The craft beer industry is booming in Charleston, but which breweries define the scene here? Eater recruited Holy City beer aficionadoTimmons Pettigrew to bestow his knowledge upon us and create a map to the essential breweries in the Lowcountry.
Use this guide as a resource to find craft beer in Charleston.
Jaime Tenny and David Merritt opened COAST in a repurposed Navy record storage building in North Charleston in 2007, the same year South Carolina “popped the cap” on the maximum ABV allowed for beer. 32/50 Kölsch and HopArt IPA have been mainstays since they opened, and recently became available in 16oz cans thanks to expansion and a handy-dandy mobile cannery. David has a magic touch with hops, but their seasonal Blackbeerd Imperial Stout also brings the deep, dark heat.
As a brewpub in South Carolina, Edmund’s Oast cannot distribute beer outside of its four walls, but that doesn’t stop brewer Cameron Read from developing a wide variety of thoughtful and compelling beers for this James Beard-nominated hot spot. Crowd pleasers include PB&J, which tastes just like it sounds, but their bright and tropical double IPA, Viridi Rex, can run with the biggest big dogs. The on-site brewery can’t produce enough beer to offer take-home growlers and still service the restaurant, but fret not. Plans for an offsite production brewery are already in the works.
The setting for this organic, farmhouse-inspired brewery couldn’t be more idyllic. Set on the banks of the Ashley River, Arthur Lucas’s Freehouse Brewery uses organic ingredients to produce locally unique styles like Ashley Farmhouse Ale and Sourlina Peche, the latter brewed with South Carolina peaches and fermented with yeast from the upstate’s SouthYeast Labs. 750mL bottles are released in small batches and are well worth seeking out.
The three beards behind Frothy Beard opened their whimsically-themed nanobrewery in North Charleston in 2012. From there they’ve concocted a plethora of inventive beers, like the jalapeño-cilantro infused ¡Ándale! Pale Ale, alongside more recognizable styles like Never Winter Wheat and Out at Third Tripel. There’s nary a dull moment at the brewery, which has played host to everything from comedy to grindcore to pro wrestling. Visits are encouraged to catch the latest small batches, and if you see them on tap around town, snag them while they last!
Four friends opened Holy City Brewing in North Charleston in the summer of 2011, re-purposing an old warehouse space into what would become a GABF medal-winning, Best of Charleston-voted destination. Taking advantage of recent legislative advances, Holy City now has a full kitchen onsite serving an array of beer-friendly bites alongside their 20 taps. An onsite canning line helps keep local shelves stocked with Pluff Mud Porter, Washout Wheat, Slanted Porch Pale Ale, and a number of seasonals.
Oak Road is the newest one of the bunch, and Summerville’s first brewery. A four-partner team brought the brewery to life through combination of homebrewing savvy and a great space in the Coastal Coffee Roasters building. The style rotation has been fast and furious, with notable favorites like Percy the Passive Aggressive Pineapple making repeat appearances. Check their social media for tasting room hours and see what Flowertown has to offer.
Established in 1993 as the first brewery to open in South Carolina after Prohibition, Palmetto blazed the beer trail in Charleston for 14 years before another brewery opened. They still churn out their original four styles, Charleston Lager, Palmetto Amber, Palmetto Pale Ale, and Palmetto Espresso Porter, though recipes have been tweaked and seasonal styles added over the years. A recent mega-expansion left them sporting a beautiful wood-clad bar and outdoor deck that hosts concerts on the reg.
Only the second brewery to open in downtown proper, Revelry Brewing has been quick to impress with styles like the Brettanomyces-fermented Funkmaster Brett & The Furious Hops IPA and Achtung! Berliner Weisse. Their first entries in the U.S. Beer Open Championships netted them four medals, and a summer 2015 partnership with the highly-anticipated Lewis Barbecue drew hours-long lines of folks waiting for life-changing brisket served alongside their rotating taps. All signs point to staying power over new-brewery-hype for Team Revelry.
James Island’s first brewery opened up shop in 2014, the brainchild of head brewer Scott McConnell and his wife Sara Gayle. Their aim is true: to brew great beer for the common man. Along those lines, style names like Bricklayer’s Red Ale, Pipe Wrench Porter, and Circuit Breaker IPA have a distinctly blue collar bent. While they’ve been known to get a little “out there” (fig saison, anyone?), approachable styles are their sweet spot. Stop by the brewery to check on their ongoing expansions, and say hello to their newest partner, local brewing impresario Chris Winn.
