A New Tap in Town

Cape Side Brewing opens in the heart of Southport, pairing sessionable brews, live music and a beachy backyard scene.

Without a doubt, Southport is one of the coolest coastal NC towns to visit. It’s definitely a destination for many visitors, whether they arrive via the perennially-under-construction Highway 211, the more rural Highway 87 or even by way of the Southport/Fort Fisher Ferry.

In fact, one time, after that rainstorm that hung around for days and inundated the area, all the roads into and out of the quaint port town were choked with traffic. They needed emergency repairs from the storm that was never even named. Yours truly, seeking to get home on two wheels, had to resort to taking that ferry just to keep the Harley from overheating.

Moreover, until now, beer nuts who demanded fresh brewery beer had to drive up the road apiece to the popular Carolina Crab or to Solar Brewing in Oak Island.

But no longer.

That changed on April 2 when Kevin Wright, Alan McDonald and Kevin Bower opened the doors to the brand new — and visually impressive — Cape Side Brewing right on Howe Street in the center of what many call NC’s most patriotic town.

I’ll say at the outset that Father Dave and I were most impressed by the on-site parking as we arrived. Because anybody who knows Southport knows that parking is always at a premium.

But there is much more that impresses at Cape Side Brewing. We were struck by the airiness of the place. It’s huge, breezy, beachy and delightful to the eye.

The forward-thinking owners even had six truckloads of pure white sand delivered to simulate a beach out back — complete with a stage for entertainers. It may be the biggest beach in Southport, which, though lovely, is not oceanfront. The sandy backyard is home to a stage where there will be frequent live music. There will also be food trucks on site frequently.

The site was a gas station before McDonald’s father-in-law bought it and turned it into Dixie LP Gas. Then it was an art shop, a car detail shop and a glass business before becoming Cape Side Brewing. It has oodles of space and will likely need every oodle.

Also impactful is the artwork on the walls by Candice Melcher, who additionally applied her considerable talents to the restrooms and painted the impressive logo above the bar.

The beautiful hand-painted, ocean-themed bar is the work of Mark Williams, a member of Cape Side’s ownership group as well as the contractor of the entire interior renovation project.

“Mark was instrumental in the creation of Cape Side,” McDonald says. “He is a combination of contractor and artist, a true craftsman, and he made this whole place a work of art.”

The brewer is Jeremiah Mullins, the same brewer and Army veteran I predicted had “bigger things on his horizon” in a story about the now-defunct Mannkind Brewery.

Cape Side is that bigger thing, and the owners consider him a godsend. At my April visit, there were only four beers on the menu — all good — brewed in collaboration with Blackbird Brewery.

Two of the Cape Side’s beers were Czech Pils, and one of those was dry-hopped. Both were excellent, though the dry-hopped one caught my fancy. There was a modern American Pale Ale called Bright Side, good for those (like me) who enjoy a malt backbone. And an impeccable West Coast IPA called Aloha Y’all that wowed both Father Dave and me.

At the official grand opening on May 2, the menu had more Cape Side beers on tap, along with guest taps.

On tap at publication time were a Tropical Blonde (4.5% ABV); Old Baldy Porter (6% ABV); Wave Resin IPA (7.4% ABV); Trusthouse Cold IPA (5.6% ABV); Trade Winds Hazy IPA (6.5% ABV); a Hoo Doo Waves Hefeweizen (7% ABV); and a Mexican Dark Lager (5% ABV).

“We consider this a craft artisanal brewery and we will constantly be playing with styles and flavors of beer,” McDonald says. “We will not have traditional flagship beers, though you could say we are lager forward. We have several low ABV options because we are on the coast and we know that is what many of our customers want. But we will also be playing with many different styles of varying ABV.”

Over the two days Cape Side had been open in April, the crowds grew as the day wore on.

Day One, the place was packed to the gills and crazy, but because of its size, no one felt crushed or rushed. The locals came out in full force, and because it’s dog-friendly, even a few pets were there.

Wright (a former federal law enforcement officer) and McDonald (retired Secret Service) were comfortable with how that played out. Bower, who at 6’9” towers over any scene, wasn’t there, because “he still works,” according to his smiling partners.

The smart money says all three owners will be smiling for many years down the road if Cape Side Brewing takes off as it’s expected to. There are already two full hookups for food trucks as well as dedicated golf cart parking. McDonald advised that Oktoberfest is going to be epic, as he has secured the popular and hard to book The Little German Band.

I raised an eyebrow when he told me the “Little” German Band has 24 members.

But Father Dave and I will be in our lederhosen and hoisting a Mullins Marzen or three on October 17, for sure.

HOIST A PINT
Cape Side Brewing
511 N. Howe Street, Southport
capesidebrewing.com
Monday & Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday and Thursday: 1 to 9 pm
Friday and Saturday: 12 to 11 pm
Sunday: 1 to 9 pm