Running Down the Dad Beers
By Ian Guevara
It’s funny how a song can elicit emotions buried deep, whether through nostalgia or simply exaggerating a current moment in life.
I’m flying down State Highway 141, a little connector between Highways 19 and 64, that serves as a shortcut between Hayesville and Andrews, North Carolina. The highway twists and turns through gorgeous hillside mansions and rustic white trash shanties where all the possessions of that family lay strewn on the front lawn for any bystander to view.
This road stinks.
I hate this highway. Every time I lay rubber to pavement on this godforsaken road there is an obstacle. Slow moving trailers, wandering cyclists, and endless debris that falls off trucks like a morsel of roast beef from a soggy Po-Boy. This time it is construction. They are creating a new two-lane highway, how 20th century of them. Mixed among the heavy fog of asphalt rests the odious odor of rotting roadkill. It permeates through my AC and vents to the point that I fear it will soak the interior. Flashes of the Seinfeld episode “The Smelly Car” bounces in my head. Thankfully it deteriorates as I reach the intersection of Highways 141 and 19. And I’m gifted with a moment that I made sure I lived in as much as possible.
“Running Down a Dream”, by the late Tom Petty, blares through my pedestrian speakers into the mountain air. Windows open, hair flowing, I imagine I’m simply living the vision that Tom Petty conjured when he wrote his poetry. It's a song of discovery and delight. Just the emotions I feel when I pass through these little mountain hollers.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Runnin’ Down a Dream -1989
Literally the first lines of the song serendipitously describe the moment:
“It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down
I had the radio on, I was drivin'”
Songs like this are locked and loaded in my legendary “Mountain Mix” playlist. Ready to fire in the perfect moment and this was it. The afternoon sun glazed the mountains ahead in a greenish and gold aura contrasted by the blue of the sky.
Truly god’s country, if you believe in this sort of thing.
“Yeah, runnin' down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads
Runnin' down a dream”
I turn right toward Andrews, North Carolina and am gifted with a staggering view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. A select mountain range that dominates the panorama of Andrews is known as the Snowbird Mountains. It's the namesake of the brewery to which I am heading. It towers over the town as a protector, a silent guardian, from modernization and encroaching civilization. It has preserved this town, kept it locked in amber to remain beautiful, quaint, and quiet.
Snowbird Mountains, NC
“There's something good waitin' down this road
I'm pickin' up whatever's mine”
Twice previously I’ve visited Snowbird Mountain Brewing Company. Each time is as pleasant as the next.
This time I met with fellow travelers who were drinking their way through the Western Carolina breweries as well. They hailed from various places like New Jersey, Atlanta, and Florida. Exotic lands only patronized by people with weird accents and bad football teams. Nevertheless, Snowbird Mountain Brewing Company never ceases to offer a comforting environment and a friendly conversation.
Resting right off of the Main Street of the sleepy town of Andrews, Snowbird Mountain Brewing Company offers a rustic, yet modern, tap room replete with hand-crafted benches, tables, and chairs all produced by the owners, Linda and Terry Vaughn. The house beer selection can only be described as “Dad Beer Heaven”, focusing solely on IPAs, Ales, and Lagers. Costa sunglasses, Guy Hardy T-Shirts, jean shorts, and flip flops are the dress requirements for entering this premises.
Snowbird Mountains Brewery - Andrews, NC
Paulie, one of the aforementioned travelers, offers to buy me my first flight. Who am I to refuse the generosity of a stranger? The flight consisted of “Riptide”, “Brigadier Bernie”, “Lovey”, and Linda’s”. Dad Beers to the fourth power. Riptide is an IPA showing an alluring gold color and a pungent hoppy smell. The beer is a hoppy and flavorful IPA with a nice sweetness to temper the bitterness. Brigadier Bernia is a Pale Ale possessing a reddish gold color. Its sweet and citrus start with a smoky finish while being slightly hoppy with a floral aftertaste.
Lovey and Linda’s are both Lagers showcasing light gold colors that almost resemble hay. Lovey smells like a fresh loaf of bread and smacks of crisp and nuttines. Meanwhile, Linda’s had only a slight crisp with a sweet and nutty forward taste that finishes with a slight hoppiness. Dad Beers… all the Dad Beers… I’m flooded with visions of New Balance tennis shoes and white tube socks.
My next flight was filled with “Bimbo”, “Malt and Pepper”, “Trainwreck”, and “Old lodge”. Bimbo is the Snowbird classic beer, on tap during every visit the past three summers. Bimbo displays a Mellow yellow color with a floral and hoppy smell. Its sweet and salty to start, followed by a mellow sourness. Malt and Pepper is Pale Ale with a deep reddish and gold color. It's crispy and bitter at the very beginning with a sweet start, finishing with a slight bitterness. Trainwreck is another IPA presenting a gold color with a slight bitterness that follows with a sweet aftertaste that hides the bitterness.
The star of the day was Old Lodge, a Lager parading an amber gold color with a sweet and fruity smell. Its crispy, light, and fruity that starts sweet and ends with a citrus punch. Dad Beers… all the Dad Beers… somewhere a ratchet strap has been snapped followed by “That’s not going anywhere”.
Snowbird Mountain Brewing Company is open Thursday through Sunday from 2pm-8pm, but the hours have changed in the summer, so just call ahead first to make sure. The brewery provides a wonderful and comfortable tap room with a rustic, yet modern, interior and a spacious outdoor patio. The beers are constantly changing and the owner is perpetually experimenting so find yourself a variation of a Dad Beer you like, sit, back and enjoy.
Next to you find yourself running down the dream-like scenery of Western Carolina, let the tunes take you to find a tasty drink.
Address:
Andrews Brewing Company
378 Locust St
Andrews, NC 28901
Social Media:
https://www.snowbirdmountainsbrewery.com/
https://www.instagram.com/snowbirdmountainsbrewery/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/smbrewery/
https://untappd.com/w/snowbird-mountains-brewery/432865
Sidequest:
As I walked out the door of Snowbird Mountain Brewing Company I began to walk down Main St in search of a quiet place to sit and write my reviews. The coffee shop was closed… just my luck… wait, what’s this? Catacorner from the trusty Nissan Frontier: The Tattered Tartan Pub. I open the doors and am immediately assaulted with the intoxicating smell of greasy, cheesy, and fresh hamburgers. My drunk mind was wheeling. Should my diet be damned? It's only a burger? I can hike an extra four miles tomorrow, playing Kate Bush’s “Running Up that Hill'' on repeat, right? No, I behaved. But I did grab a pint. Good Ship Wit Beer by Foothills Brewing, it was tasty, refreshing, and just what I needed to get the creative juices flowing. The staff is super knowledgeable and friendly, and extremely proud of their Scottish heritage. Definitely a place to visit.
The Tattered Tartan Pub - Andrews, NC
