I was hyped to find a brewery five minutes from the place we were staying. Originally I planned to ride my bike, then I planned to walk, and finally I ended up driving with my family. Hilton Head Brewing Company had a nice outside seating area. Fans were evening placed so you could enjoy the fresh air even in the hot southern sun. The taproom itself was pretty small. The mild crowd inside on a Wednesday afternoon made it looked packed. So packed, that the bartender recommended we grab a seat outside and order from a server, instead of straight from the bar. From our two minutes inside I did notice their production area through a window behind the bar. I noticed their unique cushioned high top chairs. And I noticed my favorite aspect of the place; the colorful artistic beer menu and nicely organized merch display. They had a total of 12 beers available on tap. Flights came with 4 4oz pours for $7.50. I chose: 1. Gose Down Beery Nice- Classic German Gose with Raspberry (no ABV/IBU to be found anywhere!) 2. Wisp O' Peach Sour- Sour with a hint of peach. IBU: 3 ABV: 5.something...it was cut off in my picture by a mans head! 3. J Street IPA- NEIPA w/ notes of stone fruit and berries ABV: 6.4% IBU: 45 4. Fleck U- Dark Czech Lager (hints of cocoa) ABV: 5.6% IBU: 12 Interestingly, the menu didn't have ABV or IBU! It just had glass sizes and price. Good thing I took a picture of the pretty menu on the wall inside! My favorite of the flight was actually really hard to decide! Maybe the peach sour? The base was similar to 7 Locks' Bitch Monkey Sour. Fairly tart but not overbearingly so, with hints of peach in the middle and lingering into the finish. The Dark Lager was also super interesting to me. In taste it was like a porter. Minimal roastiness, but lots of chocolate aroma and taste, though insanely light bodied. It wasn't super malty sweet either; fairly well balanced in all aspects. The NEIPA had a great fruity nose, sweet floral aspects moving into the finish with a bitter aftertaste. It was a pretty classic hazy. It said it would have notes of stone fruit and berries. I've never had stone fruit...so you try it and be the judge! The last was the Gose. It wasn't bad in any sense. I like trying these side by side with other sour styles. It makes the saltiness really stand out, and I'm finding I'm not a fan of that, despite how "in" the style is right now. It had a pretty color with an aroma that reminded me of roses for some reason. There was lots of raspberry in the taste and much milder in tartness when compared with the peach. After my flight, I ordered two more 4 oz pours: the Hefe and the Crab Pilsner. Crab Pilsner is their sub style of a classic Czech Pilsner, created by the brewery and the Coastal Restaurants and Bars (CRAB). This Pils is NOT brewed with crab, and neither is the Crab Leg beer mentioned below. I'm specifying since I HAVE tried beers brewed with crabs, lobsters and oysters! The Pils had something different about it at the finish that kind of caught me off guard, though hard to describe. It was light and refreshing overall, bready-maltiness with a noticeable biting bitterness. The Hefe was exceptional! It had lots of clove and some banana but not too much. I really liked how they did the style. Other beers that I didn't try include: Tropical Lager, Session IPA, Grip n Rip Kolsch, Folly 3X Double IPA, Cackalacky Common and the All You Can Eat Crab Legs (dry hopped imperial lager). It was a nice visit! There was a guitarist playing outside the whole time and they had BBQ catering from "Retired Pig," there 7 days a week. It smelled really good but we had dinner plans. I saw on the menu that they do tours of the production area Monday-Thursdays 2-5pm and Fridays from 1:30-4pm. From a quick search, it appears HHBC is the only brewery on the island! A place called "Dead Eric Brewing" comes up...but has only one, 1-star review that reads: "this isn't a brewery." So I wouldn't recommend making a trip there... While it may be the only brewery on the island, there are plenty in the surrounding areas. 1. Salt Marsh Brewing, Bluffton- 18 minutes drive from HHBC 2. Southern Barrel Brewing Co., Bluffton- 25 minutes from HHBC and 10 from SMB 3. River Dog Brewing Company, Ridgeland- 25 minutes from HHBC, 10 minutes from SBB Bluffton area also has a Meadery/Cidery! Or, you could take a trip to Savannah. Not only is Savannah a super cool city, but there are several breweries there, including Moon River Brewing Company, which I visited in fall 2017. Read about it HERE.
While you're in the area, make sure you get your beach time, visit the Harbour Town Light House, try some delicious Hilton Head Ice Cream, and explore the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Reserve.
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