Recommendations on Coastal NC Beers

My experience with the coast is that you can't really get much of anything super special. Although there is a nice store in Wrightsville Beach (I think?) and some nice places in Wilmington. There's a number of readily available local and regional beers. Duck Rabbit Milk Stout and Hoppy Bunny (black ipa) are both solid, most of Mother Earth beers are pretty good - their newly canned Park Day pilsner is great, Foothills and Highland make great beers also and should be distributed out there. For regional beers, check out Terrapin and Sweetwater (definitely their IPA).

As an Illinois transplant myself, there haven't been too many NC beers I haven't liked, so find a place that does a mix-six and you really can't go wrong. I wouldn't expect to find any super limited releases, though. Eastern NC is pretty desolate past Raleigh.

 

I've been vacationing in EI for many summers now and usually just have to bring my own stuff. As a matter of fact, I'll be there the last week of June next month. @Jeff17, if you are there at the same time, let me know and I can likely hook you up with some Westbrook goodies. I'll just have to have to leave one of the kids at home to make room for the extra beer!

 

There is a new brewery in Trenton between New Bern and Kinston and Jacksonville called Beer Army. THey make some solid beers. You can check them out at www.beerarmy.com
They have a bottle store and about 16 beers on draft at the Beer Army Outpost in New Bern. There own and other beers on tap also. You can buy their bottles there. The Smoked Porter and IPA are my favorite. You should check them out when you are down here.

 

They've remodeled recently I think, theres a big room in the back that had a little band playing in there back in February. It may have been there all along and I never noticed it though haha.

But yeah Harrika's is awesome, Great staff, Growler fills, and great selection for the area.