So Far Away--But Not For Long

For The PubScout, having good beer places close by has always been desirable, and with the growing plethora of good brewpubs and breweries in Central Jersey, one might wonder why I would ever uproot myself and head to the Tarheel State.

One answer would be Makai Brewing in my new hometown of Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Begun by a homebrewer out of Trenton, NJ named Lowell Puckett and his brewing buddy (now head brewer) Gabe Ashmore (L.), this place was hopping (pardon the pun) way beyond normal for a Saturday at noon.

My buddy (and my realtor) Chris stopped in en route to Myrtle Beach Airport for my flight home. I was as much surprised by the sixteen beers on tap as I was by the number of seasoned citizens happily seated and quaffing, while listening to—and appreciating-- an entertainer named Charles Richards, all helping to celebrate the brewery's one-year anniversary.

Turns out “Makai” means “toward the sea,” a phrase totally apropos to Makai’s “catchment area” of Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach and Holden Beach, and Lowell Puckett and his wife, enamored of our 50th state, decided to carry on its vibe in NC. Everything in the décor suggests Hawaii, from art to beer names to flight samplers shaped like surfboards. Brewer Ashmore’s Carolina Tropical IPA features notes of pineapple and mango, and his Nightingale Coffee Porter is brewed with real Kona Coffee beans.

A bit pressed for time, I had to select just one from the extensive menu, and I chose Resilience IPA, a collab with Sierra Nevada. A nicely balanced, maltier IPA, it should please most old school IPA guys, even with a citrusy hop presence.

As we sat at the bar, the place began to get really busy, as tables were almost all filled, and the line for individual customers grew. I noticed some folks eating, and since Makai doesn’t offer food, I asked the bartender from whence it came. She motioned to my right, where there was an entrance to a butcher shop called The Butcher of Brunswick. The Butcher apparently caters to the carnivorous crowd, but I wasn’t there long enough to determine whether there were vegan/vegetarian offerings, not that it would matter to me. But if I expect the missus to join me on my excursions once we move, there better be some plant-based fare. Or else she just drinks hops.

Regardless, it was comforting to know that a place like Makai was in close proximity to my abode. When I get back down there, I will give it a more thorough evaluation. But one very cool thing about it was a Beer-Buy-Board, where you could pay for a beer for someone who was, say, an Army colonel. Then if one such walked and saw it on the board, he could get a free beer on you.

So if any of you get there before I get back in March, feel free to buy a beer for The PubScout. I’ll certainly drink to your health, even though I’ll never be able to pronounce Humuhumunukunukuapua’a Pale Ale.