Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

SOUTH 40 BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Gallery — South 40 Brewing Co.

EDISON, NEW JERSEY

Inside an old tan warehouse at the end of Raritan Center Is a little hidden gem, SOUTH 40 BREWING COMPANY. A bustling 2,000 square foot facility with a small taproom and rustic right side overhead-doored brewing area (with stooled tables, old brown couch, beautiful agrarian proprietary mural and rear brew tanks), South 40 opened up October 2020.

An L-shaped lacquered pine serving station with twelve taps and blackboard beer list consumes the cement-floored taproom. A few sidled TV’s, loungy couches and wood tables fill out the space. A makeshift parking lot patio adds further seating.

Former homebrewing proprietor, Kevin Pacansky, mans South 40’s tanks. Constantly rotating stylistic fare and crafting mostly soft-toned elixirs, Pacansky utilizes different yeast strains for each separate beer. Paying tribute to an old road to Long Beach Island, South 40 has garnered many critical plaudits.

On my initial muggy noontime journey, August ’23, discovered four interesting brown ale variants alongside three locally popular India Pale Ales, a dry pilsner, blood orange pale ale and a fruited sour while chewing the fat with knowledgeable beertender, Dan Scanlon.

Strictly for less discriminating thirsts, but drawing in macrobrew denizens, light aluminum cleared Pilz Lite will please simpler palates with its millet-grained, oats-dried, corny malt liquor musk.

Mild blood orange tartness picked up delicate perfumed spicing and distant tangerine-clementine-cherry snips for honey malted pale wheat ale, One Orange Brain Cell, a nifty orange upside down cake divergence.

Lightly acidic raspberry tartness and sour blueberry rasps guided fruited sour, Blowin’ Raspberries, allowing leathery oaken cherry, white pear and rhubarb pie illusions to latently flow thru its salty acidulated malts.

Unique flagship India Pale Ale, Happily Peared, added subtle pear juicing to sharp citrus bittering, dainty red apple/ prickly pear sweetness and wavered lemony green grape esters, gaining mild herbal spicing over oated wheat flouring. A welcoming IPA changeup.

Easygoing year-rounder 40 Sessions All Day IPA retained frothy oats creaming for smoothly withered grapefruit, orange and pineapple tanginess as well as dry floral-perfumed spicing. Perfect for investigative pale ale lovers jumping over to less hoppy IPA’s.

Another well balanced IPA, Citra Skies, let candied lemon, pineapple and peach plus tangy orange-tangerine snips create a dandy fruit salad with minor bitter pining and a buttery pale malt backdrop.

As for the quartet of brown ales, salted caramel propelled Harvey’s English Style Brown Ale, leaving sweet chocolate hazelnut caking on its lovely confectionery finish.

Off-dry Chuffed Chap Brown Ale combined caraway-seeded rye breading and charred walnut bittering with sweet chestnut-almond-butternut conflux and dark chocolate remnant over a buttered biscuit base.

Toasted coconut sweetness endured for Nui Brown Ale, picking up chestnut, praline and fig niceties over mild chocolate malting.

Arguably the best and most complex of the bunch, Pecan Sky English Brown Ale let candied pecan pie sweetness indulge its fudgy cake-battered chocolate base, gaining hazelnut molasses, burnt caramel, praline and toffee subtleties. 

 

 

COVA BREWING COMPANY & COFFEE HOUSE

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for cova brewing

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA

A family-owned enterprise located at a pale blue brick auto garage, COVA BREWING & COFFEE HOUSE became Norfolk’s second coffeehouse/brewery in June 2020 (months after Elation opened for biz). Spread over a generous expanse in the city’s Ocean View section, Cova includes a tent-covered cement-floored deck, large black gated grass courtyard (with large Adirondack chairs and firepits) and a tiled patio.

A proud community-minded business, Cova supports several local non profit organizations. Its pristine neo-Industrial interior features epoxy floors, elegant wood-plastic furnishings, cozy walled benches and a mod self-help 14-draught serving station with brew tanks stationed towards the left.

On my July ’23 Sunday morning stopover, head brewer Matt Topping’s rangy brews caught the attention of my old college pals, Bob and Jeff.

