Charleston Beer Works

Charleston Beer WorksCharleston Beer Works
Charleston Beer WorksCharleston Beer Works
Bar, Eatery

480 King Street
Charleston, South Carolina, 29410
United States

(843) 577-5885 | map
charlestonbeerworks.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.6
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
35
pDev:
12.22%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by millermason:
Photo of millermason
Rated by millermason from Ohio

4.15/5  rDev +15.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4

Jun 26, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of Cubatobaco
Reviewed by Cubatobaco from Virginia

4.39/5  rDev +21.9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
Great little spot with a wonderful staff! Food was really good! A lot of rotating taps of mostly local brews (nothing wrong with that). Definitely a spot to check out of for food and brew while in the Holy City!
Oct 25, 2020
 
Rated: 4.5 by puftdank from Illinois

Oct 10, 2019
Photo of Gavage
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

3.88/5  rDev +7.8%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
This was definitely a bar that had some college students and under 30-somethings. Large windows overlook the street. J-shaped bar can seat about 15 folks. Several high top tables. There was a back area and upstairs I did not venture into. There were 48 drafts and a bunch of bottles here. Lots of local drafts. Saturday late evening was a bit annoying with the loud dance music and younger patrons acting obnoxious. Service was prompt despite the large crowds. During a slower time this may be a more enjoyable place to stop.
Aug 15, 2017
 
Rated: 4.14 by JamesLeung from Florida

Aug 27, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by rvshaff from South Carolina

Jul 11, 2016
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Reviewed by toolbrew from Indiana

3.82/5  rDev +6.1%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.5
Stopped in briefly for a quick one before a distillery tour (across street). Had one local beer on tap but noticed a few others. Normal vibe for a bar on an early Friday afternoon. Selection wasn't as deep as I had hoped, but still lots to choose from. Didn't eat any food.
Apr 14, 2016
 
Rated: 3.92 by Drifter1 from Virginia

Aug 21, 2015
 
Rated: 2.84 by Golden32 from Alabama

Mar 03, 2015
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Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.75
As I approached Charleston Beer Works I noticed vomit against the wall that had not yet been cleaned up from the night before - not a good sign, but I realize this is a college town, and right on the main drag.

Stepping inside it's a decent looking place with a modern American pub feel, lots of taps and big screen TVs... it turns out it's a big sports bar, which makes even more sense that it would be a big party spot. Seeing that they also offer incredible drinking deals (Bring Your Own Mug Night $2.75 refills, $10 Bud pitchers on weekends during games, etc.) and live music after 10 pm I can't imagine college kids going anywhere else!

The food is basic type pub stuff: wings, burgers, wraps, etc. It's about as good as it can be.

There are 30 beers on tap with a pretty decent selection although I was mainly focusing on the local beers. Unfortunately they're all served a bit cold so take that into consideration.

Overall, unless sports bars that attract a heavy college crowd are your thing there are better places. "Closed For Business" is just across the street a bit up. Given that I'm not sure how to rate it for "vibe" so I'll go with a 3.5
Jan 16, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by Davepoolesque from Massachusetts

Oct 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3.48 by bpasso from Illinois

Aug 17, 2014
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Reviewed by Conrad from Canada (ON)

3.55/5  rDev -1.4%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
Stopped in on a warm summer night for chicken wings and beer. We were pleased with both. The atmosphere is pure sports bar. The beer selection had enough new stuff (for an out-of-towner) to keep me buzzed long after we left. Lots of fun, and I will be back the next time I'm in Charleston.
Aug 09, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by sabrills70 from North Carolina

Jul 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Ant4711 from South Carolina

Jul 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by andrewtevans from South Carolina

Jul 07, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by MacQ32 from South Carolina

Mar 04, 2014
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Reviewed by Redrover from Wisconsin

3.81/5  rDev +5.8%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.75
This was picked as our destination by one of our customers. needless to say, I didn't protest.

This is a large square space with a bar running along two of the walls. There are lots of tables, a pool table and one of those cool old shuffleboard games. Concrete floors and lots of hard services can make this place loud. Tons of TVs, so go here for decent beers while watching the games.

