Aug 03, 2021

Outer Banks Breweries

Guide to the Outer Banks’ Best Craft Beer, Microbreweries, and More

Blog / OBX Guides
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Craft beer is all the rage right now, and beer-centric establishments on the Outer Banks do not disappoint. No matter which town you’re staying in, there’s an Outer Banks brewery, restaurant, or pub that serves OBX beer nearby. Each spot offers a unique craft beer experience, but all are locally owned and operated right here on the Outer Banks. We’ve gathered all of the information you’ll need to find the breweries, bars, beer stores, and restaurants with exceptional beer selections, including insider tips from OBX locals. 

 

🍺= $5 or less per beer

🍺🍺= $5 – $7 per beer

🍺🍺🍺= $7 or more per beer

Off The Wall Taphouse Northern Outer Banks Brewing Company Tap Shack Outer Banks Brewing Station Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint Swells’a Brewing Beer Company Buffalo City Jug Shop Lost Colony Brewery & Cafe Brew Thru 1718 Brewing Ocracoke

Off the Wall Tap House 

  • Location: 603 Currituck Clubhouse Dr, Corolla, NC 27927
  • Price: 🍺 – 🍺🍺🍺 depending on your beer selection and how much you drink
  • Why We Love It: A relative newcomer to the Outer Banks beer scene, Off the Wall Tap House is a welcomed addition to Corolla. Located at the north end of the Harris Teeter shopping center, this gem of an establishment blends craft beer and impressive food with technology in a casual atmosphere. Their wall of beer allows for easy, self-serve access to all of their beer selections, which rotate regularly. Each beer’s logo and full description is displayed on an ipad above the tap. Your server will provide you with a special wristband with a sensor that activates the tap once you’ve selected a beer. With several different cup sizes and self-serve draft beer, you can try as many beers as you’d like or simply focus on one favorite. While the focus is on beer at Off the Wall Tap House, the food is equally amazing. Burgers and fries are available, but local seafood, regional delicacies (BBQ!) and exceptional salads can also be found on the menu. Patio seating is available and pet-friendly! Growlers are available if you prefer to drink at your vacation home or on the beach. Off the Wall’s growlers are plastic, making them beach-friendly.
  • Our Favorite Beer: Highland Brewing Starchaser White for its light, citrusy flavor that tastes like summer
what is a growler
off the wall tap house
Northern Outer Banks Brewing Company flight

Northern Outer Banks Brewing Company

  • Location: 520 Old Stoney Rd, Suite J, Corolla, NC 27927
  • Price: 🍺🍺
  • Why We Love It: This small, family-owned and operated microbrewery hails as Corolla’s first microbrewery. Using the best ingredients available, the resulting brews are super fresh and aromatic. Northern Outer Banks Brewery offers four flagship beers, each with a local name and flavor: Corolla Saison, Penny’s Hill IPA, Swan Beach Honey Pale Ale, and Corolla Lager. New beers are rotated into the lineup regularly. Patio seating is available just outside of the brewery and beer flights are available so you can sample several of their Outer Banks craft beers. Tours, led by brewery owner Kathleen, are available upon request. 
  • Our Favorite Beer: Penny’s Hill IPA due to its fresh, hoppy flavor and easy drinkability 
Penny's Hill IPA

Tap Shack

  • Location: 1209 Duck Rd, Duck, NC 27949
  • Price: 🍺🍺
  • Why We Love It: The amazing beer-drinking atmosphere. Tap Shack is an oasis in the backyard of Coastal Cravings, but the yard has everything you need for a fun and relaxing afternoon or evening with a tasty draft beer. They have live music every night during the warm months, and they have hammocks, yard games, a bar, and a variety of tables and chairs so you can find a space to get comfortable to drink your brew. This OBX beer hidden gem is not to be missed.
  • Our Favorite Beer: Southern Pines Hefeweizen for its smooth, fluffy consistency and citrusy flavor
Tap Shack Duck
brewing station band

Outer Banks Brewing Station

  • Location: 600 S Croatan Hwy, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
  • Price: 🍺🍺
  • Why We Love It: The Outer Banks Brewing Station has it all – excellent Outer Banks beer, delicious menus, an excellent facility (indoors and out), and great nightlife. Hailing as the first wind-powered brewery in the USA, the farmhouse-style building is easily identifiable from the bypass road by the tall silos and windmill spinning behind it. Their high-quality beers range from pilsner to porter and everything in between, with several choices of signature brews available year-round and seasonal offerings. Beer flights are available for multi-beer samplings. Enjoy your beers at night inside this Outer Banks brewery while listening to a nationally-touring band, or step outside to the large yard and chill out at one of the picnic tables or play corn hole. The backyard is fully fenced and includes a massive pirate ship playset that is popular with the kids. Tours of the brewery are available.
  • Our Favorite Beer: Ashley’s Parlour Porter for its perfect combination of a summer porter and cold brew coffee from Ashley’s Espresso Parlour in Kill Devil Hills. If you are a lover of both coffee and beer, this draft is a must-have! 
outer banks brewing station menu

Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint

    • Location: 800 S Virginia Dare Trail, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
    • Price: 🍺 – 🍺🍺🍺 depending on your beer selection
    • Why We Love It: Jack Brown’s focuses on two things: burgers and beer, and they do it well. From local brew offerings to rare beers from around the world, a variety of all styles of beer is available. Seasonal and new beers are constantly worked into the rotation. They even have the “Notch Club” that serious beer drinkers can earn membership in by drinking 100 different beers. Pace yourself, it’s a long-term project! The goal is to keep you coming back to hang out at the bar and try new beers. The burgers are all-natural wagyu beef with creative twists, such as the El Chupacabra, which is topped with sweet-chili bacon jam and goat cheese. Jack Brown’s offers live music and yard games for the ultimate beer drinking experience. 
    • Our Favorite Beer: Catawba Brewing Co. Evening Joe for its refreshingly light and crisp cold brew coffee ale with notes of vanilla
jack brown's logo
swellsa brewing
Swells'a Brewing in Kill Devil Hills

Swells’a Brewing Beer Company

  • Location: 1802 S Virginia Dare Trail, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
  • Price: 🍺 – 🍺🍺🍺 depending on your beer selection
  • Why We Love It: Swells’a Brewing Beer Company is the longtime dream of two local OBX surfers. The brews are a combination of beers brewed onsite and regional favorites, like 1718 Brewing Ocracoke’s Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout. They even brew their own seltzer, Sweltzer Wish You Were Beer, a watermelon margarita seltzer. They also feature locally-made non-alcoholic Hay Point kombucha, as well as delicious, locally-made Gutsy Grain soft pretzels. Beer flights are available if you can’t decide on just one brew. They also have select canned and bottled beverages in the cooler, such as JuneShine Hard Kombucha. Swells’a Brewing Beer Company’s building is gorgeous, and they have a fenced yard, perfect for watching little ones while you sip your beverage of choice. 
  • Our Favorite Beer: Burkhart Brown for its light body, a hint of chocolate and coffee tones
swellsa brewing

Buffalo City Jug Shop

  • Location: 1900 S Croatan Hwy, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
  • Price: 🍺🍺 – 🍺🍺🍺 depending on your beer selection
  • Why We Love It: Buffalo City Jug Shop offers the flexibility of either relaxing with a pint in a laid-back atmosphere or buying your craft beer to enjoy at home. Offering beer on tap, beer in cans or bottles, and a growler filling station if you’d like your draft beer to go. Named after nearby Buffalo City, a now-defunct logging and moonshining community, Buffalo City Jug Shop keeps it local by offering an impressive selection of North Carolina beers as well as local OBX art. They offer beers from around the world, many are limited releases making them truly unique finds. The 24 beers on tap are rotated regularly. 
  • Our Favorite Beer: Wooden Robot Brewery Razz Hands for its delightfully fruity, raspberry flavor that’s perfect for summer

Lost Colony Brewery & Cafe

 

  • Location: 208 Queen Elizabeth Ave, Manteo, NC 27954
  • Price: 🍺
  • Why We Love It: What started as a beloved restaurant in downtown Manteo has evolved into a full-fledged brewery and cafe. British and Irish style beers are their specialty. Several of their beers are proud World Beer Championship medal winners. Brewed in a former boat shop in Stumpy Point, Lost Colony Brewery can produce up to 1,000 gallons of beer at a time. Each beer has a locally-inspired name and incredible label artwork and a story to go with it. Their beer is available at many locations along the Outer Banks, but taking a trip down to The Lost Colony Brewery & Cafe allows you to enjoy their amazing food along with your OBX craft beer. 
  • Our Favorite Beer: Hatteras Red for its gentle session-ale hoppiness and the sassy history associated with its name
Lost Colony Hatteras Red

Brew Thru

  • Locations: 

🚗 790 Ocean Trail, Corolla, NC 27927

🛵 4728 N Croatan Hwy, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949

🚙 3101 N Croatan Hwy, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948

🚌 2203 S Croatan Hwy, Nags Head, NC 27959

🏍 3700 S Virginia Dare Trail, Nags Head, NC 27959

  • Price: 🍺 – 🍺🍺🍺 depending on your beer selection
  • Why We Love It: The Outer Banks’ one and only drive-through convenience store. Brew Thru offers over 125 beers, ranging from your standard light beers to local and regional NC microbrews. They even offer kegs. They also offer convenience store staples, such as sodas and snacks, as well as everything you could possibly need for the beach. Their T-shirts are legendary, with new designs coming out each year. Brew Thru is an excellent option for folks with a car full of kids that you don’t wish to take into a beer store or brewpub. You get your beer and they think driving through the store is the best thing ever! 
  • Our Favorite Beer: Wicked Weed Pernicious IPA for its bold IPA flavor with fruity notes
Brew Thru
1718 brewing ocracoke

1718 Brewing Ocracoke

  • Location: 1129 Irvin Garrish Hwy, Ocracoke, NC 27960
  • Price:🍺 – 🍺🍺🍺 depending on your beer selection
  • Why We Love It: It’s no secret that we love Ocracoke Island and 1718 Brewing Company is one of our favorite places to drop in and grab a cold beer. The beer selection is constantly evolving, and flights are available to sample the latest offerings. Featuring a classic brewery atmosphere, yet located on a remote island that is truly something special. Live music and open mic night are on the agenda for certain nights. Canned beers are available so you can take your favorite beer home with you. Food is available to order from Plum Pointe Kitchen. 
  • Our Favorite Beer: Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout for its dark beer drinkability, featuring a malty flavor with hints of chile and spice
Outer Banks Brewing Station

Enjoy a Fine Meal At An Outer Banks Brewery

Many Outer Banks restaurants serve local OBX beer, but the Outer Banks Brewing Station has exceptional food as well. Check them out for a great meal, tasty microbrews, and excellent live music. 

Courtney Wisecarver

Courtney Wisecarver

Aug 03, 2021

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