Crisp light-bodied German-styled OV Pils retained dank grain musk and light floral herbage, reaching its toasted white bread base.

Sessionable You’re So Golden Ale let lemon zest brighten its grassy hop stead over mineral grained pilsner malting. 

Polite amber lager, The Rocket, plied light red apple ripeness, subtle coffee-stained toffee and cellared peat mossing to gluey pale malting.

Amiable summertime flagship, East Coast Blonde, let Mandarina Bavaria hops provide lemony tangerine tartness for sweet amber graining in an easygoing manner.

Delightful gose mainstay, Aloha State Of Mind, linked tart passionfruit and floral hibiscus adjuncts to salty coriander-spiced lemon liming, sour green grape esters and herbal lemongrass minting.

Strawberry salted dog cocktail knockoff, Sour Street Strawberry Basil Gose, picked up limey watermelon brining and white peach tartness.

Another fruited gose, Watermelon Crawl, let its watermelon-candied tartness receive blush champagne, sparkling wine, rosé and cranberry illusions as well as mellow rhubarb souring.

Sweet orange peel regaled Shoobie Cold IPA, gaining lemony tangerine and pineapple tanginess over sugary pale malts.

Milk-sugared coffee and Tahitian vanilla beans combined for heavenly Coffee Snob, a vanilla latte stout with bittersweet dark chocolate syruping, nutty caramel sweetness and gentle black peppering.

ELATION BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Elation Brewing in Norfolk - Restaurant menu and reviews

NORFOLK, VIRGINIA

Residing at a blue-grey Colonial grocery store of the 1940’s in the Colleywood neighborhood of Norfolk, ELATION BREWING became the city’s first combined brewery-coffeehouse during March 2019 (followed thereafter by Cova Brewing).

Serving delicious bakehouse pizzas and pub fare at the spacious bowstring-trussed barroom and while offering biscuits and tea at the left side coffeehouse, Elation will please any serious gourmandizer.

At the arched bark top 20-seat bar, there are twelve taps, hanging Edison lights and a refrigerator for to-go canned beers. The large cement-floored community-tabled barroom features high industrial ceilings, restored beams, old red brick side walls, floor-to-ceiling front windows and varied exposed ducts for rustic effect.

Behind the bar are the windowed stainless steel brew tanks containing nine fine suds my friends Bob and Scott and wife, Karen, help me enjoy alongside a few pizzas on a steamy July Saturday afternoon ’23.

Flagship German moderation, Larchmont Lager, let spritzy citrus-spiced bittering stride by musky floral herbed Saaz hops and earthen graining.

Honeyed lemon herbage, floral-spiced sweetness and white peppered lemongrass tartness serenaded Saaz-hopped That’s Amore Italian Pilsner.

IPA-like piney citrus hop bittering prodded Zuper Pils, leaving lemony grapefruit zesting upon its mineral grained pilsner malting.

Lemon-licked herbage settled across musky pilsner malts for sessionable clear-yellowed Larchmont Light Golden Ale, finishing with light citrus spicing.

Year-round Rosé Gose let its lightly vinous white and green grape esters entice dry rosé stead as salted lime, oaken cherry, tart cranberry and blush pink wine illusions whir.

Coriander-salted blood orange and tangerine tartness regaled briny lemon liming for dry Mimosa champagne spinoff, Mimgosa Fruited Gose.

Ultra-dry lemon limed pineapple and mango tartness informed Beach Please Sour Fruited, a lightly acidic tropical elixir.

Two well-liked IPA’s included dry NEIPA, Highland Park, contrasting tartly sweet orange marmalade against lemony guava-gooseberry salting. Also, West Coast IPA, Notice This, paraded piney citrus perfuming thru dry pale malting.

ADVET BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Photo

ELIZABETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA

Occupying a faded gray aluminum garden house in a dainty mini mall, Country Inn-styled ADVET BREWING COMPANY is the pride of the Coast Guardian husband and wife team of Mark and Jennifer Napolitano. Opened during May ’22, the cozy nanobrewery became Elizabeth City’s third ‘suds factory.’

