If I’m talking about breweries, I must be near the end of this series. Yes, thankfully, that’s the truth. I appreciate all of you for sticking around to the end. In typical fashion I’ll state up-front that this is about appreciation of the craft; quality over quantity. So typically we’ll order a flight of small sampler-sized glasses and that’s about it. Then I’ll add the brewery to my map and list because I’m compulsive like that.
The COVID pandemic continued to make these visits a little more complicated and we stuck to the great outdoors as much as possible. Fortunately the emerging Omicron variant hadn’t made it that far south at this point. We took advantage of that small window of quasi-normalcy, being cautious without being paranoid.
Brütopia
This was a quick grab. We were already well into the ferry loop at the time and ready to get home. However, Brütopia sat along U.S. Route 70 just south of New Bern (map), and the most efficient route went directly past it. Really, we had no choice, right? As a compromise we ordered a 4-pack of 16 ounce crowlers to-go. Then we enjoyed them on the deck of our rental home over the next couple of evenings (photo).
Interestingly, I’ve been to Brutopia before. Well, Brutopia without the umlaut, and in Rhode Island not North Carolina. I guess there are only so many brewery names to go around. I’m not an attorney and I’m certainly no expert on trademark law, so ignore anything I say because I’m just some dude on the Internet. However, I guess that maybe it’s acceptable because of the wide geographic separation between the two? I suppose we might have a different situation if either Brütopia or Brutopia ever went national.
Crystal Coast
It was Christmas Eve and nearly everything was closed. In some regards that was a blessing because it forced me to sit down, relax and watch ocean waves for awhile. But it turned into boredom after a few hours. I had to get out and do something, but what? Options continued to close as each hour ticked away before the upcoming holiday.
I hadn’t planned on visiting Crystal Coast Brewing that day. In my defense, their social media said they were open that afternoon and this became a convenient escape hatch for me. So I headed a few miles farther east on Bogue Banks to Atlantic Beach and checked it out (map). A handful of people had the same idea — not many — and we all spread out in the appropriately antisocial distances that are now in fashion.
Fishtowne
Later we took a little brewery tasting loop (route). Originally we planned to visit four breweries but that fell down to three because we’d already completed Crystal Coast. That was probably for the best; three was plenty.
First we stopped in Beaufort at Fishtowne Brew House (map), right in the historic district. It was a beautiful, warm winter day and we sat outside comfortably and savored the selections. Then we wandered through downtown Beaufort and took the typical tourist paths. I couldn’t imagine how crowded this place must get during the high season. Beaufort was hopping even in the dead of winter.
Tight Lines
Tight Lines Pub & Brewing sat nearby in Morehead City (map). It was a true brewpub, meaning it featured a full-service restaurant with a brewery. Not so long ago that used to be a much more common business model. Now it seems that breweries without kitchens predominate. So it’s always a pleasant surprise to come across a brewpub especially at mealtime. Tight Lines was a great place for a late lunch along with a flight of beers on their outdoor patio.
Shortway
I was almost ready for a nap after a large meal and a couple of beers but we needed to soldier on for a few more miles to Newport. This is where we stumbled upon the Civil War site I mentioned in one of the previous articles.
Parking at Shortway Brewing felt really odd (map). The brewery sat within a small strip of shops, ordinarily enough. However, the parking is perpendicular to the street. As in, when you back out, you are right in the middle of the main street through town. I’m certain that’s why the speed limit dropped to 20 miles per hour. Otherwise cars driving through would slam into those pulling out of parking spots. I’ll bet it gets interesting at closing time.
On the backside of Shortway Brewing stood a really nice biergarten (map). We grabbed some sample glasses and headed out back. Remember though, this was winter. In fact it was barely past the solstice so the sun began to set really early. Then the temperature began to drop. Quickly. That marked the end of our latest round of brewery adventures.
Articles in the Bogue Banks Series
See Also: The Complete Photo Album on Flickr.
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