This is by far the most relaxing brewery in all of Wilmington - exactly because of their 21+ policy. Per a previous reviewer ... just because a place "looks" like kids would love it doesn't mean kids should be there. Adults also appreciate the trees, games, and spaciousness of the property - and we appreciate it even more because it isn't overrun with kids like other breweries in town. It's awesome that adults can have their own garden oasis here. The weekly music and great bar staff also add to why this is a treasure in our own backyard! read more

We absolute love it here. The fact that is adults only is a nice reprieve in an area of breweries overrun by small children. Sometimes I just want to relax with a drink and adult company. read more

Stayed here using the Harvest Host program. But if I lived in Wilmington or nearby this would be one of my favorite places. Staff was wonderful. Beer was even better! read more

Loved this place! All the beers we tried were terrific and the setting was realized and comfortable. The outdoor seating area was behind the building and set back far enough from the street to give it a private feel. The staff was welcoming and accommodating. Highly recommend! read more

Went for the first time a few years back, had an OK experience. Decided to give it another try, but upon arriving was inundated with signs everywhere saying adults only 21+. We had picked up lunch and came to sit outside to enjoy a drink with our meal, but had our children with us who were not welcome. Love supporting a local business, but this policy seems to be a bit harsh! read more

The service was great! They explained what options were available and even let us try a few before we decided on a glass. The inside bar/seating are is great and outside is even better! There's a covered patio area and a huge courtyard. We arrived and with 5 min it was raining like crazy. The musician kept playing his guitar and singing despite the storm and the vibe of the place was amazing despite the less than ideal weather. We had planned to stop for a drink and stayed for hours. Highly recommended! read more

Witnessed Management/owner harass and scold a group of 4 little girls. Cowardly, kept berating the girls about not being at their table with family. These girls were very well behaved and I had commented to my group of 5 how well mannered the kids were. Management was way outta line. When their mother confronted the manager lady (she was polite and respectful) about why she was hassling her kids. The Karen/manger threw them out. So...... if you have kids. DO NOT GO HERE. I WILL NOT BE RETURNING. OGDEN TAP ROOM IS DOWN THE STREET AND KID FRIENDLY. BETTER, LAID BACK ATMOSPHERE. YEAH. IM YELLING. I, and my party will not be returning. Word travels fast. read more

NOT a kid friendly place. Was unaware of this prior to coming, so of course we rolled in with 8 kids under 7. With this being said, we won't be coming back with our little ones, BUT the landscaping is BEAUTIFUL! And the beer choices are vast and delicious. If you're looking for a little serene date spot with good beer, this is your place! read more

The location is beautiful and relaxing. However, there are quite a few negatives. It is a stretch to call this a brewery as they rarely have their beer on tap and I've never seen more than one. The beer they keep on rotator is good but can be found about anywhere around town. The main problem is the switch to 21+. We have been many times with our toddler and it was close, which was the only reason we went. Now I'll just go to about any restaurant and grab the same beer as this place no longer fits the bill. read more

Great atmosphere and the beer is the best in town. Love many breweries in Wilmington but Outer Dunes is my favorite.

Great, relaxed vibes and nice brews. We sat in the undercover/outside bar. Had some beer and wine and some nice conversations. Would be back again! read more

We had my father's 96th birthday party in The Beach House on Saturday. It was the perfect venue for our guests. The owners went out of their way to make sure we were accommodated with everything we needed. If you need a place to host a party, I highly recommend the Outer Dunes Brewery! read more

Outer Dunes Brewing - Dad' s 96th Birthday! - Breweries Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Interesting little spot off the main road. It looks like it could be really fun with a large group or some kind of event going on, but not quite a date night spot. It was a bit pricey but had a good selection. read more

We love Outer Dunes!! There is an amazing outdoor space with lots of seating and shade for warm days. Every day there are rotating food trucks and live music! It's the perfect way to celebrate happy hour, or spend a weekend afternoon. Inside, staff is always very friendly and helpful if you're looking to try new beers. Outer Dunes is beginning to brew their own as well which has been delicious so far. They have lots of fun event nights too - music trivia, mini markets with different local vendors. This is my new go to spot! read more

Don't think there could be a more relaxing and gorgeous place to enjoy a beer. Those live oaks really set this place apart. A good beverage lineup, friendly staff, plenty of seating for groups and rotating food trucks round this out to be one of the coolest locations in Wilmington. Can't wait for them to get their full brewing operations open. The beer they are brewing there is already so good and everything else on the tap list was well selected. Outer Dunes will for sure be my go to location for an evening where I just want to sit back, have a beer, and listen to the wind in the trees! read more

One of the greatest brew spots I've ever visited. Excellent atmosphere and ambiance. Great beers and service with the best variety of food trucks with extremely unique offerings. My favorite place to kick back and chillax. The live music is the perfect entertainment in the perfect venue. You'll see me there often read more

