Innovation Brewing

Stopped by Innovation Brewing while brewery hopping in downtown Sylva and really enjoyed it. There’s a lot of variety on the drink menu, so it’s a good spot whether you’re into hazy IPAs, lighter beers, darker/malty options, seltzers, or even wine. They had a food truck on site when we visited and a ton of outdoor seating, which was a big plus. The outdoor area sits right next to the water, and even though it was a little breezy, it was still a great place to hang out and enjoy a beer outside. Bathrooms were clean and conveniently located nearby. I had the Sylva Hazy IPA and thought it was pretty good — easy to drink and enjoyable. There was one guy working the bar when we were there and he was very friendly. You can open a tab, which is always nice when you’re settling in for a bit. They also had cool merch — we ended up getting a shirt and a koozie. Overall, it felt laid-back, spacious, and comfortable, especially if you prefer being outside. I’d definitely come back.

Fun and friendly brewery. We visited both this location and the one in Dillsboro. Both were great! Bartenders helped us find the right beer for us and the places are both located on the water in scenic spots. Great spot for an afternoon of releaxing and sipping some very tasty local beer!

Visited the Slyva location after Christian's recommendation while visiting in Dillsboro. Very cool place! Highly recommended food truck on site and the beers were great! Kayla is awesome! Can't wait to visit again!

Great beer and the food from Cosmic Carry outs is the food attach and the food is amazing! Thanks for all that you do.

Very good beers and service, great atmosphere on the patio. This is always one of our first stops when we visit Sylva.

Smoked Lager is EPIC! And the burger from the food truck was delicious.

Great atmosphere, great beers, and pretty great trivia too on Mondays. First time ever being in Sylva and Innovation didn't disappoint. Staff was friendly, and helped me save some $$ w my beer selection. Overlooks a river and train track to set the ambiance. Would come back for sure.

Great handicap parking nice atmosphere overlooks the railroad track and the river. My only complaint is it was working today was playing a hip-hop version of music a little bit too loud for our taste other than that the great place to stop if it weren’t for the music would have been a 5!

VERY good beer. Their porter is incredible. VERY nice place by the river. VERY clean. VERY good prices.

Great brewery with a great selection. Barman was of great help and knowledge! When we went it was pretty slow but got very busy over time.

Great beer and a fun crowd we go sometimes for cocktail hour and always end of meeting folks.

HARD TO FIND lol huge sign on the side of building but entrance is a small door past where you'd expect. We walked into a pizza place and tried to order beer. OOPS. Service is better here than the other innovation location but it may of just been the time of day we came. They have a big selection, cool vibes with darts and do half pours!!

Loved the setting of this brewery in Sylva. We had four dogs and we sat outside with the view of the water and railroad tracks. There is plenty of parking and space inside and out. We didn't order from the food truck but other tables did and the meatballs looked great. The beer ... we had fun sampling a few and really liked the jalapeño beer. I wish I had the correct name! Check out the brewery. It's a good one.

Great atmosphere, plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Very friendly and helpful service. The interior space is inviting and comfortable. The selection is pretty vast with hoppy and dark dominating the board. I didn't see any food options. As for the beers, you know my routine, reader beware, these comments are based on Bill's tastes and opinions. In summary, I couldn't drink any of the 6 hoppy beers on my flight. I've never left that much beer at a place. Not one beer appealed to me. I'd go back and try the darker options, but based on what I had, I'm not hopeful. I can't recommend this place, but that's based on MY taste in beer. You might love it

Had a great experience sampling Cider and Ale. Yummy selections. The bartender was knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. We had our dog with us, and enjoyed sitting outside by the river. Such a beautiful day!

Sich a cute little brewery. They have kind of a mountain-rustic theme going on, with a beautiful little patio outside next to the river. Location is also great--next door to several great restaurants and to where the train stops. The beer menu here is a little IPA-heavy for my taste, but they still have a good variety and I was able to find something good to drink. The bartender very patiently let me try several samples and gave a recommendation to help me find the right beer for me. We even got a 6-pack to take home with us. Recommend!

