Enjoying a DONSA at a Veteran Owned Brewery in Aberdeen, NC—Railhouse Brewery

Today, we enjoyed (well, I enjoyed, Dave is actually on terminal leave) a DONSA—(A Day of No Scheduled Activity—read: a day off!) We usually get to enjoy DONSAs on the Fridays before Federal Holidays. However, some months (like March) are devoid of Federal Holidays… sad. But sometimes, you get lucky and a DONSA gets placed on the schedule. Like today.

So, we decided we would head to the Uwharrie National Forest for our maiden voyage in our travel trailer and a little fun in the woods. On our way, we checked out Railhouse Brewery in Aberdeen, NC. Railhouse Brewery is a veteran-owned brewery, and we thought, ”what better way to enjoy a DONSA than at a brewery owned by veterans?” After reading that they have a ”Beer it Forward” wall where you can buy a beer for someone in advance, we were excited about the place.

Railhouse did not disappoint. First, I enjoyed a Golden Knights Golden Ale (named for the Army’s Parachute team, the Golden Knights) and Dave had a KA-Bar Brown Ale. Both were delicious. The Golden Ale was extremely drinkable and before I knew it, it was gone. With so many other offerings on the menu, however, I had to go for a flight. The flight started with Gruber Brothers lager, meandered to an Orange Tart Grenade (sour), before heading to New England for the Mandatory Fun Hazy IPA, then to Germany for a little something wheat-y with their A Hefe Too Far hefeweizen, before concluding with the Mastiff Oatmeal Stout. All were delicious. My favorite of the five was probably the Mandatory Fun, followed by the Mastiff. Both were complex but highly drinkable.

As good as the beers were, however, the atmosphere was even better. After rolling up with our trailer and two dogs in tow, one of their managers came outside to greet us, asking ”is that a Doberman?” We answered that no, we had a Rottweiler in the truck, to which she said, ”even better!” She then complimented us on our trailer and asked where we were headed. We had really pleasant conversation with everyone there—they were friendly and inviting and offered suggestions on what to try.

The real show-stopper, though, is the ”Beer it Forward” wall where patrons can buy a drink for someone and leave their name on the wall. You could pick a specific person, or an “Afghanistan Veteran,” for example. Genius idea!

In the end, we left happy—with a growler of Golden Knights Golden Ale and a great memory. Thanks, Railhouse Brewery. Cheers!