Many of us have Charleston, South Carolina, pinned on our maps of places to visit for incredible food. Now, there’s a new burst of excitement in town with the boom of the craft brewing scene and an influx of new breweries opening. They’re all producing a delicious variety of beers—from sours to IPA’s to saisons—that locals and visitors alike are flocking to taste. But it’s not just the style of beers that’s making people pay attention; brewers in Charleston are experimenting with new trends like aging in wine and whiskey barrels, brewing with wild ingredients—like local oysters—and even developing their own blends of wild yeast. We asked some of the city’s best brewers to give us an inside look into what’s happening in their local beer scene right now.
Pairing food with craft beer is becoming increasingly popular at the city’s best restaurants—and so are the options for flavor combinations. Tradesman Brewing’s Chris Winn recently discovered a new favorite; a salty-sour gose paired with fried chicken and waffles. “The touch of sour and the beer's acidity was a pretty stellar matchup against the sweet and savory dish.”
Sure, you’ll still find your staple combos too, and who doesn’t love the pairing of smokey BBQ and brews? For Jamie Martin, at Cooper River Brewing, it’s a perfect partner to some of the local small batch beers that are popular at the moment. “Right now, the Charleston area is boasting some incredible BBQ spots. The roasted malts commonly found in stouts and porters compliment the smoke of a rack of ribs, brisket, or even a plain pulled pork sandwich.”
Pairing beers with fried foods, meats and other bold flavors seems like a given, but it’s the lighter side of the spectrum that’s surprising the local brewing community. Chris Brown of Holy City Brewing loves pairing beer with something unexpected. “The last thing that I had that I really enjoyed was our Giddy Up Pale Ale (brewed with GR Huell Melon hops) with an Arugula, Clemson Blue and Grapefruit Salad.”
Jaime Tenny, from Coast Brewing Company, loves to pair bold IPA’s alongside spicy food, but also loves a classic matchup too, “This past winter, we steamed many a bushel of oysters with our 32/50 kolsch. Since warm weather is fast approaching, pairing a light, crisp beer with local seafood is at the top of my list!”
Everyone has their own tried and tested ways of brewing beer, and for Winn from Tradesman Brewing that’s really what makes the industry in Charleston unique. “Every brewer has their own methodology, and twists on how they make beer. It's the simple act of exploration that leads to new favorites and an appreciation for new styles.”
Beer lovers are all about trying something different, especially the introduction of local ingredients and flavors. Brown, over at Holy City Brewing, loves that there’s room for even more unexpected inclusions in the brewing process, “Everyone’s brewing sours, saisons, and farmhouse beers right now. We play around with a French saison yeast that has produced some great beers—three different ones that had basil, peaches, and coconut in them, respectively.”
You’ll also see barrel aged beers and sours popping up at breweries all over town. Clayton Burrous from Palmetto Brewing Company released his first barrel aged beer in November—a Russian imperial stout aged on Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels. With lots of breweries and the delicious varieties being produced, it's sure to cultivate a little side by side comparison, but the team at Palmetto thinks that’s the way it should be. “We believe both the camaraderie of the local brewing community matched with friendly competition makes everyone better. We’re not shy about wanting to be the best.”
If high stakes and friendly competition is fueling a little experimentation, then Arthur Lucas and Freehouse Brewery may be leading the pack. While many brewers are experimenting with saisons and wild ales, he’s doing something completely unique—and super exciting on the scene. “We have been developing and evolving our own house wild yeast blend—this gives us a unique, proprietary flavor. Most brewers use the same yeast as every other brewer, and we do some of that, but we also have our own blend of wild and native South Carolina yeasts.”
With so much effort going into each brewer’s next batch of beers, it’s something that beer advocates truly appreciate, and respect—according to Freehouse Brewery’s founder. “Beer doesn’t magically appear in a keg, it’s hard work. When people see the process, smell the mash and talk to the sweat-soaked brewer—they enjoy the pint that much more!”
In the past 10 years, 10 breweries have opened in the area, and 10 more are set to open this year alone. With new establishments, comes the influx of new techniques and experimentation, which is always a very good thing. New trends and discoveries are around every corner in Charleston’s brewing scene, especially the push to incorporate even more local ingredients.
Tradesman Brewing’s Winn has been able to use all kinds of things over the past year—from local fruit, honey, and even green tea. “We brewed an extremely tasty saison with local muscadine grapes and a Belgian tripel we dry hopped with local green tea—it had all the sweet notes and yeast esters you want in that style, plus an added aromatic and herbal quality.”
Another new trend in the Charleston scene are beers that truly match the region's climate—the perfect excuse to lighten things up for Lucas at Freehouse Brewery. “We’re producing lot’s of light, citrus forward beers, like our Folly’s Pride, which is a blonde ale that we finish in the kettle with organic grapefruit zest.”
Coast Brewing Company’s owner doesn’t stop at just pairing his beers with local bivalves— he’s even brewed with them. “Brewing with local oysters was an experience. We brewed the beer for the first time a few years back and it was definitely an interesting process that we had to learn how to handle and tweak as we went along.” For a beer novice, the thought of an ‘oyster beer’ may seem a little too wild, but there’s truly something for everyone. “For a newcomer to craft beer, we always recommend they start on the lighter side to see what flavor they are looking for.”
With top-name chefs, acclaimed restaurants, and now, new hotspot breweries opening left and right, it’s no wonder Charleston is on everyone’s radar. And much to the delight of beer savvy diners—there's an array of frothy hop, malt, and barley driven beers to pair with the great, locally-sourced food—even more reason to schedule a visit, ASAP.
