OBX Beer

On a recent trip to the beautiful Outer Banks (OBX) of North Carolina, I found a nice little trio of small brewpubs to visit.



The Weeping Radish isn't technically on the Outer Banks (it used to be we learned later), but it's close enough in Javisburg, NC, and was right on the way from our drive down from the airport in Norfolk, VA.  It's a German-based brewery with a half-dozen taps of beer made on the premises.  I tried their sampler and wasn't overly impressed to be honest.  Not their fault really, I am not the biggest fan of German-style beer (despite my heritage)...too much malt and not enough hops for my taste.  My favorite was their Black Raddish, a nice, smooth dark lager. I should mention that their food was very good including their amazing fresh-made sausage sampler platter.



The Full Moon Brewery and Cafe in Manteo, NC, was actually a surprise find.  We just happen to be staying two nights in Manteo and stumbled upon this place located near the lovely town harbor.  It was an easy walk from our B&B.  They are a fairly new establishment and their own beer was limited in variety and was OK in taste at best.  Their menu also featured some other regional beers and I had a good  pint of Endo IPA from Cottonwood/Carolina Brewing in Mooresville, NC.  Like the Weeping Radish, Full Moon's food was the best thing they had going, and my enchilada stuffed with local shrimp and crab was outstanding.

The largest, most well-known microbrewery in the OBX is The Outer Banks Brewing Station.  We stopped in here briefly for a beer sampler and were pleased with the results.  Nice hoppiness in their pale ale.  This was the best beer in the area that we found and we will definitely come back here.  We didn't eat here, but the food looked good and smelled great.





The coolest thing about The Outer Banks Brewing Station is that it is the first and only (so far) brewpub in the U.S. that is completely wind-powered.  Note the windmill behind the building.  Its location near famous Jockey's Ridge in Kitty Hawk made the choice to harness the ample wind power a smart and obvious one.



I also had a pint of Sky Blue Golden Ale at a pub up in Corolla, NC. It's brewed by Carolina Brewing as well and was good going down after a hot day on the beach and dunes of The Outer Banks.