Entering thru the Kenyon Bailey Garden Center and taking a right inside Advet’s wooden entrance, my wife and I grab a few aviator themed brews emanating from the rear tanks on a hot July ’23 noon swoon before heading to the nearby Outer Banx for body surfing.

Black and metal four-seat tables surround the marbled concrete-topped serving station of the old wood-floored interior and a gated red brick-paved deck with black metal furnishings provides outside seating for today’s expanding crowd. Two opposing TV’s stare out from the gray front wall.

Visit Elizabeth City | Tourism for Elizabeth City, NC - AVDET Brewing Company

Stylishly delightful British pale ale, Distant Early Warning, plied dewy tobacco roasted crisping to caraway-seeded pumpernickel rye breading.

Soft-toned fruit ale, Could Not Duplicate Blueberry Ale, let tart blueberry puree ride atop herbal hop astringency and a pallid white wheat bed.

Snazzy orange Creamsickle-sugared fruited sour, First Light Search, pasted marshmallow-fluffed lemon custard, orange meringue and tangelo to its orange soda-like pizzazz. 

Zesty lemon fizz bubbled up against banana-clove sweetness for sourdough-sugared Heavy Maintenance Hefeweizen, leaving mild herbage on its honeyed wheat tail.

Spritzy orange-peeled coriander sweetness enjoined sparkling lemon licks for Three Down And Locked Witbier, cloaking its mild lemongrass herbage above delicate white wheating.

Sour cranberry tartness countered mild cinnamon spicing in the briny lime setting of wheat-soured Holiday Routine Cinnamon-Cranberry Gose.

Dry pine tones secured the bitter yellow grapefruit stead and mild perfumed spicing of Considering The Circumstances, a medium-bodied West Coast-styled IPA.

Grapefruit-embittered orange rind and pineapple tang received a perfume-spiced pine lacquering for Giant Killer Double IPA, relegating its honeyed pale malting.

Candied orange, pineapple and mango sugaring contrasted salty yellow grapefruit bittering then picked up recessive herbal perfuming to tease Restrictive Visibility Hazy IPA.

Lightly tarred cocoa dryness penetrated mild black licorice, raw tobacco and chocolate truffle illusions for Area Of Responsibility Brown Ale.

 

ARTIS BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for artis brewery freehold nj

FREEHOLD, NEW JERSEY

During December ’22, ARTIS BREWERY became Freehold’s first operational brewpub. Located at bustling South Street in the town where musical legend Bruce Springsteen grew up, Artis has been described by Asbury Park Press as an ‘Industrial chic’ pub. Jersey-bred homebrewer, Tim Bubser, educated at Vermont’s American Brewers Guild, spent time in Tampa Bay learning his craft, then worked at one of the Garden State’s best breweries, Kane, before hopping aboard Artis.

A beautifully marbled epoxy floor adds splendor to Artis’ uniquely cushion-seated L-shaped bar. Several seat-cushioned tables also surround the front space while the bar’s centralized tiled draught handles get sidled by two TV’s and a blackboarded beer menu. A spacious furnished balcony area adds extra seating. The white back-walled area stages the brew tanks.

Utilizing a soft water source especially benefits Artis’ worthy India Pale Ales and lagers. There’s a certain clean sparkle to each of their in-house brews.

My wife and I gathered at the back porch to down all seven available homemade suds during June ’23.

Musky grained American lager, Party Of 9, seeped dried orange and Saaz-hopped herbage into pilsner-malted flaked rice for a moderation.

Dewier Dark Horse Lager let peaty earthiness surround Saaz-hopped herbage, dried fruitiness and light chocolate.

Casual Eventide Pale Ale placed dainty citrus tanginess above mild oats-flaked creaming.

Best-selling Glory Daze Haze, an indelible NEIPA, brought zesty orange-peeled grapefruit, pineapple and mango tanginess and syrupy peach to lightly creamed oats-flaked wheat malting.

A zestful West Coast-styled IPA, The One, placed sunny Citra-hopped orange rind and grapefruit pith bittering across piney Amarillo-Chinook-Simcoe-hopped herbage atop a wispy crystal-malted wheat base.

