Smokey Mountain Brewery & Restaurant
1004 Parkway, Suite 501
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
865-463-4200

The Smokey Mountain Brewery and Restaurant is a secret chain. There are four locations: Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and the 2 flagship locations in Knoxville. We visited the Gatlinburg location in May of 2009. It is owned by a larger company that owns and runs several restaurants in Tennessee , so it's a fairly large chain and sort of has that feel when you step in. The Gatlinburg location does not appear to brew its beer on site – there were no signs of that. However, they offer only their own brews on tap, of which there are eight: plus seasonal brews. The food was good and economical. We had the pizza, which was quite tasty.

It is worth noting that nothing in Gatlinburg comes closer to a brewpub than this. I had fun because I wasn't expecting to find good or unique beer in Gatlinburg. The Smokey Mountain Brewery had both. I had the Cherokee Red Ale and the Tuckaleechee Porter, and found both to be very good. The rustic décor fits in with the German influence of the area. They describe it as a cross between a ski chalet and a German bier hall, and that about covers it. It's contrived, but it doesn't feel too contrived. There are TV's set to sports channels around the bar. You are not likely to have the time of your life, but you'll get very decent beers and good food at a good price in the heart of a tourist town. Pleasantly unexpected.