The Ale Trail
› Sneak E Squirrel, 1315 West Main St., Sylva, N.C. Hours: 2 p.m.-midnight seven days a week.› Heinzelmannchen Brewery, 545 Mill St., Sylva. Hours: Noon-7 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, noon-9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.› 414 West Main St., Sylva. Hours: Noon-midnight, seven days a week.
JACKSON COUNTY, N.C. - Located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Jackson County is known for the many trails that crisscross the 400-mile-plus mountain range. Some make for an easy walk, while others take your breath away.
But perhaps the most enjoyable trail of all is both simple and exhilarating - the Jackson County Ale Trail. What it lacks in length - it's just a mile long from beginning to end - it makes up for in taste and fun.
There are only three stops along the trail, all located along the main drag in Sylva, N.C., the county seat. Each one offers its own distinct brands of beer, all brewed on premises and turning Jackson County into a go-to destination for those wanting to sip the suds.
"Having the microbreweries, along with other establishments in downtown, has really created a nightlife for the town that extends past normal business hours," says Nick Breedlove, director of tourism for Jackson County. "All three breweries on the Ale Trail have their own entirely different styles of beer so, no matter what someone is looking for, we've got them covered."
Sneak E Squirrel is a good place to start. Located on the western edge of the trail, it was opened in the summer of 2015 by chief brewmaster John Duncan, and is the newest of the three breweries in town. The 8,000-square-foot location doesn't look like a place where craft brew is made. There's a well-worn sofa inside, along with a pool table and a foosball table. Art from local artists line the walls. Students from nearby Western North Carolina and others frequent it to meet and study.
Outside, it's another story. The building is a former used car dealership with corrugated metal sides but now sports handpainted window signs and a handmade sign out front. All together, the decor of Sneak E Squirrel is a little like the cast of "Friends" meets "Sanford and Son," but it works, bringing the community together with live music, contra dancing and other spirited events in a comfortable, eclectic setting.
The brewery runs on a seven-barrel system, producing any of a dozen or so beers on tap at any given time. Some are standards on the menu, such as 221 Sneak E and Prison Shank, the latter of which is the boldest with an alcohol by volume (ABV) rating of 8.5 percent and an International Bittering Unit (IBU, which measures the amount of hops in beer) of 59, just short of Sneak E's hoppiest beer, an IPA with an IBU of 85. Other beers are seasonal.
Clockwork Zombie was an experimental brew intended for Halloween and flavored with cherry and pomegranate, but the color was rather offsetting, Duncan explains. Possibly good for Halloween, but that's about it.
"The flavorings mixed with all the beer ingredients and it came out gray," he says. "People loved taste, but it just looked really, really bad."
A meal at Sneak E Squirrel can be a toss up - literally. Order a burger, toss a four-sided dice and whatever it lands on, that's what dresses it. So you might get an elk burger topped with a farm-fresh fried egg, bacon and Swiss or a beer-batter chicken breast sandwich topped with spicy caramelized pineapple, lettuce, tomato and barbecue sauce. If you play the game fairly, you eat what you get.
Continuing on the Ale Trail, you'll enter a world of fantasy at Heinzelmannchen Brewery. Heinzelmannchens are gnomes that live in the Black Forest in Germany and, as legend has it, come out at night to finish the work that folks leave behind when they retire at day's end. They're helpful little creatures that have found a new home along the trail.
Dieter Kunh and his wife, Sheryl Rudd, opened Heinzelmannchen Brewery in 2004, making it the oldest North Carolina brewery west of Asheville, N.C.
"Folks had their doubts about a brew pub in Sylva," Rudd recalls. "We were the pioneers to do it."
It worked. When the brewery first opened, liquor laws did not allow for the consumption of beer on premises. Patrons could visit and have their growlers refilled, but that was all. But times change and alcohol laws follow suit. Now there are tastings at the bar and tables where you can drink a glass of freshly brewed Weise Gnome Hefeweizen or Orange Blossom IPA, two of five traditional beers. The brewery also offers seasonal beers and five different specialty beers, a different one each week.
Other than soft pretzels, there is no food service at Heinzelmannchen. But there is an activity that sets it apart from all others. Think wine-and-cheese pairings, only here it's beer-and-chocolate pairings. Heinzelmannchen and nearby Baxley's Chocolates have teamed up to offer select chocolates with some favorite brews, such as milk chocolate orange creams with Ancient Days Honey Blond Ale or a dark-chocolate covered cherry with Black Forest Stout. The same flavors are pulled out in both beer and chocolate. It's an education in beer tasting you may have never imagined.
Innovation Brewery completes the Ale tour. It opened in 2013 with a one-barrel system, producing about 30 gallons per batch, but it now boasts a seven-barrel system that brews 200 gallons. Triple-stack Brite Tanks, used for storing the beer, allow Innovation to have 27 to 33 beers on tap, the most of any brewery on the trail. Thus the name: Innovation, says bartender Phil Thomas as he points out piping that runs all the way through the building. Think Willy Wonka, and you've got the picture.
Mainstays on the beer menu include Midnight Ryeder Black, Enjoy Sylva Beer, Phat Chance Amber and Spaceman Pale Ale. Then there are the seasonal brews and, if you're there when Lemon Drop Saison is offered, drop everything and rush right in. It's a good beer for beginners, as is the Chardonnay Barrel, a brew which may make wine lovers note.
You'll find one of the biggest, best burgers in the county served from a food truck located on the Innovation property, Cosmic Carryout. You can carry it out or eat in - either in a yard filled with picnic tables or on a raised open deck outside the main bar at the brewery.
With are sidewalks along the way, it's possible to walk the entire Ale Trail. And thanks to free parking on city streets, parking isn't much of a problem at Innovation and Heinzelmannchen, save on busy weekends. Sneak E Squirrel has its own big parking lot.
"Before we had microbreweries in Sylva, one had to drive to Asheville to get good, locally brewed craft beers," Breedlove says. "The Ale Trail has proven very successful and continues to be a huge draw for our area."