Back to the OBX!

School’s out for Summer, and that means it’s time to head south to the OBX. We spend the week at “Grammy’s Beach House” and look forward to it every year. It is a time to relax, to spend quality time with family, and to enjoy a few beers on the beach. We have many traditions on this trip, and yes, some of them are definitely beer related.

Saturday morning we leave my folks at “0’dark thirty” and try to beat the traffic to the island. My vacation doesn’t start until I cross the bridge, and survive the pit stop at the local Wal-Mart (easier to buy that new beach chair at the beach). We then stopped at Chip’s Beer Market (http://www.chipswinemarket.com/) to stock up for the week (or at least until Monday). Jenn and the kids hang out in the car and Daddy goes shopping. This year I found a new NC brewery, Mother Earth, and picked up a few of their new brews. I really enjoyed their Weeping Willow Wit (so much so I went back later for a 6 pack), a nice example of a Belgian White that was great in the heat. It was now time for lunch, and after the drive Daddy deserves the OBX Brewing Company (http://www.obbrewing.com/). I got the pulled pork sandwich (Carolina’s Bar-B-Que special) with their Nit Wit (I love that name). It’s a great place to stop, then its off to the beach for the next week.

I took it easy this year. No going overboard (although beer day had some new challenges), and no getting crazy. I chose not to head down to Howard’s Pub this year in Ocracoke (it did break my heart) so that I could hang out with Grammy and Jacob for some quality time. I was able to make it over to the Red Drum Tavern and enjoy some fine beers. Especially nice was New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk Imperial Stout on draft, and Terrapin’s Rye Pale Ale. Great bar with always something special on tap. I was rewarded with a trip back to OBX Brewing with their Dog House Triple (a whopping 8.9% ABV). It was a great week, and we were sad to head back home.

We had a detour this year, stopping by Jenn’s sister who had recently completed building their new house. We braved I-95, and got stuck in a bit of traffic outside of Richmond. Fortunately Jacob found me a bypass with the Garmin, and we made are way up to Fredericksburg. I had a planned a pit stop at the Capital Ale House (http://www.capitalalehouse.com/), a place known for good food and a great selection of beer. Unfortunately, there was a city wide craft fair that closed streets that Garmin wanted me to take and there was no parking to be had. Instead, I parked in a 15 minute spot and took my family in for takeout. What a great bar! It even had a strip of ice along the edge to keep the pints cold. Jacob got French fries, Jenn tried the gourmet pretzel, Jessica got fish n’ chips (she’s ready to move to England), and I got to try a few drafts. I got to try the Laughing Dog Crotch Sniffing Bastard, a fine example of an ESB. And for the road, it was the Bluegrass Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout. Not as good as Brooklyn’s Black Ops, but it was tasty.

We didn’t get towed, and we made to Cathy’s without any further trouble. It was great week. I didn’t know how great we had it at the beach, returning to NY for some of the hottest weather of the summer. Can’t wait for next year. - 5532

"Utepils (Norwegian): A word meaning to sit outside on a sunny day enjoying a beer." – Stephanie Bianchi