After a brief two week pause I decided to take the quest south and try to find some some sunshine and get out of the cloudy, dreary and rainy Northeast weather. After crossing the Mason- Dixon Line I stopped in Hagerstown and found the Antietam Brewpub in a small shopping plaza. The pub had a sports bar decor with TV screens everywhere along with a few pool tables. I enjoyed the four house brews that they had on draught and a very good Waldorf salad. The l'll Ben's Milk Stout was a very enjoyable beer and my favorite of the flight. It was time to hit the road and I made a brief stop in Fayetteville, NC and found two brewpubs that keep the troops happy at Fort Bragg. The Mash House which was more restaurant than brewpub. The Brown Porter was the best of the four house brewed beers. The Huske Hardware House Brewery in the historic section of town is an old refurbished warehouse. It is a great rustic brewpub with a large bar and sitting area. Six house brews were on tap, the Level Headed Blonde and the Brickhouse IPA were my two favorites.Yes, they had a watermellon wheat and no, I will not comment.
After Fayetteville, I stopped at the Southern Hops Brewing Co. in Florence, SC. This was a fun stop and they make an awesome pulled pork barbecue pizza. It was also trivia night and I found out the local patrons take trivia night very seriously. The Leeroy Brown Ale and the Black Water Porter were two very good beers. Just remember if it is trivia night do not talk too loud....the othr tables may hear your answer. This was a great stop, great people, great beer, great pizza and great fun.
After Fayetteville, I stopped at the Southern Hops Brewing Co. in Florence, SC. This was a fun stop and they make an awesome pulled pork barbecue pizza. It was also trivia night and I found out the local patrons take trivia night very seriously. The Leeroy Brown Ale and the Black Water Porter were two very good beers. Just remember if it is trivia night do not talk too loud....the othr tables may hear your answer. This was a great stop, great people, great beer, great pizza and great fun.
After a few days I reached my Southern most point at Fernandina Beach, FL. What a great beach and town to relax and enjoy the sun. Yes they have a very small micro brewery in the Karibrew Restaurant. They usually have two beers available. and I was able to enjoy their summer wheat and stout. They have great food, a very nice outdoor courtyard and a very good bartender transplanted from Vermont.
OK...so it was time to head North and the first stop is Savannah, GA. I was surprised that numerous craft beer bars are opening in the area, however, Currently only two breweries, Moon River and Southbound are in the area with a third, Coastal Empire, preparing to open in a few months. Moon River Brewing offers a sample flight of 8 beers. Yes, that is 40 oz. of beer. Their Irish stout "The Bomb" is a 2014 gold medal winner at the World Beer Festival. It is an excellent beer and worthy of gold, I also enjoyed the Slow-Vannah IPA and the Captain's Porter. Savannah appears to have an appetite for craft beer, so hopefully more brewers will discover this neat city on the river. On to Charleston, SC..................