Service was southern friendly and knew the tap selection. Our food came out of kind of backwards ( the wings came out last after we had our entrees. ), but that is a minor quibble.

The strength of this bar is in their rotating taps. I had no problem picking several good alternatives. Note that they serve the beers to cold. They have lots of local options and some of the expected larger craft breweries. Nothing to wild, but pretty solid.

Food is bar food, not bad and will fill you up. Note a couple of folks in our group had the tacos and gave them high praise.
Mar 29, 2013
Photo of BlackBelt5112203
Reviewed by BlackBelt5112203 from Michigan

3.7/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
I’ve been here a couple of times now, so I finally decided to review it. The first thing that I noticed was that it’s a BOSTON bar! I’ve been here for Celtics and Bruins playoff games, and they even have Red Sox games on NESN on some of their many TVs! After that little bit of bias, the atmosphere is pretty good. It’s mostly a college/sports bar and can get pretty loud on the weekends. If you get there early, you can get a good seat at the bar and get pretty good service. Live bands usually play on Saturday nights, which is a nice treat if you like live music. Again, if you’re not into places getting loud, probably stay away weekend nights. There are also a couple of games in the back like pool tables, one of those basketball shooting games, etc. The selection of craft beer is pretty good. Nearly all of their stuff is draught, and they have an updated menu that you can ask for with all of their offerings. When I was there, they had run out of a couple of things, but if they have a replacement keg, they’re quick about tapping it. My buddy also got a beer that didn’t taste quite right. They looked into the problem, fixed it, and got him a fresh one free of charge. Prices are competitive. I know they have food here, but I’ve never had anything except for their fries. They were good, but I figured fries weren’t enough to warrant a food rating.

Charleston Beer Works is a pretty good bar. If you’re looking for a wider selection or a more chilled-out atmosphere, there are certainly better places - Closed for Business comes to mind. However, if you’re looking for a place to get some good beers, play some games, watch some sports, and listen to some live music, this is a good place. If you’re a Boston sports fan like me, you should definitely check it out.
Jun 21, 2012
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Reviewed by thadbme from South Carolina

3.23/5  rDev -10.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
Visited this place for someones going away party. While there was plenty of beer available here, they were out of the more desirable options in the craft beer. Still there was plenty of beer available for tap.

I didn't care for the feel of the place or how crowded it felt. This was not a place I would want to hang out, and I haven't been back there since then. The food was ok to not good... service was iffy.

This was one of those gatherings to where it was okay in a large group, but I would think there are other options around that are much better.
Sep 18, 2011
Photo of GJ40
Reviewed by GJ40 from North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -0.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
I stopped in while on vacation in Charleston mainly because I was in the area to visit Closed for Business. The BA rating for CBW didn't look too promising but I figured I was in the neighborhood.

The had 30 - 40 on tap but most were pretty mainstream and many were dry. But they do offer a few solid beers such as Coast Hop Art and Sweetwater IPA.

As for entertainment, they have several TVs with sports on and pool, shuffleboard and skee ball in the back. I was pleased to find that the owner is a Boston sports fan. The prices were very reasonable and the bartenders were outgoing and helpful.

I see CBW as more of a sports / college bar but it's worth a visit if you're in the area.
May 19, 2011
Photo of mltobin
Reviewed by mltobin from Connecticut

3.28/5  rDev -8.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
Walking along the northern end of the popular walking blocks of King Street, you will come across Charleston Beer Works. I stopped by late one afternoon on vacation while I had some time to kill before catching the Folly Rd. bus. The atmosphere was dark, although it was bright and warm outside. Attitudes of the patrons were very upbeat, many regulars talking up the bartenders, most on each end are young. The taps included Guinness, Sierra Nevada pale ale, Stone Arrogant Bastard, Coast 32/50, Sweetwater 420, Spaten, and more. Prices during happy hour are $2 for some beers and $3 for "high gravity beers". The funny thing was, they included some beers such as Guinness on the latter list, and we know it is not a high abv beer, oh well.
If you are nearby and want a couple inexpensive pints in a relaxed setting with college kids mixed in, pop in here for a bit.
Jul 02, 2010
Photo of wcudwight
Reviewed by wcudwight from North Carolina