We thought it was the best brewery in Sylva. Very chill atmosphere with a great patio near the creek. I enjoyed both the Sylva Haze and Soulvation IPA's. Can't go wrong with either of them. They had a couple of guys playing live music on Sat night which was a bonus. Good food options with the Cosmic Carry Out (which we tried and enjoyed) and the pizza place next door (we didn't try it....but plenty of others around us sure did). Popular place....try it....you'll like it :)

Very solid, the most polished brewery in the area and distributes their beer nationwide. The atmosphere is friendly and inviting, with food trucks in the afternoon. Good choice for sipping a brew while enjoying the sights and sounds of the river.

We're been to both the Dillsboro and the Sylva locations and we definitely like the Sylva location better. The parking is better in Dillsboro though. This place isn't going to wow you with all the latest tech. It's a local place and it excels at that. They have plenty of beer to choose from and plenty of seating. The service is great. You walk up to the counter and order your brew. It's not fancy. There is pizza next door. There is a bunch of indoor and outdoor seating. It's charming and rustic. The beer is fresh and tasty. Win, win, win, win, win.

Great cute lil brewery in Sylva. Sitting on the deck/porch was nice even tho it was hot, it was nice and shady and had a view of the river. And the railroad tracks if you're a train geek bartender suggested the food truck and a pizza place next door for food.

Excellent brewery in downtown Sylva. Has an amazing outdoor area right on the river and also a covered porch if you want something quieter. Beer selection is fabulous and you can bring in your own food. Grab a burger from next door and get a table by the river to watch the fireflies come to life at dusk!!

If you like IPA's I highly recommend getting their haze. It's on par with Sierra Nevada and even better! Make it a destination stop on your way to the Smokies and buy a 6 pack. 4$ off a case!

Amazing beer. I had a flight of 5 and they were all amazing. The lovin cup "1/2 peanut butter and 1/2 chocolate stout was so good. The sours were all awesome. Friendly people, friendly service. Sam is the best bartender! Food truck has delicious looking brats and burgers. I will definitely be back. I have tried 990 unique beers in untapped and these were among the best I have had. Consistently good beer across all types.

Super cool brewery!!! We were in town celebrating my birthday and wanted to grab a beer before dinner at a local brewery. This place gave cool kid local vibes on all levels. Great service and the beer was good. Best part was meeting a ton of locals!!

Wood Fired Pizza and Innovation Brewing are connected. The brewery appears to be very laidback with a lot on tap. They also have outdoor seating by the river. Very chill vibe. If you're at Innovation, you can order pizza and have them bring it over to you. This is the best option for seating. The people in the picture cooking the pizza are crazy friendly and laidback. I always appreciate chill people because they make me feel relaxed (obviously). I wasn't sure what to expect with the pizza, but it was damn good! And that's without any beer influencing my decision. The whole joint is highly recommended. And you can bring your dog.

Had the Chocolate Stout. Verrrrrry tasty. Monday night trivia is usually a lot of fun. Great crowd. Try the sweet potato quesadilla from the Cosmic Food Truck, plus there's pizza at the connecting Meatballs restaurant. PET FRIENDLY. They have ample seating inside and out (covered deck and uncovered area). Fun place!

Such a HUGE beer selection Get a growler to go Can't decide, get a sampler (option to add some chocolate) Games for the kids, or adults, food truck and pizza restaurant that connect on either side of the brewery Chill, great service, plus you can go check out the little town of Sylva

We stopped in Sylva for a beer on the way back from fishing. I was disappointed that dogs aren't allowed inside. Luckily the sun was shining on the creekside patio on this chilly day. I was curious about the pumpkin chai ale, which the bartender offered a sample for me to try. Although it was good, I opted for the Hoppy Camper IPA. It was also good, but I have to say that the Pilsner my husband ordered was excellent, and I'm not usually a Pilsner drinker.

Neat little spot by the river. Lots of tables to sit inside or outside. Plenty of places nearby to grab food from and eat on site along with lots of beer selections.

Cute little brewery with a lot of drink options. Our bartender Brock was super friendly and helpful. Would absolutely go back if I ever make it back to the area.

Had the chocolate peanut butter stout in nitro a few years back at Grove Park Inn that was amazing so thought we'd check out the actual Innovation location. Though the didn't have the peanut butter chocolate stout we tried the season pumpkin chai Amber which was my favorite. The blonde was good but if I had to choose I'd get the Amber again.

$7 for a 5 beer tasting. What a bargain! I loved all the beers I tasted. You can sit outside by the stream. I will definitely make this a stop next time I am in the area.

