Front Street Brewery

   Yesterday was so lovely in Eastern NC.  The winds have shifted and the wildfire smoke is being carried more inland.  We took our final trip (while living in NC at least) down to Wilmington yesterday.  We ate lunch at Front Street Brewery.  Well, it was more of a mid-afternoon snack feast.  I love this place.  It is located on Front St (go figure...) in the beautiful downtown area.  This micro-brewery is fitted into an old row building with pressed tin ceilings and dark, old hardwood.  The way you picture a turn of the [last] century bar to look.  The front left portion houses the brewery where they brew their four standards: River City Raspberry Wheat, Coastal Kolsch, Port City IPA, and Dram Tree Scottish Ale.  In addition to the standards, they carry a wide variety of bottled beers, have a full bar, and have rotating seasonal brews created by the FSB brew masters (generally 2-3 varieties).

   These are two of the seasonal brews for Spring/Summer 2011.  On the left is the Triple Play which is a Belgian style tripel.  For a light (in color) beer, it is rich and smooth with very little hops, just enough the balance the flavors.  All varieties except this have the option of a pint, but this brew approaches 10% ABV.  Even with the high alcohol content (as far as beer goes) it goes down easy... maybe a little too easy.  I really enjoyed this refreshing break from my usual dark beers.  The other beer pictured above is El Hefe, a hefenweizen .  This wheat beer is light and crisp with hints of spice and citrus.  Almost no hops, it is incredibly smooth with a hint of sweetness.

   And I couldn't resist a dark because I love Scottish ales.  This is my second favorite Scottish ale (the first being from Bosco's.)  Dark and rich, the Dram Tree Scottish Ale is smokey with caramelized notes of coffee and chocolate.
   The menu is a pretty standard selection for a bar/pub.  Burgers and sandwiches, fried goodies, and classics like fish and chips and shepard's pie.  Every once in a while they'll throw in a Gulf/Coastal favorite like jambalaya or gumbo.  I know their burgers are wraps are fantastic; the FSB Pita Wrap with portabellas is my favorite sandwich here.

   Every day from 3-6 pm and then after 10 pm, about half of the appetizers are half price.  Perfect for relaxing with a beer and just enjoying the afternoon.  We sort of indulged in our app selections, but it was so good.  We started with the crab dip (not half price but a really good deal at about $10.)  Normally this is a fairly heavy dish and I was surprised at how light it was!  It was almost fluffy, I kid you not.  Fresh shreds of crab run through the creamy, cheesy concoction and the parmesan dusted pita points are soft and lightly toasted, like the best pita from a great Greek restaurant.  I could have eaten the whole thing by my self, but it is a great option for sharing.

   The buffalo chicken tenders are cooked perfectly without too much breading and the sauce isn't too greasy or spicy.  Really really good, but not quite as special as the other items we ordered.  But if you fancy yourself a chicken tender connoisseur, you will not be disappointed.

   Oh, and these beauties.  I hate these things.  They are too good.  Deadly good, in fact.  Beer nuggets.  See how terrible they are?  I'm not writing full sentences!  Fried hunks of beer dough rolled around in garlic butter and served with marinara.  Damn you FSB for creating these!  I really really hate you because I love these so much.  I wanted to cry when I ate the first one because it was so fucking delicious!

   I highly recommend Front Street Brewery if you find yourself wandering around the Wilmington area.  It is fun, casual, relaxed, ironically family friendly (up until the night life kicks ups later in the evening).  Great food and great beer, what more do you need?  Maybe some beer to go?  They offer several options for at home enjoyment from half kegs to 64 oz jugs (that are refillable!)

Front Street Brewery

9 N. Front St.

Wilmington, NC 28401

910-251-1935