2.42/5  rDev -32.8%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 2 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3 | food: 2
A dark college sports bar. That pretty much sums up the atmosphere. They did have 2 Coast beers on-tap but nothing else really stood out to me. I started with the 32/50 and then went to the HopArt. My wife and I found a seat at the end of the bar and had to ask for our beers menus ect... It wasn't really busy and they had 2 bartenders at the time. Service wasn't bad by any means but I've certainly had better. Both bartenders tended to avoid questions about their beers. Whether that's from a lack of knowledge or a lack of interest I'm not sure. My wife and I looked at the menu and were unimpressed so we went some where else to eat shortly after. Maybe I was disappointed b/c of expectations. I was expecting something to the tune of Barleys in Asheville and it was certainly not Barleys. I don't think I'll go back. The one positive is the beers were only 2 bucks.
May 24, 2010
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

3.06/5  rDev -15%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3
We stopped by twice around their posted opening without success, but on the third try, we got lucky. My advice - call ahead.

A long series of plate glass windows fronted King Street with the double doorway in the center. There was a bench and some high tables along the right facing window. Standard restaurant tables and chairs lined the left facing windows. The inverse "S"-shaped wood bar was to the right with a minimal back bar consisting of shelves along the right wall and a chalkboard listing the available drafts above the bank of 30 taps along the back wall. Off to the left, entering, were a couple of rows of standard tables and chairs followed by a couple of rows of booths, plus a glass case of logo items against the left wall. Further aft, left, was the game room with a pair of black felt pool tables; shuffleboard; a Shoot the Hoop basketball machine; football; Big Buck Hunter; and electronic bowling.

Pluses, minuses, etc.: First and foremost, it was a sports bar with a good number of monitors of various types. I'm okay with that. The 13 or so BTs were dominated by BMC with a SA lager and SN Wheat as the only standouts. The drafts were so-so but it was an opportunity to drink some Coast beers. Caters to BOSOX fans. Sehr gut!

Ask for a non-frosted glass. I just realized that I got a shoddy answer when I asked about their available beers. I was told that they were all on the chalkboard, but that was not the case. Whoops. One last caution, the beers are extremely cold coming out of the lines. A frosted glass is overkill.
Dec 15, 2009
Photo of taylorhamrick
Reviewed by taylorhamrick from South Carolina

3.18/5  rDev -11.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4
So, I finally made it here for happy hour on a Thursday. I would never go at night - too crowded, and I would bet that the service would be much worse. The atmosphere during the day is not too bad, it's not noisy, and if you're into sports, you can watch whatever games are on TV. There's plenty of room if its not too crowded. If you're late nightin' it (I hate that phrase, but I think it will help you get the picture of who is there late at night), then its a different story. I was really not a fan of the pour on 2 of the beer I got, it made them taste much more watery and almost flat, kind of mineraly, in comparison to how I know they're supposed to taste. One bartender had a fairly decent pour, but still not great. The service was OK, I mean, the people would be friendly, but seemed to have bad memories of what we'd order or our last names. The selection is pretty much the best downtown. There were a couple of COAST taps, some other micros, some average stuff, and some macro stuff. I didn't try the food, but it's just regular bar food from what I can tell. And at happy hour, it was $3 drafts, which is $2 less than the average cost for COAST, so I was pretty happy with that, otherwise their prices are pretty average.
Jun 11, 2009
Photo of casemw
Reviewed by casemw from South Carolina

2.63/5  rDev -26.9%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | food: 2.5
Don't be fooled by the name. I realize that because I was expecting a lot more based on the name I may give this place a somewhat unfair review, but I have trouble seeing how you can call yourself "Charleston Beer Works" when you have only a handful of real craft brews on a 20 tap draft selection that is DOMINATED by the macros. Blue Moon, PBR, Bud Light, Bud, Mic Ultra, Nati Light...you've got to be kidding me. Whoever is in charge here could do a much better job. I was expecting a huge selection of good beer. Maybe they have plans to grow this selection, but I doubt it. The crowd wasn't great either (not surprising). A few pool tables and some TVs and that's about it. Maybe I went on an off night, but based on my experience I think I'll take my business elsewhere.
Apr 28, 2009
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Reviewed by aracauna from Georgia

