Road trip NJ to Charleson,sc

Your route probably takes you down I-95 through Delaware?
If so, State Line Liquors in Elkton, Md would be a good place to stop.
Easy on/off the highway and a really nice selection plus growler fills.

 

Google will tell you I-95 is the faster way. But if you want to stop at Troegs, that makes sense, and you will avoid any potential jam ups by avoiding Baltimore, Washington, and Richmond areas.

Once you get into the Charleston area, Westbrook is a well regarded brewery (technically in Mt Pleasant)

 

Can't help you on the drive back but while in Short Hills try to get bottles or growlers from a few nearby breweries. Magnify, Cricket Hill and Climax are about 1/2 an hour away. Trap Rock Brewery Restaurant is 10 min's away and they sell bottles of their Helles.

 

If you're going via I-81 and you're willing to go a little out of your way, you really ought to take I-26 to Asheville, NC. In that general area are (among others): Oskar Blues, Wicked Weed, Green Man, Burial Beer, and the unbelievably lavish Sierra Nevada brewery. It might cost you a couple of hours in driving time, but it might cost you a couple of days exploring the local offerings. You may never make it to Charleston.
PS - I'll second the State Line recommendation.
PPS - Avoiding Philly is always a good idea.

 

If you're going I-81 then you should stop at Devil's Backbone in Lexington, VA. It is about half a mile from I-81, so easy off and back on. Their Vienna Lager is awesome. They have flights to try different samples and they fill growlers.

 

Can't fault you for going out of your way to Troegs, one of my favorite places. Otherwise, the Jersey Turnpike avoids Phila. as well. If you do stop at State Line Liquors, consider working your way toward 301 down Delmarva and take that to Richmond to rejoin 95. It will skip all of Baltimore and D.C. traffic.

Other than that you should hightail it to Charleston. This is a great beer and food town. We spent last winter here and two months this winter and love it. There are several threads on the South Atlantic forum.

 

I did a very similar road trip from philly to Charleston last spring. The drive was gonna be long enough so I didn't deviate off course anywhere on the way down but on the way up you could prolly roll through Asheville and DC area to hit up some spots

 

Pizza boy is near Troegs and right off I-81

 

Troegs is cool place but not sure if it's worth the time to get out there. Would rather hit some of the places off 95.

Personally (and I live off 95 in DE), I would hit:
Carton, Kane, Tired Hands, State Line Liquors, ChurchKey in DC. Then Richmond has Hardywood, Stone, The Answer/Mekong.

From there, you could take 85 through Charlotte.

 

Guess it depends how far out of his way the OP wants to go. Oddly enough, his route only adds 50 minutes and Troegs isn't really out of the way from that point on. Carton and Kane are an hour each direction out of the way. NJ to Ardmore for a beer? Just put a bullet in my head and leave me on the I95 shoulder. I don't care if Jesus Christ is pouring that day, I need a better reason to traverse Center City from NJ. Then, I'm one of the few who think TH is a little overrated. But, giving the OP options and ideas is all good. Something EZ Off at Richmond would be beneficial to me when driving that way. Will check that out.

 

I went to Charleston for my bachelor party in February and went to Westbrook, Holy City, & Coast....highly recommend each of them. Also our flights home were cancelled and we ended up driving back from Charleston...it was faaaaaaaaar...no beer stops as we all needed to get home...hahah

Also I am local to Short Hills (summit) and would be interested in what you bring back...

 

Disclaimer: I've only been to Charleston once.

Westbrook is a must though their tap room is only okay. If you can make it down there in May that looks like when they will have their Mexican Cake release, which will make you the most popular person in school if you can bring back a haul. Here's their release schedule: http://westbrookbrewing.com/release-schedule/

There are a bunch of other breweries in the area that have much nicer patios/experiences though I can't remember any beers that seems ultra noteworthy.

 

I was down in the Charleston area last week visiting my brother. While we didn't hit up any breweries, I had quite a few local beers.

I'd say my favorite was COAST Hop Art.

 

Richmond -- my first stop any time in Richmond will always be The Answer. Love what they are doing and wish it was closer.
Durham - I went to Triangle once and hated it. Couldn't pay me to go back. Their IPAs tasted old and their BA stout was way tart but "not infected". Look for Sams Quick Stop or Sams Bottle Shop.
And take a look at Haw River in Saxapahaw, NC. Shouldn't be too far from Durham. Love what they do.
Raleigh - Trophy has two locations now. The original has some amazing pizzas, the second has more taps and food trucks. Win win but I say go for the pizza. Its closer to Crank Arm and the others. And if you're hitting Crank Arm, couple blocks away is State of Beer. Nice bottle shop with taps and sandwiches.
Greensboro - Bestway is a pretty awesome bottle shop.

Would it be too much to ask you be bring 17 growlers of Kane down with you?

 

If you have the time or are open to making a slight detour in your trip I would visit Asheville, NC. It's a great town, has great hiking, and awesome beer. Also, IMHO, it's worth skipping Durham/Raleigh/Chapel Hill. I went to grad school in the Triangle area and have been to Full Steam multiple times. It's cool, but not trip worthy. That being said, if you're going to do Durham, check in advance if the Durham Bulls are playing. Their stadium is in the center of town and recently renovated, AND there is a Tobacco Road (decent beer selection) restaurant in left field that's nice.

Also, I agree with the poster above ^^^: it's a requirement you hit up the Answer. You don't have to take my word for it - it was recently ranked #1 in the country (higher than Churchkey in DC) by some publication. Try their beers if you can. Have a great trip.

 

If you have time, take a detour into Wilmington and visit Lighthouse in Wrightsville Beach..they always have wicked weed for sale since it seems you cant get to Asheville.

It's a great city with plenty of good beer bars and food options. I definitely recommend it over Raleigh. Couple breweries have opened up in the area too since I moved away a few years ago.

 

I'd also skip the Triangle Area as a few others have said. Nothing really happening there. If you do wind up in Raleigh, have dinner at The Pit.