ELIZABETH CITY, NORTH CAROLINA
At a historic retrofitted livery stable, Elizabeth City’s GHOST HARBOR BREWING COMPANY sits smack dab in the boutique-shopped Pailin’s Alley downtown district – a place perfectly suited for old pirates singing sea shanties. Opened in December ’18, but at its current larger locale since 2021, Ghost Harbor was the first microbrewery licensed in this historic Albemarle municipality.
Just up the street from waterfront Seven Sounds Brewing, the rustic cement-floored pub is owned by head brewer, Thomas Reese, a durable craftsman who has ‘draughted’ a few dozen one-offs and several recurring brews in the first five years of operation.
Inside a red-bricked shop with mauve-walled side entrance, its green awning protects the umbrella-seated alleyway. Upon entering, the glimmering stainless steel bar top provides a clean, efficient feel.
There are several black-chaired community tables and two-seaters filling out the pub and the stark black ceiling carries exposed pipes and caged Edison lights. The brick-walled bar back features sixteen bronze-piped tap handles leading to a cold storage system serving the left side brewtanks easygoing fare.
I sank six demure draughts during my April ’23 stopover, then got Vito Italian Pilsner, Gypsy Tears Pale Ale, Blair’s Fall Wheat Ale, That Girl Liz IPA and Mulligan Dry Irish Stout (reviewed in Beer Index) to imbibe at Myrtle Beach two days hence.
Spritzy lemon fizzled alongside sugary bubblegum for Ghost Heavy Pilsner, a sweet breaded lightweight.
Not far removed, fizzy lemon drops trickled onto herbal licks and spicy snips for sessionable Apollo Golden Ale.
Toasted grain sweetness, roasted tobacco crisping and mild hop astringency girded Mystery Of Nell Cropsey Amber Ale, picking up subtle red and orange fruiting.
Americanized pale yellow-cleared wheat ale, Blair’s Fall (also reviewed in canned version), retained a salty lemon spritz and mild orange-plantain-quince conflux above white wheat breading.
Polite white grapefruit, mandarin orange and pineapple tropicalia led Wight Of The Wild White IPA, a cross between a debonair hop-forward IPA and a coriander-spiced witbier.
Sharp citrus spicing saddled Nautical IPA, leaving lemon zest, yellow grapefruit bittering, brisk orange peel sweetness and salted mango-pineapple tanginess upon lightly creamed oated malts.
