Road Trip! Savard Beer & Board (Wilmington Brewing Co.)

When I told a brewing buddy we were going to Wilmington, he said to be sure to visit Wilmington Brewing Company (WBC) and try their Tropical Lightning IPA. Unfortunately, we were not able to make contact with the owners to set up a time to “officially” visit, but we thought we might drop into their new location/concept called Savard Beer & Board (SB&B), since it was on Front Street just one block off the Riverfront. When life gives you lemons, make … beer.

The first thing we noticed walking into Savard Beer & Board was how massive the space is. The expansive taproom preserved its original industrial character, with a sprawling L-shaped bar and ample seating framed by gleaming brew tanks, while handcrafted surfboards hung overhead from the soaring ceiling. Off to the left, several rooms were visible through large windows where surfboards were being built and modified. We could see works in progress along with all the related tools and materials. Clearly, the owners were not just co-opting the surfer image and vibe for their new brewpub — they were serious participants!

The Basics

Location: 121 S. Front St, Wilmington, NC 28401

Parking: street and paid lots

Website: savardbeerandboard.com

Social media: instagram.com/savardbeerandboard

Vibe/Atmosphere: Bright, open, and coastal vibe, blending a relaxed beach atmosphere with an industrial-chic beer hall

Beers We Tried: Kitten Biscuit NEIPA, Cerveza Mexican Lager, Grande Cerveza Barrel-Aged Mexican Lager, Wetsuit Weather, Tropical Lightening

Important NC Beer Explorer Tip: When consuming alcohol, always have a designated driver. Be safe out there, friends! Follow these simple tips for safer consumption.

Surf's Up!

Surfer Suds

The beer menu carried on the theme with names such as “Reef Runner” IPA, “Noserider” Helles Lager, and “Bikini Line” Blonde! We were soon happily sipping samples, settling on our final choices, and chatting with our wonderful server, Olivia. She helped us learn that while Savard Beer & Board has several of WBC’s beers on tap, they also feature a family of lower-alcohol beers brewed on-site. After all, you have to keep your wits about you whether you are building a surfboard or charging heavy waves!

Overall, we were blown away by the imaginative range of the WBC and SB&B beers — and their names. We started off with “LM-Kitten Biscuit” Imperial NEIPA. It earned its Imperial stamp with 8.4% ABV and dazzled us with a farmer’s market of aroma and flavor notes including grapefruit, orange, honeydew melon, tropical fruit, and pine, deftly balancing bitter and sweet atop a blanket of pillowy silkiness.

We followed up with “Cerveza Bier” Mexican Lager and its tequila barrel-aged (with lime) counterpart, “Grande Cerveza.” Of course, we also had to try “Wetsuit Weather,” a porter with chocolate, coconut, and lactose weighing in at a modest 5% ABV. All three beers provided exquisite journeys of aroma and taste (see tasting notes below).

Tropical Lightning “Focus Group”

At this point, we realized we had not yet tried the aforementioned WBC flagship beer, Tropical Lightning. Olivia informed us she did indeed have it on tap, so we were able to taste it as well. Tropical Lightning was one of WBC’s very first beers, and it has enjoyed massive commercial success while winning multiple awards, including an NC Brewer’s Cup gold medal. We loved it, but after a long day of brewery visits and tastings, we did not feel up to doing comprehensive tasting notes. It’s important to know when to throw in the bar towel 🙂

However, it just so happened that we had an upcoming meeting of our community’s beer club with a theme of American Beer Styles. So, I sourced a recently produced can of Tropical Lightning at a local bottle shop back home and brought it along for in-depth tasting and to share with other club members (see our other post on the importance of fresh beer).

Tropical Lightning did not disappoint! I was challenged to reconcile the contradiction between the name and the description on the can because “Tropical” led me to expect NEIPA notes, while the label read “IPA – West Coast Style.” The aroma hinted at bold grapefruit and pine but also tropical and stone fruit. Then the taste put all the puzzle pieces together: yes, it had all the classic West Coast citrus, pine, and bitterness, but the second sip revealed balanced flavors of mango, pineapple, and passion fruit. The mouthfeel was light and creamy with a long finish of grapefruit, pine, and lingering bitterness.

Because Tropical Lightning is so highly drinkable, the can I brought to the meeting disappeared in a flash! It is no mystery how one of WBC’s first beers, introduced in 2014, has remained their flagship and continues to stand among North Carolina’s finest West Coast IPAs.

We really enjoyed the beers at Savard Beer & Board — check out our tasting notes below.

NCBE's Beer Notes - Savard Beer & Board

• ILM Kitten Biscuit*

  • Style: Imperial NEIPA

  • ABV: 8.4%

  • Color: Medium gold, hazy

  • Aroma: Citrus, grapefruit, pine, honeydew melon

  • Taste: Tropical fruit, grapefruit, orange, melon, sweet/bitter balance

  • Mouthfeel: Pillowy

  • Aftertaste: All of the above fruits, sweet/bitter

  • Overall: Lovely “Farmer’s Market.” See description above.

• Cerveza Bier

  • Style: Mexican lager

  • ABV: 5.2%

  • Color: Straw, clear

  • Aroma: Light bready malt

  • Taste: Bready, lightly sweet, mild hop bite

  • Mouthfeel: Light, crisp

  • Aftertaste: Slight bitterness

• Grande Cerveza

  • Style: Tequila Barrel-Aged Mexican Lager w/Lime

  • ABV: 7.5%

  • Color: Yellow/gold

  • Aroma: Bread, lightly sweet

  • Taste: Tangy lime, blood orange, bread, floral, pinion wood

  • Mouthfeel: Light/med

  • Aftertaste: Sour and slightly astringent

• Wetsuit Weather*

  • Style: Porter w/Chocolate, Coconut and Lactose

  • ABV: 5%

  • Color: Dark brown

  • Aroma: Chocolate, pipe tobacco

  • Taste: Chocolate, coconut, tobacco, cherry

  • Mouthfeel: Full body, low-med carbonation

  • Aftertaste: Bittersweet chocolate (Rebecca said “Dutch-processed cocoa”)

  • Overall: This porter packed a lot of flavor and body for a 5% ABV beer. Well done!

• Tropical Lightening*

  • Style: West Coast IPA

  • ABV: 7.4%

  • Color: Medium gold, slight haze, 1” frothy foam head

  • Aroma: Grapefruit, pine, light tropical fruit

  • Taste: Grapefruit, strong pine, bready malt and sweetness peaking behind substantial bitterness, light peach and mango

  • Mouthfeel: Medium body, some creaminess, med carbonation

  • Aftertaste: Bitter, GF, pine

  • Overall: Intense-but-balanced West Coast style with a NEIPA-like character. Gutsy pine note warrants the WC “lightening” but the subtle alternate flavors and body earn the “tropical.” Highly drinkable.

*NCBE Two mugs up!

What do you think about Savard Beer & Board? Or Wilmington Brewing Co.?