The Southern Highland Reader

CULLOWHEE–When outfitter Burt Kornegay, owner of Slickrock Expeditions, got an email from a friend inviting him to a save-the-Dillsboro-Dam shindig, he fired off a pithy response. Naturally, it was immediately shared all around the interwebs, where by complete happenstance it filtered all the way down to me.

Here it is, with his permission:

First, the note from his friend:

Yo, read all about it….

Saturday night there is a benefit in support of saving the Dillsboro Dam. So, all you anti-establishment, anti-Duke Power people come on down and catch the 7:30 set of singer-songwriter Barbara Duncan. If you’ve not heard her, you owe it to yourself to check this out and to have a few beers in the process, not to mention to support a good cause. So, let’s make Sat. eve. a party night and fill up Guadalupe (that also serves great food).

Hope to see you there …

Then, Burt’s response:

Hey, Partner, Hold on there!

Why do you say that fighting to keep the Dillsboro dam is “a good cause”?  Because doing so spites bad ole Duke?  Let’s not forget that the dam plugs up and drowns the Tuckaseegee River, halting the travel of river creatures and backing up an unnatural mile-long trough of deadwater behind it. Also, from a human perspective now, the dam stands in the way of creating a real, honest-to-goodness “river park” in Dillsboro.  By honest-to-goodness river park, I mean a park with a river that actually flows, like at East LaPorte (probably the most popular public place in our county).  A real river park would make a pleasurable place for all of us to go, and it would be good for businesses in Dillsboro too.  Hundreds of old concrete plugs like the Dillsboro dam are coming down all across the US,  cheered on by river-loving and civic-minded people just like yourself, and I say, Right On!

As for your rebel claim that it is “anti-establishment” to fight for the dam, because doing so is anti-Duke, I say, wasn’t the dam built by the county’s moneyed “establishment” in the first place, back when other segments of the local “establishment” were as busy as beavers gnawing out railroad lines, felling the virgin forest, and turning the Tuckaseegee into flowing mud?  I mean, what could be more “establishment” than a dam?  (Well, perhaps a skyscraper or aircraft carrier.)  And what could be more “establishment” than to align yourself with the likes of county manager Ken “Dam or Die” Westmoreland, who doesn’t mind taxing us to the tune of more than a quarter-million-$ to pay lawyers, in his attempts to do  .  . . what?  Why, to milk still more $ from Duke! When it comes to the Dillsboro dam, the “anti-” lies in taking it down.

Kornegay’s longtime Jackson County business has been the focus of some media features lately. Here and here from the Smoky Mountain News, for example. The Sylva Herald has also written him up (you can search that story at their paid archives, here).

Recent news from the legal struggle over the dam from the Sylva Herald here (link will expire in one week), and from the Smoky Mountain News here.

SYLVA–The secret’s out about Asheville’s status as a beer town.

But the southwest mountains don’t fare poorly, either, with Sylva’s five-year-old Heinzelmannchen Brewery leading a three-pack that includes upstarts Nantahala Brewing Company and the Tuckaseegee Brewing Cooperative.

The brewers at each of these three have been kind enough to recommend their favorite beers to enjoy on a cool autumn night.

Dieter Kuhn from Heinzelmannchen Brewery, Sylva, NC:

Big Butte Smoked Porter from Highlands Brewing Co. This was a Pro-Am entry into the Great American Beer Fest this year. A dark rich, malty, roasty, and smoky porter that evolves as it warms in the glass. Flavors are intensive but never get harsh, and it has a smooth, big-body mouthfeel and somewhat noticeable hoppyness. Enjoy the various flavor layers and warming alcohol finish. 7% alcohol by volume.

Hop Rod Rye from Bear Republic Brewing Co. This Rye IPA has won a handful of medals. It pours turbid amber with a frothy white head, the aroma is definitely hoppy, mostly citrus but some piney scents also. Mouthfeel is creamy and substantial due to a big rye malt load, and smooth. The taste is hop heavy, including grapefruit, citrus and pine flavor. Malt sweetness is present along with the chewyness of rye malt. The finish is a unique interplay of hop flavor and malt. ABV 8%.

