Outer Banks Brewing Station

What's a vacation in the Outer Banks without a stop at the Outer Banks Brewing Station? At least for us, it's a required stop. This trip we opted to avoid the usual dinner crowds and stopped in for a late lunch. Four beers were listed on the beer menu; Ölsch (a Kölsch), LemonGrass Wheat Ale, Intergalactic IPA, and Captain's Porter. Our party all opted for our usual favorite styles; the IPA for me, Colleen ordered the Wheat, and our travel companion, Checkered Flag, chose the Ölsch.

IPA, Wheat, Kölsch

The Intergalactic IPA was a cloudy, but attractive orange color with a moderate white head. Keeping with the space theme, and paraphrasing Darth Vader, "the hops are strong with this one." The aroma is full of grapefruit citrus. The taste follows suit with grapefruit, orange and a hint of lemon zest. The finish brings about some grassy bitterness. This is a slightly out of balance, bold, and tasty beer. I spent a lot of time swirling and sniffing the hoppy aromas while savoring my pint.

I grabbed a couple sips of Colleen's LemonGrass Wheat Ale. The aroma is earthy with notes of lemon and pepper. The flavor is that of a hefewiezen with banana and yeast. The lemongrass adds a bit of a zestiness, along with some mild peppery notes. Quite refreshing, and served without a fruit slice thankfully.

The Ölsch has always been on the menu during our visits in the past to the Brewing Station, but I've never ordered it. Towards the end of our meal I realized I hadn't gotten a taste of the Ölsch. I stole a sip and found it to have a nice flavor of sweet, grainy malt. A surprisingly bitter finish comes up in the end. Next time I'll try to do a more complete, um, review of this one.

I enjoyed the pub's "Bratwich" for lunch. The grilled Bratwursts are from the Weeping Radish Butchery, and served with sautéed onions, peppers, sauerkraut and creamy mustard on a hoagie roll. It was quite a tasty accompaniment to the IPA. I would have enjoyed another pint of the Intergalactic IPA, but there was a beach to get to!