Fishtowne Brew House “Net House”

Style: Belgian IPA
ABV: 9.3%
IBU: 25

Hey everyone, we’ve got a beer review from a brewery that isn’t too far from our home of Greenville, but one that we haven’t tried to this point. We recently took a day trip to Beaufort, NC that brought us to Fishtowne Brew House, which resides within a stone’s throw of Taylor’s Creek. Well, depending on how far you can throw a stone. Their intimate taproom and brew house provided a cool setting to sit and sip, but since it was a nice day, we opted to sit outside and enjoy the setting sun. We only had time to have one beer, so we had to make it count. Our selection: “Net House,” which is described as a Belgian IPA. This style is pretty rare to find (we’re not sure that either of us have encountered this before), so how could we pass it up?

Nick’s Take

When I heard Joe had ordered the Belgian IPA, “Net House,” during our short visit to Fishtowne Brew House, I was immediately on board. The combination of the two styles was very intriguing. The beer poured a beautiful gold color that had a slight haze. A thin, wispy white head perched at the top of the glass, and the overall appearance looked fantastic.

Because this IPA imparts a Belgian influence, there was an mix of aromas emanating from the glass. First and foremost, I picked up the hop character which was piney and earthy. There wasn’t a ton of juicy character to the hop aromas but they weren’t overly bitter-smelling. Added to this were funky and estery aromas that were more on par with a Belgian-style beer. I was intrigued and excited to taste this. 

This Belgian IPA came across as mostly crisp throughout each sip. I’d say it was medium-bodied and also produced a spiced finish, with a mild burn at the back of the throat. There was also a drying aspect that just encouraged me to continue taking drink after drink.

There was a really interesting (and tasty) combination of flavors for this brew. The hops produced some piney and mildly bitter flavor, which was joined by some traditional Belgian beer flavors like clove and ester. It created an earthy quality to the beer that I enjoyed. 

While I enjoyed trying this rare style, it’s one of those beers that lends itself to being enjoyed slowly. It’s complexity and slightly bitter/harsh finish urges you to sip and not crush (not to mention the ABV over 9%). However, because it is interesting and not like most beers you will come across, you might find yourself drinking it pretty easily like I did. I wish we had more time to explore other beers at Fishtowne, but I will be happy to make a return trip here.