Edward and Morgan Westbrook opened Mount Pleasant’s first brewery in late 2010, a massive (by regional standards) purpose-built operation primed for growth. Their IPA and white ale with ginger and lemongrass, White Thai, are available year-round in 12oz cans, but their special releases and barrel-aged delicacies really get the beer nerds in a tizzy. Westbrook Gose, a revival of a centuries-old and nigh-lost salty, sour, coriander-spiked German beer style, is a favorite of discerning local beach-goers
Jaime Tenny and David Merritt opened COAST in a repurposed Navy record storage building in North Charleston in 2007, the same year South Carolina “popped the cap” on the maximum ABV allowed for beer. 32/50 Kölsch and HopArt IPA have been mainstays since they opened, and recently became available in 16oz cans thanks to expansion and a handy-dandy mobile cannery. David has a magic touch with hops, but their seasonal Blackbeerd Imperial Stout also brings the deep, dark heat.
As a brewpub in South Carolina, Edmund’s Oast cannot distribute beer outside of its four walls, but that doesn’t stop brewer Cameron Read from developing a wide variety of thoughtful and compelling beers for this James Beard-nominated hot spot. Crowd pleasers include PB&J, which tastes just like it sounds, but their bright and tropical double IPA, Viridi Rex, can run with the biggest big dogs. The on-site brewery can’t produce enough beer to offer take-home growlers and still service the restaurant, but fret not. Plans for an offsite production brewery are already in the works.
The setting for this organic, farmhouse-inspired brewery couldn’t be more idyllic. Set on the banks of the Ashley River, Arthur Lucas’s Freehouse Brewery uses organic ingredients to produce locally unique styles like Ashley Farmhouse Ale and Sourlina Peche, the latter brewed with South Carolina peaches and fermented with yeast from the upstate’s SouthYeast Labs. 750mL bottles are released in small batches and are well worth seeking out.
The three beards behind Frothy Beard opened their whimsically-themed nanobrewery in North Charleston in 2012. From there they’ve concocted a plethora of inventive beers, like the jalapeño-cilantro infused ¡Ándale! Pale Ale, alongside more recognizable styles like Never Winter Wheat and Out at Third Tripel. There’s nary a dull moment at the brewery, which has played host to everything from comedy to grindcore to pro wrestling. Visits are encouraged to catch the latest small batches, and if you see them on tap around town, snag them while they last!
Four friends opened Holy City Brewing in North Charleston in the summer of 2011, re-purposing an old warehouse space into what would become a GABF medal-winning, Best of Charleston-voted destination. Taking advantage of recent legislative advances, Holy City now has a full kitchen onsite serving an array of beer-friendly bites alongside their 20 taps. An onsite canning line helps keep local shelves stocked with Pluff Mud Porter, Washout Wheat, Slanted Porch Pale Ale, and a number of seasonals.
Oak Road is the newest one of the bunch, and Summerville’s first brewery. A four-partner team brought the brewery to life through combination of homebrewing savvy and a great space in the Coastal Coffee Roasters building. The style rotation has been fast and furious, with notable favorites like Percy the Passive Aggressive Pineapple making repeat appearances. Check their social media for tasting room hours and see what Flowertown has to offer.
Established in 1993 as the first brewery to open in South Carolina after Prohibition, Palmetto blazed the beer trail in Charleston for 14 years before another brewery opened. They still churn out their original four styles, Charleston Lager, Palmetto Amber, Palmetto Pale Ale, and Palmetto Espresso Porter, though recipes have been tweaked and seasonal styles added over the years. A recent mega-expansion left them sporting a beautiful wood-clad bar and outdoor deck that hosts concerts on the reg.
Only the second brewery to open in downtown proper, Revelry Brewing has been quick to impress with styles like the Brettanomyces-fermented Funkmaster Brett & The Furious Hops IPA and Achtung! Berliner Weisse. Their first entries in the U.S. Beer Open Championships netted them four medals, and a summer 2015 partnership with the highly-anticipated Lewis Barbecue drew hours-long lines of folks waiting for life-changing brisket served alongside their rotating taps. All signs point to staying power over new-brewery-hype for Team Revelry.
James Island’s first brewery opened up shop in 2014, the brainchild of head brewer Scott McConnell and his wife Sara Gayle. Their aim is true: to brew great beer for the common man. Along those lines, style names like Bricklayer’s Red Ale, Pipe Wrench Porter, and Circuit Breaker IPA have a distinctly blue collar bent. While they’ve been known to get a little “out there” (fig saison, anyone?), approachable styles are their sweet spot. Stop by the brewery to check on their ongoing expansions, and say hello to their newest partner, local brewing impresario Chris Winn.
Edward and Morgan Westbrook opened Mount Pleasant’s first brewery in late 2010, a massive (by regional standards) purpose-built operation primed for growth. Their IPA and white ale with ginger and lemongrass, White Thai, are available year-round in 12oz cans, but their special releases and barrel-aged delicacies really get the beer nerds in a tizzy. Westbrook Gose, a revival of a centuries-old and nigh-lost salty, sour, coriander-spiked German beer style, is a favorite of discerning local beach-goers
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