3.64/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
This place looks a lot like your typical sports bar, perhaps a touch on the dive-bar side, but I wouldn't call it a dive bar. I hit them up at an odd hour and got good service, but it wasn't exactly busy at 4 p.m., either. It was happy hour, so it was nice getting a couple of good beers for less than $5 total. The selection was better than your typical bar, but not great. I had a couple of the Coast beers before heading out. This is a good stop if you're in the area, but not worth going out of your way to visit.
Feb 16, 2009
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

3.23/5  rDev -10.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3
I was expecting a bit better when I stopped in. Thought by checking the reviews it seems it was dead on in not expecting much. A typical place, I was thinking it would be more like a Barleys or something else. But it was a decent, if not average bar. Good selection of locals but the rest was ehh. Seemed ver solw this afternoon and I was underwhelmed looking at the food so I moved on elsewhere. I agree with Ding, this may have been the place a while back, but times have changed like night and day compared to better establishments.
Jan 22, 2009
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Reviewed by morebeergood from Massachusetts

3.13/5  rDev -13.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3
The website says this is the home of the Boston Red Sox in Charleston, so I had to stop by for game 3 of the ALDS. This was stop number 4 on our tour. Place was pretty full of people in Pats jerseys watching late afternoon NFL, and then Sox jerseys getting ready for the night game. This place had a lot of positives and negatives, which is why I am giving this place a middle of the road score. The inside of the place look like a frat house dump. The furniture is ratty, and the place could use a serious overhaul. But the joint was packed with NE/BOS fans, so that's a positive. The bartender was really cool when you went up the bar, but the one waitress that seemed to be working the floor never came over to where we were seating. I had to get up and chase her down twice. Selection was the second best in the city (behind the Mushroom). I tried all three Coast brews on draft. But why did they install a flatscreen tv that hangs down right in the middle of the chalkboard listing the tap selection? Food again was hit or miss. My burger was average and flat, but the fries were killer addictive spicy. My wife said her club sandwich was not good. Prices here are pretty good for beer and food (happy hour 5-8). Lots of positives, lots of negatives here. But...it was a fun night. Would have been better if the Sox had won though.
Oct 10, 2008
Photo of glid02
Reviewed by glid02 from Georgia

3.56/5  rDev -1.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
Went here to watch the Clemson Alabama game and to try out some COAST.

This place is first and foremost a sports bar. There are a lot of TV's around, and I also saw a shuffleboard table to keep people busy during blowouts.

Quality is pretty good. I had a snafu with a pint glass, but nothing else exceptional or terrible to report. Both beers I ordered came in pint glasses, and it seemed like that was their only glassware. No worries, as I didn't see any other beers on tap that really required specialty glassware.

Service was good. I didn't have to wait all that long for a beer even though they seemed pretty busy.

Selection was pretty good. A lot of macros on-tap, but there was also a decent selection of micros. COAST was the big draw for me, but they also had Liberty, Kona, and a few other micros that I can't remember.

Overall this was a solid choice of venue and it was exactly what I was looking for. As I said before, don't expect anything but a sports bar, but it's not too over the top.
Aug 31, 2008
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Reviewed by blackie from Oregon

3.88/5  rDev +7.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
atmosphere: pretty well described already...your basic sports bar, maybe a little nicer/more original, with the clientele primarily falling withing the 21-30 range

quality: no complaints, everything seemed fresh, standard pints with full pours

service: service was generally fast and friendly, though lagging when crowded

selection: the highlight of the selection is the largest number of COAST taps I found during my visit, some other micros, pseudo-micros, and macros were available, maybe 25 taps in all, I stuck with the COAST Hop Art for both of my trips to this establishment
May 28, 2008
Photo of Beerguy55
Reviewed by Beerguy55 from South Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +9.7%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Bar is your basic collegiate sports bar. Friendly staff. $2 pints during happy hour. They have 32 taps with 5 or so devoted to BMC products (I counted, but can't remember the number). Had lots of different beers and styles represented but have to give demerits for having 9 taps out of beer and having at least one beer with some other beer's handle on the tap. Wish I had more details but it was Halloween Night and the details got lost in the mists of, uh, .... time (yeah, that's it). But if you want an unpretentious boozer with a good selection of drafts, then consider this place. I will be back.
Nov 05, 2007
Photo of SaCkErZ9
Reviewed by SaCkErZ9 from South Carolina

