Visiting Charleston this month

Bumping this because I'm potentially doing Charleston for my birthday. It's in contention with Charlotte which is much closer but I LOVE Charleston.

How is Coast? is it worth a visit?

 

Haven’t been to in a couple years but fun place to sit on the loading dock and have a beer. They had maybe four on tap, nothing really new or limited as I recall. But we’re kind of in a rut and often go to the Fermentory.

However, we did go to Revelry for first time last week. Decent selection of taps. Very cool upstairs bar, great food truck, nice place to hang out. The awesomely outstanding Lewis BBQ is only a block away.

 

Lewis BBQ is the best brisket I've had outside of Austin. So good.

 

Its been a while since I have been as well but I think there is better beer in Charleston. Coast has been brewing the same beer for years and hasnt changed much. In addition to Charles Towne Fermentory, you have Edmunds oast brewpub and brewery which are pretty different experiences and have different beer. Revelry is pretty good and I have heard Two Blokes is solid too.

 

Charles Towne Fermentory is definitely on the potential agenda. We've only been once and really enjoyed it. Is Edmunds Oast Brewpub the same as the Edmunds Oast from years ago? And didn't they open a bottle shop too?

 

Edmunds Brewing is different from the Oast. They have a bottle shop basically attached to the restaurant now, and the brewery is pretty close.

If you go to Coast, which is old faithful and still awesome, run over to Commonhouse Aleworks as well! New brewery in Park Circle that is killing it!

 

If your stomach needs to meet its quota of oysters and drink some Charles Towne Fermentory on tap, check out 167 Raw. Its small and its popular, so get there early.

 

I'm heading to charleston in May, so this thread has been very helpful with my preliminary recon. I'm definitely going to hit Charles Towne Fermentory, my question is do they can (and how frequently is it avail) or is it just growler fills? I thought I saw something that said crowlers as well, so really just looking for a lay on the land about them...if anyone can comment and provide details on them. It seems like most of their taplists or info is pretty outdated (their website, twitter, etc.) it looks like instagram is the best thing to keep an eye on?

Secondly would definitely like to grab some Mexican cake as well, since i've never had it. Looks like our timing works out well for its release time frame (we arrive on May 19th). Will it sit around for a week or so (since I saw people said it normally is released 1st or 2nd week of May) or will I need to reach out to places there to see if they will hold a bottle or two for me and then just pick it up? Thanks for any help!

 

Yes, they pretty much always have some cans available. I stopped by Friday on my way home from work and they had the peach and passionfuit gose cans as well as some stout cans left. I know they do growler fills, but I cannot recall if they have a crowler machine. I've always just picked up cans to go. They always have good stuff on tap, so I wouldn't worry too much.

 

They have a crowler machine now, as does Westbrook, Edmunds & Commonhouse. You could be right in time, a little late or a little early on MC. It doesn't sit around long, but big box stores get 10+ cases and limit to 1 pp/day, so even if it comes out early you should happen upon it.

If you hit me up closer to that timeframe, I could likely help out more...

 

Thanks for the help, if it's released late I think I might be ok, my in-laws are renting a condo for a week in Folly Beach somewhere, so we will be in town for awhile. I'm assuming Total Wine will probably the best place to go then, as they'll probably get the most allotment?

Def want to pick up some cans at CTF as it be cool to get to take home and we have a 1 year old so might be better to be able to grab some stuff to have at the condo and have by the pool. Stinks though I was reading up and sounds like slightly risky to drink on the beach at Folly. I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue as long as you're not obnoxious but I can think of much better ways to spend $500 or $1000 than on a ticket if you happen to get unlucky with a cop who's strict and looking to rake in some town revenue.

 

My FiL has a house on the beach and I spend at least 2 weeks a year and sometimes 5 or 6 at the beach house. I've never had an inkling that anyone was going to stop and give me a ticket. We take our dog, and I walk her multiple times a day on the beach. Anytime after 11 am, you can be rest assured I have a drink in hand and never been approached. I've drank out of all kinds of cups and cans that you can think of. Wherever you are reading this, unless it is all within the last couple months, I would take as bs! Just don't be a stupid tourist and you'll be fine!

As far as MC, you could hit Total Wine and then stop at CTF on the way back to Folly. As much as I dislike the Barrel on Folly Rd, you could definitely stop there and grab MC as well. Should be able to potentially grab some at Berts on Folly as well. And finally, definitely hit up Jack of Cups. They normally have decent beers, and normally have MC, but the food is unmatched on the island. It is the only place I eat out there!

 

I have purchased mexican cake at Berts, so they definitely get it. In addition to Jack of Cups, don't forget Chico Feo! Those are really the only two places you need.

 

Can anyone tell me what Breweries in Charleston are doing the best sours these days? And anyone doing NE style IPA's? I have a couple of friends that will be there for over a month and will be hitting the Charleston area Breweries so would love to know. Any help is appreciated.

 

I just hit Edmunds Oast and Westbrook last night and both are offering some quality beers. EO exchange had different beers then the actual brewery so be sure to hit both.

 

Charles Towne Fermentory
Edmunds Oast Brewery/Oast/Exchange
Commonhouse Aleworks

 

Just got back from Charleston. Great beer City, so many breweries to visit, thought I'd give my quick impressions from a visitor for those wondering.
Westbrook - Beautiful space but the usual basic Westbrook pedestrian beers on tap and more of a bar feel than a brewery feel in the taproom.
Charles Towne Fermentory - Small space in Avondale part of town, amazing IPA's from what I sampled. Treehouse/Trillium/Veil/Aslin quality for those who love their hoppy beers this place is a must.
Holy City - Good vibe in small warehouse space with a nice selection. Only had a few samples but nothing blew me away tbh.
Edmunds Oast - Probably my favorite overall Brewery of my visit. Pretty varied selection from Sours to Stouts to Saisons to some very good IPA's. They do small pours (flights), 8, 12 & 16 oz pours and even have pitchers which I have never seen at a brewery. Great vibe in the brewery with a limited selection of good food and some outdoor seating. Also a nice outdoor courtyard with some tables and they do a Sunday brunch and have live music on occasion.
Also stopped by the restaurant which looks great although I did not eat there.
CommonHouse Aleworks - Great Space in North Charleston with a nice selection. Had live music also when i was there which was nice. Very dog and kid friendly. All the beers I tried were solid.
Revelry - I stopped by but they were closed for a private party so didn't get to sample anything but looks like a neat space with a cool rooftop deck bar.
Palmetto - Another Brewery in an Industrial space with a cool taproom in the back and another big room to hang out in (which had a private party when i was there). The 2 month old cans of Huger St. in the cooler were a turn off for me but they get the award for the most creative urinals in the men's room, be sure to check it out if you stop by.

 

Agreed on WB. They have the oddest hours and the tap room really feels more like a "we have to have a taproom so here you go" kinda place .

But, it's easy to forget Westbrook was one of the first SC craft brewers getting distro and was really behind the curve. So, they make a lot of money distributing and not on the place to hang out local brewpub model that a lot of places are going for.

 

Bump. Lots of good recommendations in this thread.

Anything new to add? Anything fun going on this coming week/weekend? Arrive mid-afternoon Wed and leave Sunday. Excited to check out Charleston for the first time!!

Thanks!

 

You will miss the Charles Towne Fermentory 2nd Anniversary party by a week (Dec. 8). However, there is a small chance that WB BA Mexican Cake day may happen this Saturday. Word on the event usually takes place 3-4 days beforehand. Even if it doesn't happen, they are already starting to put some of them on tap, so it would be worth the trip there. Obviously, there is good info above and not need for rehashing. Cheers and enjoy your time here!!