Pour Taproom: A Night of Theater and Booze in Wilmington, NC

Just look at these f*cking seats!

~Edd
There's nothing like a good night out with friends. Saturday was one of those nights. We found an Encore Deal for half off the local community theater’s production of Young Frankenstein, the Mel Brooke’s classic that was adapted as a musical for the stage. I’ve done theater for years, so I can appreciate shows that are good, and I can spot productions that are just bad. Thalian Hall, the main theater in Wilmington, NC, which is home to at least 7 local theaters, has always put on high quality productions. I went to Spamalot last year and was pleasantly surprised. They have high production values, and the casting is typically expertly done.

This show was no exception. Troy Rudeseal, playing Frederick, did a great job, even though he's not Gene Wilder. Igor, played by Michael Savas, stole the show, and was the spitting image of the film version. The lighting was on point, the set was minimalist, yet extremely functional. Gags like the spinning bookcase were well articulated. And dat choreography, doe! The blind hermit, played by J.R. Rodriguez, had a hell of a time lighting his match for the cigar gag in the second half of the show, which honestly turned into one of the funniest shticks of the night. All in all, I'm really glad I saw the show, especially for half price.

After the play we headed over to Wilmington's newest bar, Pour Tap Room. Pour is a chain of tap rooms, based out of (of course) Asheville, NC. According to the website, while there are over half a dozen locations with the same logo, concept, and style: "Pour Taproom is NOT a franchise, but rather a group of friends and family with small local businesses in different cities throughout the Southeast and California." Regardless, this place is pretty awesome! It's self-described as "A beer and wine festival, every day of the week!" The concept runs like this: Upon entry, you go to the counter and "sign in." They check your ID and start a tab, and you get a neat little wrist band. You then grab a glass and head to one of the 70+ beers on tap. Scanning your wrist band at the tap, you pour, and pay, by the ounce. They limit each "tab" to 32 ounces before you need to re-up, ensuring you don't leave with a pre-Bush-era-NASA-budget bar tab without being at least partially aware of the fact. 

They divide the beers into Darks, IPAs, Lights, Belgians, Sours, Ciders, and upstairs there is an all North Carolina section. In the bank vault (Because they remodeled an old bank), lives the wine section. Looking at the signage for each brew, you can see the name, label, style, price per ounce, and the ABV. For me, there were two break-out stars, a Tap Room exclusive called Spa Day Kolsch, and a St. Bernardus Abt 12 Belgian Quad. These beers were exceptionally different styles, taste, and price points, but they were my two favorites. For the beer illiterate, a kolsch (kölsch if you want to get snooty with it.) is a style of beer from Cologne (Köln), Germany. Kolschs are typically lighter, with a lot of malt and low-to-medium hops (i.e. not so bitter like an IPA.). The Spa Day Kolsch finishes off a pretty standard kolsch flavor with a cucumber after-taste. It's like being simultaneously dehydrated and re-hydrated. It's quite refreshing! Belgians are made with a special yeast and often have a fruity flavor, low on hops so not so bitter, and a strong flavor. The Abt 12 packs all that, with the added bonus of being 10% ABV and still VERY drinkable. 

So happy! So Buzzed!

This place has a lot charm, and a lot of potential. While having upwards of 50 people in the main area at any time, it never felt crowded. There was never a long line for the taps, the upstairs had several couches. Also, despite getting a very good buzz on very good beers, my tab was only $15. I would definitely go to this place again, and I'll add it to my go-to list of good, Wilmington drinkeries.