Unfortunate. Average beer, beautiful beer garden, 21 plus so NOT kid or family friendly which makes the crowd mostly older. Not sure why they decided to eliminate the cool family friendly vibe they had going but overall it's a bummer. read more

We enjoyed the family atmosphere, as we had a 3 year old with us. She played on her tablet while we played cornhole. The beers and the seltzer drinks were good per our beer and seltzer drinkers. The wine was meh. Need to upgrade the wine selection if your only going to have one brand per each variety. Chardonnay was okay for playing cornhole. Pinot Noir was like eating berry jam, and we were afraid to try the others. The food truck, WilmyWoodie, was delicious. The argula and balsamic chicken pizza with pesto was the bomb. Otherwise, we enjoyed ourselves. read more

Great atmosphere. The live music and food trucks have been great every time I come up here. The owners and the employees are all super nice, great people. I recommend to anyone looking for a laid back atmosphere with good beer and good times. I cannot wait to see what they have to offer once they have the infrastructure in place to begin brewing their own beer. Get out and support a fantastic local business! read more

I'll start this review on a positive note, and speak to the essence of the business. It serves beer, wine, and basic snacks. It allows patrons to bring food, have it delivered, or buy from the organized food trucks that come each day/week. It has wonderful beer selections, both from local breweries as well as their own they are starting to make. The food trucks are wonderful and cater to a breadth of tastes. The music and events that are there are inclusive and provide a lovely atmosphere. The outdoor space makes you feel a world away (even though you're on Market Street!). The indoor/outdoor bar has TVs and a good crowd. However, I feel like I need to reiterate, this is a location that serves alcohol. And is meant for adults. This is not a restaurant. Nor is it a park or playground. It is understandable that parents and children who are respectful and treat other's property with respect may feel attacked as they are lumped in with other parents - many who are giving the 1-star reviews - who admit in these posts to not watching their children, attack a business owner and woman (with name-calling or about her own status as a mother no less! How dare anyone, let alone another woman implies that a woman "without children" is a Karen or otherwise - you do not know any of our stories about children...please, do not go there), and expect this place of business to cater to them and their under 21+ children. I have heard within my own neighborhood that neighbors will no longer patronize the business because it is now 21+. I know many of them as reasonable and respectful people, along with their children. I hope that they do reconsider because the bar/brewery is still the same and serving what it was intended to serve. Perhaps, grouping together with other parents to spring for a babysitter for a couple of hours (or have a sleepover at one parent's house each week) so that parents can enjoy some adult time or date nights, with other adults, who perhaps do not want to have children running around and screaming, jumping all over the property, and getting nasty comments or stares when those adults are being adults (talking about adult topics) at a bar. Because this is what was happening by those "children" who can't possibly be expected to "sit still" at a table - again, this is not a park. But also - please remember that for an entire year, these same families came with their children, disrespected the owners, their hard working staff, as well as their property - and other patrons, on a consistent basis that led to this decision. And, it was not made overnight. There were incremental changes in an attempt to placate the parents who felt they HAVE to bring children to a bar and believe because they are "contained" within an outdoor space they are being "managed" by those parents. Bottom line, any negative review on here has said nothing about the quality of service, quality of beers, or quality of the events or event space. In fact, I feel that many are having an emotional reaction BECAUSE it IS such a wonderful place. I can truly empathize when several bad apples ruin it for others and by no means is it a mark on those who have been respectful. But I also wonder, what is our responsibility as patrons to self-police? I would argue you would say it is not, correct? So...it is the responsibility of the owners to keep all patrons, including children, safe. Because that was not happening, they had to make a rational business decision. Please know, that my review is not an attack on parents, but more on the negative reviews these people believe they're entitled to because they're not getting their way. The business itself is doing what it was meant to do and it's doing it well! If you've read this far, thank you. Perhaps it's a great opportunity to wait a bit, get a babysitter, head to the bar, see how you like it without your children. If you still don't like it, then absolutely no harm and no foul! But, please remember to separate the purpose of the business from our own selfish beliefs about the "customer is always right." read more

the BEST outdoor space, friendly and knowledgable staff, can't wait for more ODB beers to be released!!! Also great event space on site read more

We love this place! BUT.. they don't allow kids any longer (even our 3 month old is not welcome) so we will now no longer be going. Unfortunate. read more

Definitely not family friendly. Had a terrible experience there with the manager circling all the children there one evening complaining about them playing with the gravel rocks and how it was damaging the property. Made one poor girl cry. It was a shame because most of the customers their were families with children attempting to play outside on a beautiful day. The owner was obnoxious and rude. We didn't even have our kids there that night but watching her berate the children for not sitting still in an outdoor area was not a pleasant experience. read more

