SEVIERVILLE, T.N. (WSPA) – Yeah, I know, it says Carolina Blends and Brews. Well, our morning show decided to take a Zip Trip to Dollywood, so we decided to go along for the ride to Iron Forge Brewing in Sevierville, Tennessee.

Many in the Carolinas visit the Tennessee mountains each year, traveling through Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. So, it’s a “home away from home” for a lot of folks.

Iron Forge opened in April, just down the street from the Apple Barn. Co-owner Audrei Dabul took the name from the area’s past,

”One of the first businesses that was implemented in this region using the Little Pigeon River as a source of power was an iron forge.” 

Audrei met his wife, Rani, in college. He’s from Brazil, as is Iron Forge’s brewmaster Herus Schultz.

”Me and my wife had a brewery in Brazil for 11, almost 12 years…and then we closed our brewery to start the Iron Forge project.”

Audrei is a proponent of this Brazilian-bred brewing setup.

”We imported this system from there. It has a lot more controls with the brewing process so the quality of the beer, the consistency from batch to batch is always the same. So when somebody tastes and likes that product, we make sure they have the same product over and over again.” 

The brewhouse has a lot of open space now, allowing for expansion. And more work ahead for Herus.

”Now we have nine different beers, but we have thirty taps in our taproom.  We believe in 6 months we can reach thirty different beers.” 

Those nine range from three IPAs to ales, plus a new Russian stout. 

One of their beers was an award-winner in South America. Slightly modified, it’s their American Lager, their most popular beer now. 

Singo Music Bingo on Thursdays and live bands on Saturdays are popular. But Audrei said Iron Forge’s location has its own appeal. 

”We are able to offer a location that’s quiet, that’s connected to nature, that’s relaxing. And families can come and connect, friends, they sit down they can talk and hang out for a while. 

The Dabuls have other jobs and are using that knowledge to create a friendly working environment. 

”We here In the industry have had a hard time hiring people, we’re very fortunate that we don’t have this issue because we learned that if we treat people correctly with respect and have chances for our staff to grow with us and we’re growing together, people will stay with us and will feel valued.”

“And we walk out there in the taproom and you see everybody smiling and participating and singing together and having a great time, that’s really rewarding to see families, different families connect with each other.” 

Enjoy responsibly.