Craft beer and craft pizzas are the heart of the Gatlinburg Brewing Company experience, available each and every day in downtown Gatlinburg. It’s hard to resist the welcome of the brewery’s mascot: a friendly bearded black bear suited up for Smoky Mountain adventure and hoisting a frothy mug. So why do it? (You can pose with large cutouts of the brewery bear, who also charmingly tops the tap handles.)
From a number of IPAs and some crisp pale ales to hearty stouts and fruity saisons, Gatlinburg Brewing Company—founded by a native of the region—whips up a great diversity of craft brews. A tasting flight’s a great way to sample a few different styles. It doesn’t get much better than working your way through a flight or nursing a pint while gazing out upon the hustle and bustle of downtown through the big brewery windows.
The brick-oven pizzas—all of them 10-inch pies—include specialty options such as the Meat-a-Palooza, the Veggie, and the Hangover Helper, whose soul-nourishing toppings include bacon, cheddar, ground beef, and onion. You can also build your own pizza, choosing between a hand-tossed or a (highly recommended) cauliflower crust and picking your sauce and toppings.
The Gatlinburg Brewing Company kitchen also turns out a number of different salads as well as some brew-friendly appetizers. Those include breadsticks, cheese bread, hot sticks (with jalapeño and crushed red pepper), chicken wings, and pretzels paired with beer cheese. Live music is a regular fixture of Gatlinburg Brewing Company, too: all the more reason to stop by for a brew.
Here are three favorite Gatlinburg Brewing Company beverages and an especially recommended pizza!
Breakfast Juice
Enjoy the hints of tropical fruit in this New England-style IPA, which claims an ABV of 5.4%.
Don’t Feed the Bears
Sometimes, absolutely nothing beats a solid English Brown Ale. Don’t Feed the Bears (4.3% ABV)—a good message to take to heart on a Smoky Mountain vacation, by the way—is Gatlinburg Brewing’s version. (Protecting the black bears of the Great Smokies is a genuine interest of the brewery owners.)
Ace Pineapple Cider
While it’s hard not to order an actual beer at Gatlinburg Brewing Company, you’ve got another great option for liquid sustenance in the form of this blend of apple cider and fresh pineapple juice. Refreshing? Oh, yeah.
Philly Philly
A pizza given the Philly Cheese Streak treatment, the Philly Philly is delish: shredded steak, green pepper, mushroom, onion, and white American cheese sauce with mozzarella.
Raise a sudsy glass to the black bears of the Great Smokies, treat yourself to a brick-oven pizza, and gaze out at downtown Gatlinburg at Gatlinburg Brewing Company!
Insider Tip:
The brewery has quite a few TVs inside, so this is a good place to catch the game on an afternoon or evening in town!