Highland Gaelic Ale

Here's another one of the local beers I enjoyed while vacationing in North Carolina recently. During dinner at the Red Drum Taphouse I enjoyed a pint of Highland Brewing Gaelic Ale.

Gaelic Ale pours a dark copper-brown color. There's a frothy white head that hangs around for a good portion of the drink. The aroma has sweet caramel notes. The flavor is sweet, bready malt. There's a mild citrus flavor in the back as well, but this is a malty beer foremost. The mouthfeel is thick and "chewy." The sweet malt lingers in the finish. This is a smooth drinking and refreshing red ale.

And the Natty Bo glass? This logo glass was ubiquitous at the restaurants we visited in the Outer Banks. At another stop my New Belgium Ranger IPA was served in the same style glass. My guess is the local distributor is providing the glassware to its customers.

Read a report on a previous visit to Red Drum here.

New Belgium Ranger IPA

The East Coast distribution of New Belgium Brewery beers has been long awaited by fans. The Colorado beers will start appearing in Virginia soon, but they've been distributed in North Carolina for a couple of years. I found them to be quite ubiquitous during our recent trip to the Outer Banks. During dinner at the Lucky 12 Tavern in Nags Head, I tried New Belgium Ranger IPA for the first time.

The beer pours a dark amber-orange color with a think white head. The aroma is strong citrus hops, giving a hint of the flavor to come. Sharp, grapefruit citrus goodness dominates the flavor. The bitter flavor lingers as the predominate flavor even though there is some caramel sweetness in the malt that gives a bit of balance. I found this to be a very flavorful beer, one that should prove popular once it hits Virginia shelves and taps. I look forward to that time.

I paired my beer with a tasty fried oyster sandwich. The hoppy IPA worked well with the oysters and the included spicy remoulade sauce.

Lucky 12 Tavern boasts 13 beers on tap and 90 bottled selections. The beer list was well-rounded and featured many craft brews. Colleen even managed to find one of her favorites, Allagash White on draft. We vowed we'd come back again on our next visit to the Outer Banks and explore the beer, and food, menu further.

Going South to Find Beers From North

Sometimes beer distribution patterns can be frustrating. Readers of these Musings will know that I have a fondness for Clipper City beer (Yea, I know they are called Heavy Seas now, but old habits die hard.) Unfortunately, the beer from this Baltimore brewery, is hard to come by in Fredericksburg of late. I've been told "it's the distributer." The reason is irrelevant, what matters is the beers aren't here. Imagine my delight when I walk into Chip's Beer & Wine in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, and I see on the end cap bottles of Heavy Seas Letter of Marque! Then, later in our trip, we're at a local grocery store and spy an entire display of Loose Cannon Hop3 Ale. Not just in stock, but featured!

And the welcome sightings weren't limited to Heavy Seas. Colleen is a fan of Allagash White. We get other Allagash Brewing beers in Fredericksburg, but for some reason this particular one is hard to come by. We've even asked for it in places known for extensive beer selections and have been disappointed. But there it was, on the shelf at Chip's. Of course we picked up some to bring home. Later in our trip, we stopped in for dinner at the Lucky 12 Tavern and they had Allagash White on draft, served in a logo glass as well. A nice surprise indeed.

When we visit North Carolina I make it a point to look for beers that I can't get back home. Typically those are local North Carolina beers. But sometimes we find beers from other regions that just aren't available to us. That's what makes traveling fun.

Carolina Flagship IPA & Oysters

While visiting the Outer Banks I was determined to partake in some local seafood. For dinner one evening we decided to try Mulligan's Raw Bar & Grill. I knew I'd get my seafood fix, but the beer menu wasn't exceptionally intriguing for this craft beer fan. Then our waiter informed us they just added "an IPA from a local brewery." After checking, he informed us it was Flagship IPA from Carolina Brewery. That settled both my food and beer selections.

Carolina Brewery Flagship IPA pours a dark copper-orange color. The carbonation was quite low and the head practically non-existent. The aroma was that of resiny hops, but faint. The flavor starts out slightly sweet, followed by a rich citrus rind bitterness. The bitter flavors linger for quite a while on the palate. It was serendipitous that we visited just in time to find this enjoyable IPA newly tapped at the restaurant.

