Lost Colony Brewery and Cafe in Manteo, NC
Beer God’s Notes
Going into Lost Colony, I had a feeling that this was going to be more of an “old” style place with more British and Irish versions of beer. I was right (I didn’t read that it was that kind of brewery until I went to write this review).
The inside of the “bar/brewery” part that we went to (off to the right) had a real Irish Pub vibe going for it. It was dark with lots of wood everywhere. The atmosphere was friendly and easy going for sure. It was family friendly (there was a family with a kid or two when we were there) and the beer selection was pretty good.
Obviously, if you like British-style beer, this is the place for you. I didn’t try all the beer because I know that I’m not a huge fan of some of those styles, but the beers I did try I enjoyed. Especially the Manteo Porter. LOTS of coffee in this porter, and really easy drinking. It drank like that first cup of coffee in the morning. Easy and fulfilling.
I also tried the Holy Hand Grenade, and that was a really nice interpretation of a Russian Imperial Stout. It wasn’t overly boozy and warm, but it had a nice body to it. It drank a little too easy for being up there in ABV.
Overall, one of two brewery options in the Outer Banks, and my favorite for beer. I did not try the food, so I can’t weigh in there. Nor did I even go over to the cafe/food area of the establishment. If they made a fish and chips that matched their English beer styles — I might have been in heaven.
Description
The Lost Colony Brewery in downtown Manteo specializes in British and Irish style beers. We use Marris Otter malt as our base and then add various combinations of Black Patent, Brown malt, Crystal malt, and Roasted Barley depending on the individual beer. Fuggles, East Kent Golding and Challenger are the hops we use. Our brew house is a 2 Barrel RIMS system filling two barrel fermenters.