Oak & Dagger 'raises the bar' with great food, interesting beers

Oak & Dagger may seem like the new kids on the block, but the concept has been a dream for brewmaster Pete McCabe for almost 10 years! With around 15 original Oak & Dagger beers on draft at any given time, this is the place to try many different styles.

I tried Crystal Dagger, Coole Beans Coffee (made with Oak City Coffee Roasters Burundi beans), Raleigh Pride, Weisse Beyond It’s Years, BrIghtPA, Sacramental Loophole (Beer/Wine Hybrid) and Totally Nuts.

I typically like light beers, and, much to my surprise, my favorites of this bunch were Coole Beans Coffee and Sacramental Loophole! Cool Beans' strong coffee flavor really stood out, and the unique pairing of wine and beer in Sacramental Loophole was a surprising delight.

If beer isn’t your thing, there's a full bar too - and they also own the bottle shop in the back! One of the main things that sets this brewpub apart from others is the brewing process of open fermentation.

While visiting Germany, McCabe was inspired by the older brewing process and decided he wanted to learn the trade. Open fermentation, the original brewing method, involves leaving the beer exposed to the environment around it so it can pick up floral flavors.

Oak & Dagger is seriously raising the bar for what’s considered to be “pub food," adding quality food to the overall brewpub experience. The menu offers unique twists on traditional and nontraditional dishes. We’re talking cheese curds and fresh oysters!

We’re talking local ingredients!

The entire experience invited me to break out of my comfort zone and try something new.

Check it out. They have Trivia on Tuesdays and a burger special on Wednesdays, and I’ve heard that the short rib goes great with the smoked porter.