The Brew Thru “the original drive thru beverage store” sells the largest variety of brands on the Outer Banks from more than 120 breweries for all over the world. When you want to discover an almost unlimited selection of beer styles, make sure you drive on thru one of our 5 Outer Banks locations.

Beer Types

•  ALES

Overall, these are robust and complex with a variety of fruit and malt aromas, ales come in different varieties. They could include Bitters, Milds, Abbey Ales, Pale Ales, Nut Browns & other creations.

• LAGERS

Crisp, refreshing with a smooth finish from longer aging. Fact: lagers are the world’s most popular beer (this includes pilseners).

• STOUT BEERS

Dry or sweet, flavored with roasted malt barley, oats or certain sugars, stouts & porters are characterized by darkness in color with rich roasted malt flavor.

“Beer Sub-Types”

• AMBER

This is a versatile beer, Ambers are full bodied malts with aromas that have a hint of caramel, these beers could be either lager or ale.

• BLONDE

Blonde ales are very pale in color and usually are clear, crisp, and dry, with low-to-medium bitterness having an aroma from hops and some sweetness from malt.

• BROWN

Dark amber or brown in color, brown ales show an evidence of caramel and chocolate flavors which can have a slightly citrus accent or they can be strong, malty or nutty, depending on the origin of brewing.

• CREAM

Very mild and sweet golden style of ale.

• DARK

Dark ale has its origins in England, with a combination of hops, yeast with a blend of malts. Always a medium chestnut brown color having a delicate fruity smell and robust, malty character.

• LIGHT

Very light in color, mild in flavor. Light beers have fewer calories and usually with lower alcohol percentage.

• FRUIT

Almost all fruit beers are ales but, they usually don’t carry an ale character. In order to allow for the fruit flavor to come through nicely, the malt’s flavor is not dominant giving a low bitterness level to the beer.

• INDIA PALE ALE

This is hoppier rendition of pale ale. HISTORY LESSON: First brewed in the United Kingdom with extra hops to survive the journey to British troops stationed all the way in India.

• PALE

Pale ale is a fruity, copper-coloured style. It came from (you guessed it) England. Pale ales are robust beers that are enjoyed with spicy foods.

• PILSNER

Made with neutral and hard water. Tend to be golden in colour with a dry, crisp, and somewhat bitter flavor. Pilsner stands out from other lagers due to its more distinctive hop taste.

• SPECIALTY

Specialty beers include a diversity of styles like: Strong beers, fruit beers, honey beers, bock beers. These beers will range in alcohol content from 5.0% – 9%.

• WHEAT

Light and easy to drink with very little aftertaste. Wheat provides a soft character to beer and is sometimes hazy or cloudy with a touch of spice notes.

So, now you’ve decided to take up the popular pastime of cigar smoking. After all, this recreational activity has increased in popularity in the last few years, creating all kinds of magazines, books and even smoking bars. Cigar smoking is a fine, affluent, and cultured hobby to take part of. You might be wondering what kind of accessories do you need to go along with your cigars so that you can have an authentic cigar smoking experience?

One of the first things you should purchase is a humidor. Coming in a variety of styles and types, we recommend that you get one that is made of Spanish cedar, or at least contains Spanish cedar in it. Spanish cedar is an important key to help keep cigars fresh for an extended period of time. Also, remember to keep it set at 70% as to keep your cigars in the best humid environment so they will be ready to smoke when you are. Problems in your humidor’s humidity can be overcome by making sure that it’s full of cigars, as an almost empty one messes up the humidity in your humidor.

Big D says before you can light up that cigar, your gonna have to clip off the end tip. The idea behind this is that it will expose the inner leaves of your cigar which are the most flavorful ones as you draw in the cigar smoke. Although many affectionados use any sharp object that might be handy, such as a pocket knife, you can really enjoy your cigar smoking experience prior to lighting up by obtaining a little guillotine clipper. You will notice that they have three holes, two for your fingers and one in the middle for the cigar (pay attention please, lol). Just put the end of your cigar (not your finger) in the middle one and pinch with your fingers causing the blade to snap off the end of your stogie.

Next, you should look into getting a good lighter. Experienced puffers prefer to puff using neither regular lighter, nor match as the sulfur from the match or the fluid from the lighter adds an unpleasant taste to your cigar and you don’t want that! Choosing a butane lighter is a very popular way to light the cigar without having to suffer through bad flavor after-effects.

The piece d’resistance in properly smoking a cigar would be to acquire a smoking jacket. Although not totally necessary, a smoking jacket has been the traditional garment used by Big D and other men to keep smoke from getting on their attire. Smoking jackets are usually about three-quarter-length coats made of a very rich material, deep in color, with cuffs for added effect! It’s true that you may not be able to find these most awesome jackets in stores anymore, you might luck into finding them in 2nd hand clothing shop. If necessary, you can have one tailored to your specifications as Big D has had his made. Just another fun way to enjoy your cigar while adding another layer of authenticity and dignity to your cigar smoking experience.

With all that said, we would like to impart a basic understanding of wine for beginners, or anyone for that matter, that may be mystified by the endless rows of different wines on store shelves and restaurant wine lists. A big part of the fun of wine is discovering the many different varieties and styles to choose from, sample, and distinguishing the different characteristics of one wine from another.

In selecting the perfect wine its critical to remember to always slow down, listen to what your nose and taste buds tell you, savor and have fun; the delightful sound of a cork being pulled from a bottle should bring a smile across your face. In many parts of the world you are simply asked what color of wine you would prefer and voila into any kind of glass it goes, with no pomp and circumstance. So read on, drink wine, enjoy wine and have fun visiting your nearby Outer Banks Brew Thru and find the best wine that is for you.