Tart Nelson Sauvin-hopped green grape, guava and gooseberry souring stayed perky alongside lightly embittered Vic Secret-hopped yellow grapefruit and pineapple juicing for Cold Break IPA, picking up dry pine tones and minty herbal whims over honeyed pale malting.

Nitro ESB, Covenhoven House, let dewy peat soak into herb-spiced Fuggle hops and roasted caramel, retaining a mild mouthfeel.

SPELLBOUND BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

MOUNT HOLLY, NEW JERSEY

Inside a tan brick warehouse in the close-knit Philadelphia suburb of Mount Holly, SPELLBOUND BREWING opened its doors in 2014. One of Jersey’s finest breweries, its owners are passionate homebrewing geeks crafting “everyday classics” and “extreme boundary pushing recipes.”

An overhead door leads to the small cement bay where several stainless steel brew tanks and some gray benches exist. Reclaimed wood decorates the eight-seat lacquer-topped bar and a few tables fill out the pub. There are a dozen-plus draughts available.

My wife and I went in late April ’23 to check out Spellbound’s expansive beer lineup.

Spellbound Brewing in Mount Holly - Restaurant reviews

Sweet Mango Pale Ale allowed its tangy mango juicing to embrace lemon Pez tartness and papaya-passionfruit zing fortified by lacquered pine tones.

Toning down its sweet banana-clove stylishness for lemon-rotted lemongrass herbage, dried plantain tartness and green grape esters, Dreamnesia Hefeweizen stayed dryer than expected.

Ginger-dried lemongrass herbage and lemony cologne perfuming consumed unique Arcana Ginger Lemongrass Ale, finishing like a rice-wined sake.

Dewy Vienna malted honey white breading and apple-skinned pear crisping gathered for 8th Anniversary Doppelbock, curtailing its wispy dried fruiting.

Fascinating 5th Anniversary Quad dangled dried cherry, sugar plum and date syrup alongside whiskeyed toffee sweetness and roasted tobacco crisping above chocolate pudding creaming.

Easygoing Peach Major Nelson NEIPA let tangy peach lead the way for spry lemon zesting, bittersweet mango salting and delicate passionfruit-strawberry tartness cruising above mildly creamed flaked oats.

Zesty orange-peeled pineapple and grapefruit tanginess picked up mild piney bittering and some grassy astringency for brisk Phase 7 NEIPA, leaving lightly creamed flaked oats on the bottom.

Soft-toned pale yellow cleared Enlightened IPA serenaded mild yellow grapefruit bittering, lemon peel zesting and floral-spiced mandarin orange sweetness with sugary pale malts countering grassy hop astringency.

Brown-sugared gingerbread cookie knockoff, Gingerbread Brown Ale, gained mild cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice illusions atop its sweet chocolate base.

Luscious bourbon barreled stout, Living The Dream, scurried light bourbon sweetness across dark chocolate syruping, picking up burnt wood bittering plus latent dry burgundy licks.  

STRATOSPHERE BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Stratosphere Brewing Company & NJ Wine of the Week - New Jersey Uncorked

MOUNT HOLLY, NEW JERSEY

Residing at a rustic tan brick warehouse, veteran-owned STRATOSPHERE BREWING COMPANY became Mount Holly’s third brewhouse on St. Patrick’s Day, 2023. Entrepreneurial head brewers Christopher Pike (a navy reservist) and Jason Martinez (union electrician) were experienced home brewers way before taking on this venture with the promising slogan: “Elevating the craft.”

A gray concrete-floored high-ceilinged pub with elongated 15-seat oak bar, three overhead doors and several surrounding wood-metal seats, Stratosphere utilizes reclaimed wood for its bar back, corrugated aluminum siding as its frontage and Edison lighting for olden textile charm. Tanks are stationed behind the bars.

During my one-hour stopover on a Friday evening in April ’23, I discovered five rounded draughts.

Stratosphere Brewing now open in Mount Holly, NJ

Mild wildflower honeyed dryness caresses spicy citrus splash and tertiary peach-apricot-pear conflux above biscuity cornbread base of Lhotse Cream Ale, a popular light body.

Briskly sharp NEIPA, Tropical Depression, retained dried-out yellow grapefruit bittering, sweet orange peel zesting and peachy mango tang above dry pale malts.