3.91/5  rDev +8.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
I visited this bar during happy hour after checking in to my hotel down the street and paying 12 freakin dollars for parking! What a rip off.

Walking in, the bar is to the right, a kind of weird L shape with a swivel and twist. About 14000 tv's were all tuned to a Clemson football bowl game. I asked to have one changed to a basketball game and the bartender quickly obliged. Needless to say, the Clemson game was a good one so the place was pretty rockin. One drawback is the smokiness. I know that is what is expected in a college town bar, but sometimes it just gets to be too much.

Lots of beers on draft. Happy hour so the beers were two dollars a pint which is awesome. I was drinking John Courage and that went up to three and a quarter after happy hour which isnt bad at all.

Bartender was very attentive and remembered all the beers of everyone around me which is nice to see from a bartender. Definitely a college bar. I talked up the dude beside me and he was a C of C student.
Dec 30, 2005
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Reviewed by RedBaron from Illinois

3.8/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
The CBW was close to the hotel I was staying at during my honeymoon in Charleston, and it was a convenient and pretty cool place to get excellent beer at cheap prices.

The layout and atmosphere of the joint is really a large sports bar (lots of pool tables) and an array of flat-screen tvs. That last bit came in handy as I watched one half of the Vikings/Packers game on MNF and beer prices were $2.50/pint! Fortunately, they had a long L-shaped bar with plenty of room to sit at, and that's were the best vantage points for the game was to be had.

Oh, did I mention that they have over 25 taps?! That was a nice thing, and the selection was pretty good. On the Monday night that I visited I had a pint of Sierra Nevada Porter (yum) and a pint of Harpoon IPA (way yum). Both were of good quality, though the IPA was served too cold. No matter, I let it gently warm up to room temperature, and it was great.

I re-visited the pub on Friday night, the last night we were in town, and had a pint of Palmetto Amber (good and crisp) and a pint of Spaten Optimator (woah!). Again, both beers were kept well, and the Optimator REALLY went down well. There was a cover band, too, that did a pretty good job and had the joint rocking.

The bartenders were nice enough guys, especially funny, and they liked to rip on each other - not obnoxiously, just poking a little fun. This was pretty amusing, and we also chatted about beer for a while.

Overall, I would recommend a beer traveler to visit the CBW. Don't expect anything too creative from an atmospheric standpoint (basically, a sports bar with a just-out-of-college crowd), but they do tend their draught beers well (warning: no bottled beer in the house, save Corona) and the bartenders are good guys.
Dec 02, 2005
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Reviewed by JISurfer from Utah

3.74/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5
This is one of the newer beer bars that are invadeing Charleston lately. On the outside, it seems like your average college preppy/sorority beer joint, but then you step in. Ofcourse, it's full of C of C kids and the usual downtown bar folks, but it has an exceptional beer selection, especially for the alcohol limit riddled South Carolina. On tap, I counted a total of 33 beers, and only 4 of them were the usual crap, ie Bud Light, Miller Light, Bud, and Coors Light. The rest were imports and micros. Lots of brews from Redhook, ie SunRye, IPA, Blackhook, Winterhook, ESB, and another one I couldn't remember. Good selection of seasonal offerings, like winter, summer, spring, and oktoberfest brews. All in all a good place to go. Great happy hour specials, $2 for any pint of beer they have. On top of that they have something like 130 different types of bottled beers. Hot chicks go there and lots of them, so on top of the beer, it's the perfect place to go on a Friday or Saturday night.
Feb 20, 2005
Charleston Beer Works in Charleston, SC
Place rating: 3.6 out of 5 with 35 ratings