We just discovered this taproom and give it a thumbs up. We visited in the late Fall and were lucky to have a sunny Sunday so we could enjoy the patio with our pooch and some brews. We had tried their IPAs at other establishments so were glad to sample it at the source. I was also pleasantly surprised to find out about the pizza truck on site. OMG. I love pizza and had a brick oven style, thin crust; white pizza with roasted brussel sprouts. Yum!!! As another plus - the other patrons were friendly and it made for a really pleasant visit!

Stopped in and ordered pizza next door then waited at the brewery. Tried a Pilsner and key lime sour, both were great. Bartenders were friendly and outside seating area is a nice hangout. Wifi available and the only tricky part is parking, the towing signs at local businesses are enforced

Food truck is excellent. Great choices of craft beer. I would also recommend pizza from next door. My husband got a pizza I had blue cheese bacon burger with homemade fries. We had ciders and beers. Excellent. Only big problem. Yelp says dog friendly. We took our toy poodle and we were asked to leave immediately. You can have a dog on their patio, but this is winter and way too cold. This is not state or city law it's the brewery's idea. "Worried about dog hair ". We've been to breweries all over the US and always take poodle. Very disappointing especially since they say dog friendly. We'll keep going to the real dog friendly breweries.

Situated in Sylva and one of two breweries on the same street, Innovation has a good sized taproom and a nice outdoor seating area above a creek. Came here a couple of times during a recent visit to the Smoky Mountains and found their beers to be pretty good and very reasonably priced. No food here but the permanent food truck at the back of the brewery cranks out some delicious burgers and fries! As far as the beers, the "Hop Abundance V12" was recommended by the bartender and easily my favorite. We also took some 22oz bottles to go with the "Soulvation IPA" and "Hoppy Camper IPA" also being very good. The bottles to go were a steal at only $6 each. Innovation also fills growlers and has a few souvenir items for purchase for those, like me, who collect brewery memorabilia or glassware.

I liked this brewery a lot. It's nestled in a tiny mountain town. There is street parking that's not too far and pretty easy to come across. The atmosphere is nice and relaxed. The bartenders are all nice. They have a wonderful selection of beer to choose from. They make some outstanding beers. It's best to get a flight and try several at once. There is plenty of seating and space at the bar, outside, and in the main floor of the brewery. I would definitely come back next time I'm in the area.

Great local watering hole. Bartenders are friendly and helpful, beer is good. They have rotating food trucks, all of which are solid. What more could you ask for?

As someone that fly fishes the mountains of Western North Carolina a lot.....I find that I am deep into the mountains with little - if any - opportunities to partake of good food and/or drink. Innovation Brewing was a nice little discovery between rivers I was fishing. The space, albeit small, is well laid out and actually feel bigger once inside the bar area. They have an outdoor space (half covered) that is even larger than the indoor space. Throw in a food truck that appears to be permanently housed at the end of the outdoor space along with a large selection of beers and you have an oasis in the Appalachian Mountains. Staff allowed me a taste of a few of their beers before deciding on a tasty one. Sitting beside a stream it was a nice break to sit and have a beer outside in the little town it is nestled in. As we WNC natives like say, "if you are ever out in that neck of the woods" you should try Innovation Brewing.

Best beer in town. There's a lot of competition now... and I love that we now have several brewery options. This comes from the fact that I grew up in this town, and it was a semi-dry county. I didn't think that Sylva, NC would have anything decent in terms of micro-brews, but seriously, Innovation stacks up to the best. If you're a hop-head, get the hoppy camper, it's one of my favorites, but you're not going to go wrong with anything else on tap.

I like the Variety but the Irish Stout Brew is my favorite.....great to get in out of the rain and warm up.

Great place with a wonderful selection of craft beers. The staff was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Couple that with the pizza parlor next door (pie life) and it makes for a really great time.

The beer is so good, I was glad to get a chance to get to the brewery. The beer did not disappoint. The place is good though parking and physical location is a bit difficult. The star loss is for one of the bar tenders, there was a girl was nice and helpful. But the guy there was halfway to worthless - he was rude and unfriendly, and worse is when I asked if they had another location or brewed all the different beers at that place, he said yeah. Well that was a lie - they have a much larger location a couple miles down the road. The pizza shop attached is pretty good, so it's worth stopping in for a brew and some pie! The other location looks much larger with more space outdoor space.