Big Amber Gnome from Heinzelmannchen Brewery. This is a gold medal-winning amber ale at this year’s Carolina Championship Of Beers. A specialty ale brewed for our 5th anniversary this year is a compilation of 5 different malts and Chinook, Cascade, and Willamette hops that yield an exceptionally smooth, malty big-bodied mouthfeel. Several malt and roasty flavers are layered before a reserved hoppiness takes over in mid-swallow. Finishes with a pleasent sweet aftertaste and an alcohol warming in the stomach. Very drinkable to celebrate just about anything, including your favorite team’s victory. ABV 8.2%, available only at the brewery on Saturdays in 2L growler fills. Come early, as the 15 gal keg is usually sold out by 2pm!

Chris Collier from Nantahala Brewing Co., Bryson City, NC:

We have spent a good bit of time traveling back and forth from Atlanta to Bryson City for the startup of the new Nantahala Brewing Company. Whenever we travel, we are always in search of beers that we cannot get at home in GA.  NC has several breweries distributed in the state that have not yet made it to GA, so we typically stick to those treats when we are up here and we also love to bring some unique offerings from GA to share with our business partners.

When autumn comes around it’s time to start enjoying the beautiful colors of the season.  This includes the garnets and amber hues of the malty, sweet beers that begin to take the place of the bright, crisp thirst quenching pilsners and wheat beers of summer. Fall would not be complete without the rollout of seasonal Oktoberfest beers. We love to try them all. This year we have been enjoying  Boone Brewing’s Blowing Rock Oktoberfest Lager.  Typical of the style it sports a nice amber color with a toasty, malty balance with roasted caramel notes.  It serves as a great session beer.

We think big IPAs are good anytime.  But, this time of year, a higher gravity IPA really compliments the cool weather. Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale (7%) and Ska Brewing’s Modus Hoperandi (6.8%) are two IPAs that fit that bill.  Both have big floral, citrusy and pine hop characteristics balanced with a substantial malt backbone that imparts a nice residual sweetness and a little alcohol warming. While neither is from NC (Michigan and Colorado respectively), they are a local staple for us when in NC.

One of the most recent beers we have transported from Georgia is Terrapin’s Depth Charge.  This is the second in the Midnight Brewing Project series which is a collaboration between Terrapin Brewing Company (Athens, GA) and Left Hand Brewing (Longmont, CO).  This combination of a creamy milk stout and espresso roasted coffee beans is absolutely to die for and is a great companion for curling up with next to the fire on a cold rainy evening.  Terrapin beers are distributed in NC, but this is a limited, special release that may be a little hard to find, but is definitely worth seeking out.

Chris and Cristina Collier are BJCP National Beer Judges, beer travelers, award-winning homebrewers, and beer columnists for the Southern Brew News. Before the end of the year, they will be tag teaming the brewing duties at western North Carolina’s newest microbrewery – Nantahala Brewing Company.

Sean O’Connell at Tuckaseegee Brewing Cooperative, Cullowhee, NC:

Deschutes Black Butte Porter is my all time favorite fall beer for those cold high desert Idaho nights, but it isn’t available here, so I’ll move on to these three:

Black Mocha Stout from Highland Brewing Company. Deep, dark, complex, and warming.  A roasty beer with extra character to provoke the taste buds and fire up the soul.  Best for the colder fall nights.

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. High alcohol, hoppy, and sweet.  Another warmer, but a good sipper for the day time as well as the evening.  Maybe best as a dessert beer.  I’d recommend the 120 Minute IPA, but that’s illegal to purchase in North Carolina — 20% alcohol by volume and 600 calories per bottle!

Spaten Oktoberfest from Munich’s Spaten-Löwenbräu Group. An all time favorite brew of mine and certainly one for this season.  Brewed in the spring and lagered until fall, this one is highly drinkable (5.9% ABV) and highlights the brewing powerhouse that is Germany.  Goes well with colorful leaves on and off the trees.

Sean O’Connell teaches biology at Western Carolina University an is a founding partner of the Tuckaseegee Brewing Cooperative.