The patio is so cozy to hangout and enjoy the brews and tunes. The scattering particles neipa was exceptionally delicious. I love this place and my dog does too! read more

This place is an oasis, and I absolutely LOVE it! Such a cool vibe, and the outdoor area is an amazing place to chill. I had stopped going because of all the kids running around (I have 2 of my own, but I don't take them to bars). I just heard that the owners had to institute a new "no kids" policy and had to go check it out. THANK YOU! So much better! Hard to believe their insurance ever let them allow minors in the first place, but I for one am very much in favor of the new policy. I'm having a hard time understanding the vocal (very) minority who are pissed off at the policy, however. Just go somewhere else more appropriate that is designed for parents to bring their kids...McDonalds, Chucky Cheese, the park, etc. If you don't like the policy, don't go there. Or get a babysitter. Not sure why you feel the need to get angry and expend so much energy negatively. Just weird and seems a bit mentally off. Cheers! read more

We continue to love what they do with this beautiful venue. They have completed the construction on the new brewery space and we hear they will be brewing in there soon. We are excited to try all the beers and be able to find them around town too. The owners are very kind and passionate about their business. Don't be fooled by the naysayers who are sad they can't drink there with their kids, this place is exactly as it should be and you should check it out. read more

We went with friends last night and had a very pleasant evening in the beer garden. The group thoroughly enjoyed the house made beer. Looking forward to their large brewery opening so there will be more of their beers to choose from. As always the staff is knowledgeable and helps with your selection from the numerous beers. LOVE that its 21+, the vibe feels more relaxed than previous visits. Can't wait to go back! read more

One of the best places to spend an afternoon and evening. The staff are awesome, the selection of brews is incredible, live music is great, and the food trucks are all great. Bingo night on Wednesdays and Trivia night on Thursdays are a must. Hope to see you there! read more

Great outdoor space, awesome selections beyond what they brew, and always something going on! Friendly staff and a fun time always!!

Such a great experience! Beautiful layout and amazing beers. Staff and owners we such a delight to talk to. Very excited for them to open their larger brewery so we can drink more of their beers. read more

So disappointed after our visit tonight. Our kids were yelled at by the staff the whole night. We have been there before and loved how kid friendly the space was, but it was definitely a different experience this time. read more

I have been to every Brewery in Wilmington. This is by far my favorite place to have a drink after work. Their landscaping is amazing! It is so nice to sip on a beer, listen to live music under live oak trees. The staff is well knowledgeable and so helpful helping you pick out a beer you can't get anywhere else in town. I would highly recommend this place to anyone!!! read more

I am so glad we stopped here! Beer was DELICIOUS, staff knows their stuff, and the beer garden was so pretty and welcoming. Will definitely be coming back. Thank you!! read more

My husband & I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Outer Dunes Brewing. We moved to NC recently from a bigger city with a lot of options and we were thrilled to have found ODB so close to our rental. The owners are wonderful people who really care about making delicious craft beer. The grounds are beautiful with flowers, plants and trees. The bar inside feels like a cozy neighborhood tavern that is clean and inviting. They have a great selection of rotating and new food trucks, live music, trivia/bingo, etc. there is something for every adult. Love you, ODB! read more

Great beer, great scene, enjoyed the live music. Didn't get a chance to try food, but for a couple casual beers in a relaxed vibe this is your spot. Staff was friendly & courteous. read more

Love this place! The staff are super friendly and helpful. They have a great selection of beer which rotates regularly. We love listening to live music here. We also had our rehearsal dinner in their event building which was absolutely perfect. Ellie was great to work with for our event! We will definitely continue coming here regularly! read more

Outer Dunes is an amazing brewery in town. The atmosphere is fun,laid back, and friendly for all. The staff has always been helpful and the beer is great! The outside area is a great place to hang out especially when there is live music! read more

In my opinion, this is the best brewery in Wilmington and in my top 5 that I have been to across the United States. Although they currently brew in small batches (they are expanding to a larger facility behind their current location), their beer is always spot on. Their beer is very full flavor and never has a watered down, lacking aftertaste. The staff and owners are very welcoming and can carry a conversation about anything. Definitely a must visit if you are in Wilmington. read more

I love this spot! It's clear that a lot of thought has gone into all their beer and wine selections. The bartenders are very friendly and knowledgeable about everything they have on tap, which rotates quite often. I am always discovering something new and delicious, which is so fun! Plus they have food trucks there a few times a week, and live music on the weekends. And the outdoor area is so lovely to just sit and enjoy a few drinks in. Definitely check this place out! read more

Such a great place! Great environment even to bring your kids to run around and play while you enjoy a refreshing beverage or have a delicious meal from one of the many food trucks they invite to come. Owners and all employees are so kind and welcoming. I would recommend bringing bug spray though! Great venue read more