My buddy is going to be in Richlands over the weekend. Any good breweries, bottle shops, or anything worth checking out within a 2 hour drive?
Richlands, NC? That sucks. I'm sorry. As a guy that used to live near there for a while, I can honestly say that area is the armpit on NC. I don't see why anyone would need to be in Richlands aside from pig/chicken farming, but maybe that's what you're buddy's into. Please don't take anything you see in that area to be representative of the Land of the Longleaf Pine. Rural Eastern NC does is not a good representation of the rest of the state! Okay, now that that's off my chest... Your buddy's gonna have to drive a little ways to get some good stuff. Richlands (pronounced Rich + Lands for some reason) is kinda close to Kinston, which is the home of Mother Earth Brewing, the closest decent brewery. Mother Earth makes a great imperial coffee stout called "Silent Night," but I reckon it is probably all gone by now. I still say Mother Earth is worth the drive, though. They have a solid Dunkel Lager, Kolsch, and Witbier that they make year-round, and they're just good folk that run the brewery. Just one street away from Mother Earth is a restaurant called "Chef and The Farmer," which is one of the best restaurants in the state. A little ways east from Richlands is Jacksonville. J-Ville is mostly a Marine town, but there is one decent bottleshop called "Wines and Wares." There's a Cookout in Jacksonville now, which is nice, but your best bet is to go down to Wilmington. _______________________________________ Wilmington's around an hour-15 min to 1-30 drive from Richlands and (IMO) totally worth the drive if you're into craft beer. For one, there are several breweries in the WILM area. Wilmington Brewing Company should be your first stop with New Anthem as #2 on the list. Waterline, New Anthem, Front Street, Iron Clad, and Flytrap are all within walking distance, but you'll have to drive to get to Bill's Front Porch, BroomTail, WBC, and Wrightsville Beach Brewery. Good Hops and Check Six are a little ways south of Downtown and worth checking out if you're staying in the area, but I wouldn't drive out specifically for them. Again, Wilmington Brewing should be the top priority as far as breweries go. There are a couple of bottleshops in the ILM area. Lighthouse on Wrightsville Beach is my go-to, but Bombers Beverage is closer to downtown. Wilmington Brewing Company is pretty near "Hey Beer" and "The Brewer's Kettle" bottleshops. If you're looking for a bar, Cape Fear Wine and Beer is number one in the area by far.
If I can trouble you for a little more info, are there any bottles/cans of must-haves that he could only grab in the area? Highest priorities would probably be: sours, IPAs, stouts (in that order).
My brother lives in Jacksonville and that shop has a great supply of craft brews. Next time i go down they told me to try wicked weed. I also hit mother earth on the way back. Nice place. I also need to hit this place .http://hopsailisland.com/ontap/