Peachy nectarine tang and orange-peeled grapefruit bittering juiced-up Barometer Fruit IPA, leaving wood lacquer upon its pale malt sugaring.

Lemon-dried oaken cherry and tart peach souring inundated U.S.S. Nitze, a fruited sour with moderate acidity and no residual sweetness.

Dark-roast coffee bean nuttiness further embittered by black chocolate chalking of Strato Pivo Dark Lager, letting dewy peat slightly sweeten the rigid mocha insistence.

VILLAGE IDIOT BREWING CO.

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for village idiot mount holly nj

MOUNT HOLLY, NEW JERSEY

Beneath a green and gold proprietary signpost in a red brick downtown Mount Holly shop, VILLAGE IDIOT BREWING COMPANY came to existence in 2013. A prohibition-styled pub with straightforward homemade artisanal beers on draught, its cozy neighborhood feel gets reinforced by the beautiful antique wood mural (at the 12-seat right side bar) plus olden wood floors, furnishings, booths and tables.

Founded by long-time homebrewers Vince Masciandaro and Rich Palmay, Village Idiot enjoys treating its guests to both “traditional and unusual fun ales.” Each small batch brew emulates from the brew tanks in the back. Former home of Bridgetown Pub, Village Idiot preserved the original tables strewn about the bar.

Visited mid-April 2023, I downed eight fine rounded brews prior to dinner on a sunny Friday afternoon.

Lightly creamed pale malted Hipster Lager combined lemony orange fizzing with mild herbage and musky hop astringency.

Smooth summertime light body, Bridgetown Blonde Ale left mild lemon spritz on its doughy white bread base.

Traditional pale ale, Bike Rail, let brisk floral-daubed lemony orange zesting and astringent wood tones softly rise above dry pale malting.

Lemony banana-clove entry of Folestephaner Hefeweizen sweetened its white-peppered lemongrass zesting.

Nitrogenated Monkey’s Breath Banana Bread placed caramelized banana bread sweetness next to sugar-rimmed cinnamon toasting and stayed not far removed from Wells Banana Bread.

Dry West Coast IPA, Hoptimizer, contrasted brisk orange-peeled grapefruit bittering against peachy pineapple tanginess as grassy hop astringency settled atop mildly creamed pilsner-like malts.

Sweet brown chocolate coated the creamy peanut buttering and honeyed Graham Cracker base of Peanut Butter Cup Porter, recalling Reese’s Puff cereal.

Smoothly creamed Elvis Is In The Building, a chewy peanut butter and banana dessert treat, gained bittersweet hazelnut-glazed cocoa nibs richness.

 

 

GRAND STRAND BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for grand strand brewing company

MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA

In a glass-fronted red brick ‘contemporary cottage’ with white soffits and shutters, GRAND STRAND BREWING COMPANY opened its doors in March 2021. Located on Myrtle Beach’s busy Kings Highway in the revitalized Arts & Innovation district, Grand Strand came to fruition less than one year after Tidal Creek Brewhouse (a few miles South) began operations.

An interesting multi-faceted brewery with loft apartment rentals, turf grass lawn with Adirondack chairs, multi-TV sportsbar appeal and good pub food, Grand Strand covers all bases from family friendly neighborhood tavern to destination brewpub.

Its elongated 15-seat wood bar services several black plastic 4-seat tables and a loungey blue couched area with fish tank (next to hovered stainless steel brewtanks) plus the 4 awning-covered deck tables and umbrella picnic tables out front. The interior’s ceramic floor, low hanging ceiling pipes and red brick walls add a certain Industrial flare.

Alongside a well-rounded assortment of homemade beers, Grand Strand also offers fine spirits, wines and specialty cocktails.

On my sunny Tuesday afternoon voyage, April ’23, my wife and I enjoyed ten sturdy draughts.

Easygoing Wingtip Pilsner let brisk Seltzer-like lemon zest serenade slight herbal musk above flighty white breading.

A slightly bitter pale ale with experimental HBC586 hop strain, Flip Flop Hop unfurled mellow lemony white grapefruit bittering, mildly perfume-spiced orange peel sweetness and grassy hop astringency for subtle oated wheat creaming.

