Sitting at a picnic table on the banks of the Pigeon River in downtown Canton, Kevin Sandefur turns around and points to the high-water line on the side of the BearWaters Brewing building. 

On most days, the patio at Lazy Hiker Brewing in downtown Franklin is filled with locals and visitors alike, each enjoying the concoctions pouring out of from the large warehouse behind the taproom. 

Andrews

• Hoppy Trout Brewing Company — 828.835.2111 www.hoppytroutbrewing.com

• Snowbird Mountains Brewery — 678.419.3035 www.snowbirdmountainsbrewery.com

Bryson City

• Mountain Layers Brewing — www.mtnlayersbeer.com

• Nantahala Brewing — 828.488.2337 www.nantahalabrewing.com

Canton

• BearWaters Brewing — 828.246.0602 www.bwbrewing.com

Cashiers

• Whiteside Brewing — 828.743.6000 www.whitesidebrewing.com

Cherokee

• Native Brews Tap & Grill — 828.497.2739 www.native-brews.com

Dillsboro

• Innovation Brewing — 828.586.9678 www.innovation-brewing.com

Franklin

• Currahee Brewing — 828.634.0078 www.curraheebrew.com

• Lazy Hiker Brewing — 828.342.5133 www.lazyhikerbrewing.com

Hayesville

• Haynesville Brewing — 828.835.6010

• Nocturnal Brewing — 828.305.7337 www.nocturnalbrewing.com

Highlands

• Satulah Mountain Brewing — 828.482.9794 www.satulahmountainbrewing.com

Maggie Valley

• BearWaters Brewing — 828.944.0009 • www.bearwatersbrewing.com

Murphy

• Valley River Brewery — 828.837.2337 www.valleyriverbreweries.com

Sapphire

• Sapphire Valley Brewing — 828.743.0220 www.sapphirebrewingcompany.com

Sylva

• Balsam Falls Brewing — 828.631.1987 www.facebook.com/balsamfallsbrewing

• Innovation Brewing — 828.586.9678 www.innovation-brewing.com

• Lazy Hiker Brewing — 828.349.2337 • www.lazyhikerbrewing.com

• Nantahala Brewing (Outpost) — 828.641.9797 www.nantahalabrewing.com

Waynesville

• 7 Clans Brewing — 828.454.5664 www.7clansbrewing.com

• Boojum Brewing — 828.944.0888 www.boojumbrewing.com

• Frog Level Brewing — 828.454.5664 www.froglevelbrewing.com 

It’s an unusually warm and sunny day for late November in Macon County. The patio tables at Lazy Hiker Brewing in downtown Franklin are filled with locals and visitors alike, each enjoying the concoctions pouring out of from the large warehouse behind the taproom. 

By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | There were many things I expected to experience as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic — stress, isolation, illness, etc. Absent from that list was what I had the pleasure of tasting this weekend — quite simply, the finest liquor I’ve ever waxed poetic about. 

In a highly-anticipated relaunch of a beloved Waynesville business, Frog Level Brewing has finally opened its doors following renovations and relaxed government mandates in the era of the coronavirus. 

As expected, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced that he believes the state is ready to begin phase 2 of his three-phase reopening plan, although the increasing number of cases warrants a more modest reopening than originally planned.

In a move that’s been a year or so in the making, 7 Clans Brewing has recently purchased Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.

Normally, when one hears the sounds of hammers and saws at 61 Depot Street in Bryson City, it signaled an expansion of the Nantahala Brewing’s original taproom and production facility. But, with an announcement last week, those sounds are of big change for the craft beer company. 

For a place that was dry just a decade ago, Clay County is now home to one of the finest craft breweries in Western North Carolina.

“Our beers are mostly driven on tradition, but we also try to push the boundaries,” said David Grace, brewmaster at Nocturnal Brewing in downtown Hayesville. “We definitely do the tried and true American styles craft beers, but we also push heavily into fruity beers and sours.”