I recommend a week spent in Sunset Beach, NC to anyone who needs to get away for a little while, but doesn’t want to be completely in the boonies (there was a Food Lion a little over a mile away and Myrtle Beach is only 30 minutes away).

We brought a trunkfull of craft beer with us, since we have found Sunset Beach’s beer selection a little lacking, though they did have 2 brews from Leinenkugel which can work in a pinch. We brought the following:

• Stoudt’s Heifer-in-Wheat (6 pack)
• Smuttynose’s Hanami Ale (6 pack)
• Dogfish Head’s Chicory Stout (6 pack)
• River Horse’s Belgian Tripel (6 pack)
• Founder’s Breakfast Stout (4 pack)
• Ommegang’s Witte (750 ml bottle)
• Avery’s Fifteen (22 oz bottle)
• Great Divide’s Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout (22 oz bottle)
• Southern Tier’s Back Burner barley wine style ale (22 oz bottle)
• Southern Tier’s Big Red red ale (22 oz bottle)
• Southern Tier’s Pumking imperial pumpkin ale (22 oz bottle)

It was a mix of old and new, and for 4 mornings, Ray and I split a bottle of Founder’s Breakfast Stout with our eggs and hot Italian sausage. Yes, it was perfect.

We went to the Carolina Winery, where last February we met Tim, the knowledgable and down to earth vintner. Unfortunately, he wasn’t manning the tasting bar that afternoon, and we were helped by a staffer that was efficient in her pourings, but didn’t offer the same insight that Tim did. Nevertheless, we walked out with 3 bottles, one of which we intend to save until the Christmas season when a spiced cranberry wine will go nicely with dinner.

Other than that, we spent plenty of time on the beach (even suffered a sunburn), the pool, visited a lovely local tea house for “ultimate tea”, fed turtles and giant carp, rode an antique carousel, and spent plenty of time sipping beers and reading beer periodicals.

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