Milk-sugared coffee embraced lactic Conway Coffee Blonde Ale, a pale malted moderation with mild creme brulee and caramel latte sweetness.

Toasted amber grains and dewy dried fruiting approached the sugary caramelized malts securing Jolene Red Ale.

Mildly vanilla-creamed banana, clove and coriander plus pastry dough sugaring paced Rainy Day Hefeweizen, leaving slight herbal musk on the tail end.

Buttery caramel dripped into soft-toned Doof Dunkelweizen, picking up distant lemon meringue and fried banana tartness.

Tropical orange-peeled grapefruit, pineapple and mango tanginess gained light phenol hop bittering to contrast the dainty rum sugaring of dry pale malted Sandy Cheeks West Coast IPA.

Lemony yellow grapefruit bittering contrasted sugary tangerine-peach tang of Airbrush Hazy IPA, reaching its delicate oats base.

As for the two sour ales, First Rodeo Smoothie Sour let its lightly acidic lemon-soured plum and pomegranate adjuncts gain briny cranberry and crabapple tartness over sugary pastry dough.

Just as salty, Pavillion Pie Wheel Key Lime Sour stayed dry as mildly acidic key-limed lemon rind bittering countered cinnamon-toasted brown sugaring as distant cologne perfuming splattered sugary lemonade tartness.

TIDAL CREEK BREWHOUSE

United States Brewpubs,

Image result for tidal creek brewhouse

MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA

Encompassing a coffeehouse/brewery, large wood picnic -tabled porch, chaired firepit area, a sprawling beer garden and palm trees, TIDAL CREEK BREWHOUSE started its journey in June 2020. At Myrtle Beach’s newly developed Market Common (formerly used as part of the nearby airport base), Tidal Creek retains a loungey sea shack vibe amongst the newly built small stores, restaurants and townhouses.

Inside the blue-awninged beige aluminum sided brewhouse, an L-shaped ten-seat bar (with cement-lacquered shell bar top) centers the cement-floored shop. There are ten 4-seat tables, hanging Edison lights, a spray foam insulated ceiling and corrugated aluminum walls filling out Tidal Creeks’ interior. Stainless steel brew tanks take up the 3,000 square-foot backspace. Cocktails, wines and pub fare were also available.

My wife and I had some delicious noontime pops during April ’23 visit.

Dry light pilsner, Liberatore, let bright lemon licks dabble with wafting floral spicing and leathery straw acridity over buttered white breading.

Cake-battered banana sweetness and mild clove-coriander spicing picked up a prickly lemon spritz and mild herbage atop the buttery sourdough base of Harmonic Hefeweizen, a delightful traditionalist on par with nearby Grand Strand’s German wheat competitor.

Sharp IPA-like fruiting and oily pine resin gave a moderate bittering to Breezy Blonde Ale, plying dry orange rind and grapefruit pith zing to latent floral herbage.

Streamlined Imperial IPA, Mean High Water, combined candied pineapple, grapefruit and orange tanginess with light herbal spicing and resinous pine remnants over crystal malt sugaring.

Equally approachable New England IPA, Bogey Bomb, let candied pineapple, sugared orange and tart lemon fruiting pick up mild sweet spicing over lightly creamed oated wheat pasting.

Mildly embittered NEIPA, Beam Reach, places spritzy grapefruit-peeled orange, pineapple and mango tanginess next to New Zealand-hopped guava-passionfruit souring above oated wheat complacency.

Piney citrus fruiting and floral-spiced herbage permeated Grand Strand, a West Coast IPA draping lemony orange, grapefruit and tangerine tanginess thru honeyed pale malts.

Coffee-stained dark chocolate led Backwater Brown Ale, leaving cola nut, waddleseed, hazelnut and candied molasses snips on its dewy earthen bottom.

Dry espresso-milked black coffee fortified Pollywog Porter, picking up setback peanut-walnut illusions and mild Blackstrap molasses bittering.

Nutty chicory coffee surged ahead of coconut, pineapple and black grape fruiting for Tradewinds Tropical Stout, gaining bittersweet dark chocolate influence.

