New brews, nutrition options and an event space come to town, while Sylva loses its tech experts and gourmet bagel shop.

German-based beers are the focus at the soon to be opened Angry Elk Brewing Company in Whittier, said Greg Wasik, who owns the venture with his wife, Sharon.

Fermentation and brewing began onsite earlier this month, but Wasik predicts taps will draw suds on Friday.

Angry Elk has a pilsener, pale ale, dunkel, blood orange and hefeweissen ready to go now, with a blonde, a double IPA and a porter on the way.

“We won’t serve mixed drinks, but we will have two permanent food trucks coming in that will sit there all the time,” he said.

Seating capacity is 80 indoors, 80 outdoors, he said.

“We’re pet-friendly, with cornhole, disc golf, all that outside,” he said.

Wasik has not determined how many local folks he will employ, but estimates up to five.

Angry Elk is on Facebook, with a website coming soon. The Wasiks can be reached at 497-1015.

Hours are noon to 10 p.m., seven days a week, at 3312 U.S. 441 north.

If an award were given for “most aptly named business,” The Undercut, under The Cut Cocktail Lounge, would have the inside track on winning.

“The Undercut is an event space for smaller events, usually like 25-30 people, and not generally open to the public,” owner Jacque Laura said. “We did host a skate fundraiser and I did a couple things like that, but it will mainly be ticketed events and classes.”

Another of Laura’s ventures, Snake Song, will offer classes there, she said.

Alcohol service is available.

“You can have an event that has no alcohol, or do mocktails, or you have a bartender with a few selected drinks,” she said. “If someone wanted to have a fly-tying class, we would just rent the space and they would not have to have beverage service.”

Nantahala Nutrition opened at the Stephens Plaza on the west end of Dillsboro. Zachary Taylor and his wife, Penny, operate the store owned by Christine Dillner of Gateway Nutrition in Waynesville.

Folks looking for a healthy drink can wander in, sit at the counter and have a variety of choices.

They offer protein shakes and other drinks, including a wide range of teas, Zachary Taylor said.

There is also retail space. 

“We have all kinds of health products, like weight loss, skin care, those types of things,” he said.

Hours…