Brewery & Activity Pairings on the Outer Banks

If you’ve been on the Outer Banks during this five-day nor’easter, then you know why I’m writing this week’s blog about beer. Our nerves are a little rattled after days on end of sustained 30 mph+ winds, no sun, spitting rain, tree limbs snapping, buildings shaking, toilet bowl water sloshing, roads flooding and beaches (and even a couple of houses) being swallowed by the roaring ocean.

When the weather warms up and the sun comes out, don’t be surprised to find the local breweries packed full of people.

I could just point you directly to the locally brewed beer, but if you’re like me, you find that beer always tastes better after you do something physical – something that makes you feel like you’ve earned it. That’s why they serve beer at the finish line of marathons and races. So, in this blog I’m offering up activity and beer pairings for the five local breweries. The beer is going to taste great either way, but you’ll feel better about yourself if you put a little something between the couch and the beer.

Paddling Roanoke Sound + Lost Colony Brewery Waterfront Beer Garden 

Nags Head

This fun happens on the Nags Head/Manteo Causeway.

The activity: Head to Kitty Hawk Kites’ Whalebone Watersports Center and rent kayaks or standup paddleboards. This center is in the perfect location for launching on-site and exploring the shallow waters and marsh islands of the sound. Kayak fishing setups are available too. If you have your own kayaks, canoes or SUPs, you can launch at the nearby Town of Nags Head Estuarine Site on the causeway. You might see dolphins and you’ll most likely see a variety of birds like pelicans, gulls, osprey, egrets, herons and more. The sloughs that run alongside the islands can be good fishing spots. Photo at top courtesy of Kitty Hawk Kites.

The beer: Lost Colony Brewery's British and Irish-style ales are brewed in Stumpy Point, but the brewery has a new Waterfront Beer Garden in Nags Head for enjoying its brews with a view of the water. The Beer Garden is accessible via kayak, SUP or small watercraft, so you can paddle up to the bar and sit outside to enjoy the view. They don’t serve food, but you can bring your own. FreshFit Café is nearby if you want a healthy bite to eat. Enjoy a pint or a flight of the many offerings. The Kitty Hawk Blonde is the perfect light refresher after a day of paddling, or the Holy Hand Grenade (9.0% ABV) will wash away any traumas of exercising for your beer.

Photo: Lost Colony's canned and draft beer is available at their new Waterfront Beer Garden.

Hiking Run Hill + Outer Banks Brewing Station

Kill Devil Hills

The activity: For most people, hiking sand dunes on the Outer Banks means climbing around on Jockey’s Ridge. But the lesser-known sand dunes of Run Hill are an awesome place to hike and you won’t have to contend with crowds. Run Hill State Natural Area is an active, migrating dune system just like Jockey’s Ridge. It has valleys and ridges and overlooks, and you can spend a couple of hours exploring here. It’s behind the First Flight Middle School in Kill Devil Hills. You can park at the school and walk behind the ballfields into the dunes, or park on the roadside at the entrance at 901 10th Avenue in KDH.

The beer: Within walking distance of Run Hill is Outer Banks Brewing Station, a fully accommodating brewery and restaurant with a variety of seating options. Their extensive beer list includes their perennial favorites (Lemongrass Wheat, Olsch) and an ever-rotating selection of always-tasty brewing experiments. They serve excellent food for lunch and dinner too, not only pub fare but really tasty chef-perpared entrees, salads, soups and desserts as well. You can sit inside at the bar or at a table or lounge in their back yard and play yard games and let the kids play on the pirate ship.

Photo: The backyard at Outer Banks Brewing Station.

Beach Road Bike Ride + Swells’a Brewing

Kill Devil Hills

The activity: Virginia Dare Trail, aka The Beach Road, has a nice long bike path/bike lane that makes it a fun place to ride bikes. Rent bikes from Outer Banks Bicycle or Ocean Atlantic Rentals, then meander along the Beach Road looking at houses and people and stopping along the way at the shops, piers and restaurants. Nags Head, south of MP 8, is the safest place to ride because the bike path is separate from the road. But when that path ends, KDH has a wide and safe bike lane.

The beer: Swells’a is a great place to hang out. The yard, roof-top bar and indoor seating were made for whiling away the hours with beer. Their beer is dang tasty too, and the selection is always a surprise. There’s so much to choose from that a flight seems to be the best way to get oriented to their beers. I recently drank a Head Dipper Hazy IPA and a Hoi Toid on Da Sound Soind Lager and give them both a thumbs up. They don’t serve food, so eat before you go, bring your own food or plan to go to one of the nearby restaurants when you pedal away.

Photo: An example of the offerings at Swells'a Brewing

Wild Horse Tour + Northern Outer Banks Brewing Company

Corolla

The activity: A wild horse tour north of Corolla does not require a huge energy output. For most of them, you sit in a vehicle and let someone else do the driving. But the excitement level is high because you ride on the open beach and almost always get to see the horses in their natural habitat. You can find a horse tour here. If you want to add a little more exercise to your tour, book a Wild Horse & Kayak Tour with Back Country Safari Tours. You get to see horses and kayak along the sound. 

The beer: Whatever horse tour you choose, you’ll work up a thirst in the few hours of being outdoors in the open air. Stop at Northern Outer Banks Brewing after for a house-brewed beer. It’s really more of a brewery with tables than a brewpub. They have six beers on tap, including Corolla Lager, Swan Beach Honey Pale Ale and Penny’s Hill IPA. They don’t serve food, but there are restaurants close by.

Photo: Northern Outer Banks Brewings Company's logo features a wild horse.

Island Bike & Hike + 1718 Brewing Ocracoke

Ocracoke Island

The activity: The best way to get around Ocracoke Island is by bicycle. If you don’t have your own, you can rent one at the Slushy Stand in the heart of the village. Bike around the village for a while, then head over toward the lighthouse and continue on Loop Road until you reach the entrance to Springer’s Point Nature Preserve. There’s no parking for cars or golf carts, so you’ll be glad you have the bike. Lock up your bike and head down the trail for a walk among stunning live oaks. You’ll end up at a lovely soundside beach. Walk back to your bikes and head back through the village to 1718 Brewing.

The beer: 1718 Brewing’s tasting room offers indoor and pet-friendly outdoor seating. They keep it simple here, with flights and pints of their ever-rotating selection of beers that are brewed onsite. They have refreshing kolsch and IPAs and interesting selections brewed with local ingredients like prickly pear and figs. They don’t serve food, but Plum Point Kitchen is on-site, and they serve tasty pub fare incorporating local seafood and more.

I hope you get out there and have some fun on the Outer Banks this week! Of course, there are many more places to enjoy a great beer on the Outer Banks, and you'll find them here. If looking for fun activities from Corolla to Ocracoke, you can search by type of activity here.