 

 

 

 

 

SEVEN SOUNDS BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Visit Elizabeth City | Tourism for Elizabeth City, NC - Seven Sounds Brewing Company

ELIZABETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA

Along Elizabeth City’s downtown riverfront in an old hardware building, SEVEN SOUNDS BREWING COMPANY occupies a restored red brick dockside venue opened in the winter of ’22. A panoramic rooftop deck captures the still beauty of the Pasquotank River and the brick-walled pub room utilizes reclaimed wood and old beams to retain a vintage southern charm.

Seven Sounds’ cement-floored metal and wood furnished pub (with scattered beer barrel seating) settles below the pipe-exposed high ceiling. There are twelve draught taps at the pine lacquered L-shape bar.

In April ’23, my wife and I grabbed a few deck seats outback to quaff five ambitious stylistic creations on the riverfront.

Seven Sounds Brewing Company | Reception Venues - The Knot

Lemony passionfruit souring and salty guava tartness engaged Sea Of Love Pale Ale.

Matching its stylish banana-clove sweetness to crusty sourdough breading, Easy To Love Hefeweizen maintained a creamy vanilla-daubed eclair froth.

Mild ghost pepper heat tailgated the dark chocolate-roasted hazelnut coffee bluster of Nell Cropsey Ghost Pepper Porter, an applewood-smoked full body.

Mildly creamed milk-sugared coffee sweetness overlaid cocoa-dried dark chocolate bittering of lactic Front Porch, a milk coffee stout with distant cinnamon, anise and hazelnut wisps.

Luxurious Barleywine soaked rummy raisin, plum and dried cherry into candi-sugared crystal malting, picking up latent sweet burgundy spicing.

GHOST HARBOR BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Ghost Harbor Brewing Company | Wedding Venues | Elizabeth City, NC

ELIZABETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA

At a historic retrofitted livery stable, Elizabeth City’s GHOST HARBOR BREWING COMPANY sits smack dab in the boutique-shopped Pailin’s Alley downtown district – a place perfectly suited for old pirates singing sea shanties. Opened in December ’18, but at its current larger locale since 2021, Ghost Harbor was the first microbrewery licensed in this historic Albemarle municipality.

Just up the street from waterfront Seven Sounds Brewing, the rustic cement-floored pub is owned by head brewer, Thomas Reese, a durable craftsman who has ‘draughted’ a few dozen one-offs and several recurring brews in the first five years of operation.

Inside a red-bricked shop with mauve-walled side entrance, its green awning protects the umbrella-seated alleyway.  Upon entering, the glimmering stainless steel bar top provides a clean, efficient feel.

There are several black-chaired community tables and two-seaters filling out the pub and the stark black ceiling carries exposed pipes and caged Edison lights. The brick-walled bar back features sixteen bronze-piped tap handles leading to a cold storage system serving the left side brewtanks easygoing fare.

I sank six demure draughts during my April ’23 stopover, then got Vito Italian Pilsner, Gypsy Tears Pale Ale, Blair’s Fall Wheat Ale, That Girl Liz IPA and Mulligan Dry Irsih Stout (reviewed in Beer Index) to imbibe at Myrtle Beach two days hence.

Ghost Harbor Brewing Company

Spritzy lemon fizzled alongside sugary bubblegum for Ghost Heavy Pilsner, a sweet breaded lightweight.

Not far removed, fizzy lemon drops trickled onto herbal licks and spicy snips for sessionable Apollo Golden Ale.

Toasted grain sweetness, roasted tobacco crisping and mild hop astringency girded Mystery Of Nell Cropsey Amber Ale, picking up subtle red and orange fruiting.

Americanized pale yellow-cleared wheat ale, Blair’s Fall (also reviewed in canned version), retained a salty lemon spritz and mild orange-plantain-quince conflux above white wheat breading.

Polite white grapefruit, mandarin orange and pineapple tropicalia led Wight Of The Wild White IPA, a cross between a debonair hop-forward IPA and a coriander-spiced witbier.

Sharp citrus spicing saddled Nautical IPA, leaving lemon zest, yellow grapefruit bittering, brisk orange peel sweetness and salted mango-pineapple tanginess upon lightly creamed oated malts.