Bringing the Beach Downtown

New from the owners of Wilmington Brewing Company, Savard Beer & Board combines beach bar, brewery and surfboard shaping shop in Downtown Wilmington.

Living close to the beach can be both a blessing and a curse, especially “in season.” Having a beautiful beach like OIB just a five-minute drive from my house makes proximity a reward.

But on “move in” days in season, that five minutes can sometimes turn into nearly five hours, as would-be renters and vacationers try to get to their respective paradise destinations for a week or two. That’s why we usually stay home on Saturdays.

Farther north, folks in Wilmington have a fine beach just about 20 minutes away. But John and Michelle Savard, owners of the venerable Wilmington Brewing Company, had an idea: Bring the beach to Wilmington.

So they built a new brewery — with a bold new concept — to go along with it.

Enter Savard Beer and Board on S. Front Street in ILM. I get the beer angle, but what’s this board business? Is there some type of lodging associated with the 10-barrel brewing operation?

Well, yes, but more about that later. For the moment “board” refers to surfboards — and the shaping of them by craftsman Evan Oliva, who also serves in a marketing capacity for Savard Beer and Board.

Having my two SubScouts, Keith Berciunas and Father Dave, along for my recent visit was beneficial, and not only for their beer savviness. Former Army Ranger Keith Berciunas was also seeking beers to offer in his own new venture, the No Name Lounge in OIB.

Keith, as it happens, was also an avid surfer in his (often wildly misspent) youth, and as such had an intimate knowledge of what Oliva does in his workshop.

That space, within the cavernous, airy interior of the former W.H. McEachern’s Sons warehouse in the historic district, contained variously shaped surfboards in various stages of completion, including fresh, new white boards awaiting the Oliva treatment.

But while Keith may have been waxing nostalgic in the shaper part of this business, I, who never graduated beyond belly-boarding, was there for the beer — which creates bellies for boarding.

Eleven beers on the main menu provided the challenge, though Savard’s best seller, Reef Runner West Coast Style IPA, had just kicked.

Anyone who knows ILM knows that Wilmington Brewing’s Tropical Lightning is a mainstay of the beer scene, so anticipation for quality suds was high. My crew noted immediately that all the beers were lighter, lower alcohol beer — beers that one might enjoy on the beach.

The two highest ABV beers on the menu — both IPAs — were 6.9% and 6.5%. For reference, Tropical Lightning comes in at 7.4%. There’s even an Irish Stout called Playa Negra that registers a mere 3.8% (just a tad lower than Guinness, though not as creamy).

Except for one or two beers, which we rated as OK, the offerings poured for us by day-gig elementary school teacher Hayley were outstanding, and the nose on all the beers was quite memorable. Parker Whitlow, the brewer, knows what he is about, for sure.

The Bier Break German Pils and the Nose Rider Munich Helles, 4.2% and 4.6% respectively, were solid, well-made examples of the style. While the Helles is likely the transitional beer that turns BudMillerCoors drinkers into craft beer drinkers, the Pils could have served that purpose very well, too.

The Coastal Peel Belgian Wit was a very flavorful thirst-slaker easily worth a full pint, and the Bikini Line Blonde was adequate, though it certainly conjured up some beachy images for my boys.

Two English style offerings — Shin High Dark Mild (3.4%) and Surfer Tan Amber (4%) showed Whitlow’s capabilities quite nicely, all while keeping with the lighter, lower ABV protocol.

Two sessionable IPAs, Shaper Session Session and Strata Sphere Surfer Session (4.3% and 4% respectively) were solid examples of the style, too.

But when it came to ordering full pints after the initial tastings, the SubScouts and each ordered a full pint of Jetty Hopper West Coast IPA (6.5%), which should tell you something about our preferences. We’d have liked to have that Reef Runner, too, but kicked is kicked.

And about that lodging I alluded to earlier, the owners are planning to make Savard Beer and Board into a wedding venue (it’s certainly big enough). And to accommodate the newlyweds, they’re planning an Airbnb space upstairs for the honeymoon suite.

There is no food on the premises, but we did enjoy two large perfectly made German Pretzels with Beer Cheese and Mustard dipping sauces ordered directly from the bar.

Savard Beer and Board is 25 steps from the excellent offerings of Prost — a fine German restaurant next door. Order from the handy QR code on the bar and someone from Prost will deliver whatever your heart desires.

Except lower outdoor temps. For that we have to thank Mr. Willis Carrier, who invented air conditioning in July of 1902! He must have been moved by a July like this.

Want to go?
Savard Beer & Board
12 S. Front Street, Wilmington
(910) 399-4300
Savardbeerandboard.com