Guess what? We’re still waiting on the tags for the RV. Yup, you read that right. UPS lost the title and the loan company had to order a duplicate title. The good news is we do have the RV, we just don’t have the tags to legally drive it.
That hasn’t stopped us from traveling though! This past weekend we went to Havelock, North Carolina to set up at the Havelock Comicon. They held the event at the Havelock Tourism and Event Center, which was a beautiful venue in itself. We had a ton of fun at the event selling books for Tea With Coffee Media. However, we spent the weekend exploring the breweries near Havelock.
While there are no breweries actually in Havelock, we visited all the breweries within thirty minutes of Havelock. We’ll break this down into the actual locations of where the breweries were in case you’re in one of those areas instead.
The Breweries of New Bern, North Carolina
We came in through New Bern, North Carolina on our way to Havelock, North Carolina, in order to hit the two breweries in New Bern. There were two gems we managed to find on this journey. There was another brewery on the way, so as of November 2022, these are the breweries in New Bern, North Carolina.
Brewery99
The Ambiance
Brewery99 was probably one of our favorite stops on the way. Duncan, our bartender, was super friendly and personable. One of the best bartenders we have ever had at a brewery. He also crochets and makes something called a Pocket Buddy, which is a pocket that hangs around your neck and perfectly fits a solo cup or an iPhone for safekeeping.
The biggest downside was almost the entire place-and by that I mean the entire place except the bathroom and the jukebox-was outside. However, they were building a taproom while we were there, so by 2023 they should have a ton more indoor seating for those cold nights. They also had a bunch of heaters and fires going around the place to keep you warm.
Almost everyone that walked in was greeted by name by Duncan, and even the other patrons. There was truly a family vibe, almost like Cheers.
The Beer
This place was big on mixing beers together. Gracie was unsure about any of the beer because they didn’t have anything sour except a jalapeno gruit. Well our pal Duncan jumped in and mixed the 12% abv Lunatic jalapeno gruit with the 4.2% Coastalina Mist blueberry seltzer. Let us tell you, this beautiful concoction tasted like the shell of a jalapeno without the seeds. It had a nice peppery flavor without the heat. The seltzer was a beautiful touch that added a crispiness to the flavor.
Tyler started off with the Smoke, a smoked wheat beer ringing in at 5.8% abv. It was a delicious wheat beer with a smokiness to it, almost like a smoked bourbon. It was delicious and flavorful. Before they left, Tyler wanted to make sure he also tried the 6% abv Hideout oatmeal stout. It was a chilly night, after all. This was a nice and toasty stout that was perfectly balanced in bitterness and chocolate flavor. It gave you the warmth you expect and desire on a frosty night.
BrÜtopia Brewing Company
The Ambiance
BrÜtopia Brewing Company was a different kind of brewery than Brewery99. Where Brewery99 was mainly outside, BrÜtopia had ample inside seating. They did have a beer garden outside with a fireplace, but after spending a few hours out in the cold at Brewery99, we opted to stay inside here. The inside was a bottle shop and homebrew shop with a ton of beers to choose from. They also had a draft list of all their brews on tap. It was an extensive list of beers they had both on the shelves and on tap.
The Beer
A 7.3% coffee stout, Coast Roast, was first up on the docket for Tyler to try at BrÜtopia. Tyler thought it had a hint of cinnamon in it, with a slightly spiced flavor behind the bitter coffee roast.
Next, Tyler decided to go for the 8.5% pumpkin spice Steam Punk’d 2022. This pumpkin spice-flavored beer capped off the night perfectly. It was sweet and spicy, like a pumpkin pie, and warmed you to the core. My only regret is I only had one of them.
The Brewery of Newport, North Carolina
Lately, Tyler has been frequently visiting his local Lowe’s Foods‘ Beer Den and having a beer with his friend Matt to discuss their revamped podcast, Back Porch Parley. While there, Tyler has fallen in love with Shortway Brewing Company and their selection of beer. While we were in Havelock, we were only fifteen minutes from Shortway and Tyler knew he had to take a trip there. So here’s what we found at the brewery in Newport, North Carolina.
Shortway Brewing Company
The Ambiance
Have you ever been to a Moose Lodge? You know, the ones with the old, dark wooden panels. That’s what the inside of Shortway Brewing Company reminded us of. Take that as you will, but we really enjoyed the atmosphere of the place. It was pretty much all indoors except for a hidden beer garden in the back that we didn’t notice until we left. The bartenders here weren’t quite as kind and attentive as the rest of the places seemed to be. They weren’t rude by any means, just not like they wanted to be there.
The Beer
As we’re sure you can guess by now, Tyler is a big wheat fan. When we got to Shortway and he saw the Merry Cranberry, a 6% spiced cranberry wheat beer. It tasted like Christmas if you could bottle it up and get drunk off it. It finishes off nicely with a crisp cranberry flavor and a subtle hint of raspberry.
Next was the This Stout is Bananas, a banana white stout ringing in at 5.5% abv. This one tasted like a liquid banana bread, it was nice and banana-y with a smooth nuttiness. It was finished with a smooth caramel flavor that made you go back for more.
The Brewery of Morehead City, North Carolina
Morehead City, North Carolina was our last stop of the weekend. Morehead City is a small port town that helps make up the Crystal Coast of North Carolina. We were surprised to find out there was a brewery in this small town, so we had to make sure we tried it out while we were close.
Tight Lines Pub & Brewing Co.
The Ambiance
This place reminded us of a place back home in Wilmington called Front Street Brewery. While Tight Lines Pub and Brewing Co was still a brewery, there seemed to be more emphasis put on the food aspect of their business. There wasn’t much seating in there, and the little seating that was in there was pretty cramped. However, the service was phenomenal. The bartender we had did an excellent job helping Gracie find a beer to try.
The Beer
It is a well known fact by now that Gracie can be a picky drinker when it comes to beer, so finding a beer she will enjoy is always a challenge at every brewery we go to. However, Tight Lines had a plethora of options to choose from for Gracie in terms of sours. She actually sampled all of the sours before settling on an 4.5% abv AB Pie. It was a nice gose brewed with lemon and lime that really stood out when you took a sip. It was just the right tartness that made you pucker your lips, not your ass.
Tyler stuck with his heavy beer theme from the weekend and went with the Buckin’ Fananas, a 7.9% abv banana wheat beer. This was probably one of Tyler’s favorite beers from this trip. It held a perfectly blended banana and caramel flavor that was reminiscent of a banana foster. It was the perfect way to end the weekend.
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