Nantahala Brewing Welcomes the Changing of the Seasons with Pattons Run Porter

This Friday, November 11th, Nantahala Brewing Company will release Pattons Run Porter in bottles for the first time. An easy-drinking, 4.5% ABV brown porter, Pattons Run has been a fall draft staple in the brewery’s Bryson City taproom for years.

Pattons Porter was first brewed in 2011 when Nantahala was just a budding brewery. At the time, brewmaster Greg Geiger sought to make a brew that could be enjoyed during leaf season when the weather turns a bit cooler and visitors come to enjoy the fall colors. He strove to create a beverage that didn’t overwhelm the palate with heavy, overly sweet flavors like many of the other beers released that time of year. After tinkering with a few batches, he landed on a flavor profile he was happy with; a sessionable beer that was light in body yet had big roast and semi-sweet chocolate flavors.

“Pattons Run was made for craft beer drinkers who enjoy a lighter beer, as well as those who prefer a darker beer,” said Geiger. “At 4.5% it satisfies people who want to have a few pints without sacrificing flavor.”

Pattons Run Porter was named after the first major rapid boaters encounter when paddling the Nantahala River. This river is an important landmark in the Western North Carolina landscape for visitors and locals alike. With a company full of people who love the outdoors and all that the local national park has to offer, connecting the beer to the company’s namesake river made sense to brewery owner, Joe Rowland.

“We live in a city adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park for a reason,” said Rowland. “We are a team of people who love the outdoors and feel connected to our community and surrounding wilderness. We want to we pay homage to our area’s natural resources as often as we can and this beer’s name gave us the opportunity to do so. Pattons Run is one of a handful of really well known sections of the Nantahala river.”

Twenty-two ounce bottles of Pattons Run Porter will be released at the Bryson City brewery on Friday, November 11th. The beer will also be available on shelves in grocery stores and bottle shops in Tennessee and Western North Carolina in the following weeks.