And the seafood? Flagship IPA went very nicely with my appetizer of oysters on the half shell. The oysters were followed by an equally enjoyable soft sell crab platter.

Leviathan IPA, the tiny glass review

I've written frequently about how the proper glassware can enhance our enjoyment of a beer. Sometimes though, we just have to use whatever is at hand. While I always travel with a bottle opener, I don't always pack glassware. Stuck in a hotel for a couple of days, I was limited to the tiny water glass in the room.

I found a nearby beer and wine shop and grabbed a four-pack of Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA. I figured if I was drinking from a sipping-sized glass, I might as well pick a sipping-style beer.

Leviathan Imperil IPA pours a clear orange color with a thin white head that leaves sticky lacing behind. A sweet, syrupy aroma with a hint of citrus greets the nose. The flavor is initially sweet, caramel malt, which is soon overcome by prominent alcohol notes. The beer has a sticky, lingering, bitter finish. The 10% ABV is not masked, but is a pronounced component of the flavor profile.

After a long day of meetings, this big beer from Harpoon Brewery was just the treat with which to relax.

Outer Banks Brewing Station, Revisted

We last visited Outer Banks Brewing Station in the summer of 2008. While visiting the Outer Banks this summer we stopped in again. Despite arriving on the early side of dinnertime, the brewpub was full of patrons and we had a bit of a wait to get a table. However, once we were seated, the service was prompt and we had our beers, and then food, served very quickly.

Nitwit

Five beers were offered on draft during our visit. A sixth beer, the bottle-conditioned Lemon Grass Wheat Ale, was available in 500 ml bottles. Colleen opted to try Nitwit. This is Outer Banks' version of a Belgian Wit brewed with Belgian Wit yeast, Forbidden Fruit, Bitter Orange, Coriander and Black Pepper. The beer pours a light golden-yellow with a minimal white head. Carbonation is low. The aroma is peppery with a typical wit aroma. The flavor is has prominent pepper notes, and other spicy flavors. This is light and crisp beer. The ABV is a low 3.75, making the beer quite sessionable.

I selected the Golden Rogallo. This golden ale pours amber-orange in color, with a thin head. The beer is mildly carbonated. The aroma is sweet malt with a hint of fruit. The flavor is predominately sweet malt with a hint of citrus and Belgian yeast notes. The finish is clean with lightly sweet malt lingering.

Golden Rogallo

I made my dinner a "two-brewery" meal by pairing the Golden Rogallo with a Bratwurst Sausage Plate featuring brats from the Weeping Radish Butchery and Pub. The sausages were mildly flavored and matched the flavor of the Golden Rogallo quite well.

This brewpub and restaurant is very family-friendly. I noted there were a number of tables occupied by large family groups who were not ordering beers, but were obviously there for the food. The Outer Banks Brewing Station is a popular stop on the Outer Banks, for good reason.

Update on Corcoran Brewing

Virginia's newest nanobrewery is preparing for it's official opening. According to an article in Northern Virginia Magazine, Corcoran Brewing Company will celebrate it's "grand opening" at their Waterford brewery from noon-5 p.m. on Saturday, July 30.

Of special interest, Brewer Kevin Bills says he is working to create a Virginia-sourced beer:

Bills doubts production will top 100 barrels this first year, but has already secured the foundation for future growth: a thriving hop yard.

“At 360 plants, I was told it is the third largest hop farm in the state,” he said of the on-site source. Bills expects to tap neighboring farmers/artisan producers for just about everything else.

“I will be sourcing honey, pumpkins and other stuff from local sources. And, by the end of the year we should be sourcing our base malt from within the state as well,” he asserted. “So between the water, malt, and hops … it will be a truly Virginia beer.”

I'm looking forward to trying out Corcoran's beers very soon.

See the article "Corcoran Hops the Fence" for more information.

A Proper Glass for Every Drink

During a recent dinner out, I asked for a glass of water...