass saison. We were not big fans.