Sorry if this is considered off-topic, but I'm planning a trip from Philly to Outer Banx in NC next week. I'm starting to look at my route now, and was curious if any of you out there had any brewery suggestions for me to hit up on the way down. I'll definitely be hitting Dogfish head in DE and possibly Clipper City (Heavy Seas) in MD if it's not too far out of the way. Anything else? EDIT: I should …

I was recently on vacation and I toured a brewpub in the Chicago area. I was surprised to find out that they are extract brewers. Is this common practice for small brewpubs? Would this place a limit on caliber of beer you could produce?