Awesome vibe and awesome beers!! Food options at the pizza place and food truck which are part of the same complex. Great variety of beer as well!

Great beer options, right on the river. Lots of varietals to choose from. We both enjoyed our beers and could have stayed all afternoon on the patio.

Very very good beer and atmosphere! Tons of patio seating and ton of beer options. I got a seasonal beer which was "peach-a-peño" and it was absolutely stellar. I also grabbed a sweet potato quesadilla from the food truck onsite, which was a great pairing.

Outdoor and indoor seating at this brewery. Very warm day, so we decided on inside for the air conditioning. Outdoor seating allows you to overlook the creek that runs right next to the brewery. We were greeted warmly at the bar an we opted for the BLACK BALSAM PORTER 5.5% and the TACTICAL CORSET SOUR BLONDE ALE also 5.5%. We were very pleased with our choices, refreshing and nice different flavors. We had sandwiches in our cooler in the car and asked if they minded if we ate them there, they were totally cool with it. They do have what looks like a permanent food truck on site, so we thought that was very kind. Looked like they had a pool table and tv's to watch. We bought a brewery t-shirt and will definitely return if we're in the area again. This is a must do if you're in the Maggie Valley, Cherokee and Smoky Mountain National Park area. Highly recommend.

What a lovely spot! If you aren't familiar with Sylva (that's where this brewery is), it's a bustling little old town not too far from a college, so folks are out and about even on weeknights. We stopped here on a Thursday and it felt like everyone was already celebrating the weekend. Bartenders were prompt and friendly but not overbearing. There are a variety of beers to pick from, ranging from simple & easy to drink to more complex & bold. A food truck was located outside with plenty of options (veggie ones too!). There's also a pizza place next door that you can order from and eat in the brewery. It was cold out but from what I could see their patio is super nice. Definitely a fan.

Location is pretty nice. It sits on a creek with a rustic romantic feel if you go at night and sit outside! I'm from Florida and we visit this brewery because my brother in laws loves his beer and around this gem. The sitting is cute too and they have a food truck that I wish I tried but I wasn't too hungry. But my family said their burgers was pretty good.

Definitely one of Sylvia's favorites. INNO is a great place to hang out with friends and simply socialize. They also have a good truck right outside their bar as well as a pizza place next to it. The beer choices on tap are usually pretty good and fairly local! Most staff has been respectable and have provided great service but I do recall very rude staff who threw my ID and card back after paying rudely and was not professional at all which is why I take away the 5 stars but degrade it to only a 4 star.

My husband and I each had a flight. All beers were good! There's a food truck and pizza joint next door, if you want to pick up something to eat while there. Bartender was friendly, plenty of outdoor seating, many beer options and great atmosphere. I'm really glad we stopped in on our drive through town.

Beer was ok. No parking. Only food available needs to be ordered from food truck or pizza restaurant next door,( where you can't take your beer).

Really enjoyed this place. The piece of wood the sampler came on was pretty unique! Thought it was great when we pulled up needing to change our baby in the back of the SUV, and there was a guy outside doing the exact same thing. Haha, there were at least 3 of us inside with kids, it was very inviting. There's a little room down below with some dart boards. The beers were varied. I didn't like them all (who ever does), but the types I usually enjoy were great. They were out of one I really wanted, but it was one they brew and people had just sucked it all down, so can't blame them for that!

Wide selection of beer(check), open mic (check), laid back (check), outdoor seating (check), food truck (check), kind people (no doubt a check), you need to stop here...ABSOLUTELY!

I'm from Indianapolis, IN, but I visited this brewery once or twice a week for the entire month of June last summer when I was completing requirements for school in Cherokee, which is nearby to Sylva. Innovation was our go-to place because the beers were excellent, the bartenders and owners were so nice, and the local live music was fun! They don't have food of their own, but they have a food truck onsite most evenings & I always enjoyed the burgers & tacos I usually got from those! I typically am not a big beer drinker, but I really got into sours and fruit beers while trying new things at Innovation & I'm thankful for all the evenings I spent here. I just can't wait for the opportunity to go back someday!

They have a lot of options for drinks. I really enjoyed the apple cider. The prices are pretty fair. Place is very unique.

What a great find. The environment is unique and fascinating with the woods and running water. The beer assortment is great! I tried a few and was pleased with each. Service is great, everyone is kind. Was visiting Sylva for 4 four days and went twice.