Charleston’s Best Brews

8^th Annual Charleston Beer Week slated for the fall

By Elise DeVoe

An event solely held to celebrate craft beer in Charleston, the annual Charleston Beer Week features over 50 events and showcases over 35 breweries and brewpubs over ten days. The 8th Annual Charleston Beer Week is set to run from Oct. 29 to Nov. 6.

There’s never been a better time to expand your palate with a wide variety of new and local brews than with themed events or even joining the “March of the Murrays” pub crawl, a nod to local celebrity and actor Bill Murray.

Below are a just a few of the breweries around Charleston that will have a presence at Charleston Beer Week this year. For a full schedule of events, participating breweries and updates, visit www.charlestonbeerweek.com/

Palmetto Brewing Co.

289 Huger St. Charleston

@palmettobrewing

Palmetto Brewing was the first licensed brewery to open in the state of South Carolina since the fall of prohibition. They are hosting one of the kick-off events for Charleston Beer Week on Friday, Oct. 29. The event will be a live can art contest where participants battle it out to have their designs featured on a small batch Palmetto brew in 2022. Palmetto will be accepting preliminary designs starting on Sept. 1 and ending on Oct. 1. The contestants will be narrowed down to nine artists who will participate in three, 20-minute live art rounds to determine a winner. Ticket holders at the event will vote to narrow down the artists from nine to six, and then a winner will be chosen from the top three. 

All of the designs from those participating in the contest will be added to a collection for a silent auction that will benefit the arts. Ticket holders will have plenty of beer to sample and entertainment from a DJ.

“I want it to be a chic affair, an artsy crowd,” said Tarah Gee, Palmetto Brewing’s Marketing Coordinator. “I would like for this to be a yearly event.”

Fam’s Brewing Co.

1291 Folly Rd., James Island

@famsbrewingco

Fam’s Brewing Co. is a pizzeria brewpub that has been brewing beer on James Island since 2017. The original Famulari’s Pizza was opened in Summerville in 2008, then the concept evolved to include an attached brewery for their James Island location. They have 20 beers on tap that you can enjoy inside or outside on their 3,000-square-foot biergarten. Their “Problem Child” IPA won a gold medal in the 2019 South Carolina Brewers Guild Awards, and a must-try when you visit Fam’s. This year for beer week, they will be hosting a GoldenEye PA beer release and video game tournament on Tuesday, Nov. 2 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. They have a large projector screen where people will compete in the video game GoldenEye 007 and the top four will receive prizes. There will be a $10 entry fee which can be paid online at https://www.famsbrewingco.com/beerweek before Thursday, Oct. 28. It’s sure to be a fun time!

Holy City

1021 Aragon Ave., North Charleston

@holycitybrewing

Holy City has new digs on Aragon Avenue with more space to sip and socialize. This new location also provides more room to brew their beer. They have a massive outdoor space where they often have live music, a market with local vendors and more. If you’ve never been to Holy City, the must-try brews are the Washout Wheat, Pluff Mud Porter and Overly Friendly IPA. "Charleston's got such a tight-knit brewery scene as it is, so Beer Week is a great opportunity for all of us to get together and celebrate this industry that has flourished over the last fifteen years in our great city," said Paul Pavlich, media manager for Holy City.

The Whale

1640 Meeting Street, Charleston

@thewhalechs

Asheville-based craft beer collective The Whale has recently arrived in Charleston. They are located in the new Refinery development on Meeting Street and offer 20 rotating drafts and over 150 bottled and canned brews. Their name “The Whale” comes from their mission to showcase rare beers (which are called whales in the beer community) from around the world as well as ciders and non-alcoholic options.

“We're really excited to be a part of Charleston Beer Week this year. This will be just a couple of months into our opening, and we have some really awesome events planned to show Charleston what we bring to the table,” said co-owner Jesse Van Note.

Rusty Bull

3005 W. Montague Ave. Suite 110. North Charleston

@rustybullbeer

Rusty Bull has been serving their craft brews in North Charleston since May of 2017. The name Rusty Bull is an homage to co-owner Ben Mayer’s dad “Rusty” and co-owner Brian Bogstad’s uncle-in-law “Bull.” They truly have a beer for everyone’s tastes. IPA drinkers can enjoy their signature “Dance Naked” IPA and for the lager drinkers out there, they have a “Livin’ Easy” light lager with notes of lemongrass for a crisp finish.

“We’re always excited about participating in Beer Week and creating unique events that introduce craft beer to a wider audience. This year is no exception…you definitely don’t want to miss the Beer Olympics,” said Bogstad.

Frothy Beard

1401 Sam Rittenburg Blvd., Charleston

@frothybeardbrewing

Frothy Beard officially opened in 2013 by three friends with a shared passion for creativity, culinary arts, zombies, epic novels, board games and beer. They relocated the brewery to their current location on Sam Rittenberg Blvd in 2017 and it’s the first place they canned their crowd-favorite jalapeño pale ale, ¡Andale!

“Beer week is a great time to celebrate the socializing suds we all love and enjoy, whether locally made or trying something new from afar. As a participating brewery for the last seven years, we've always tried to do something new and exciting with each event,” said co-owner/general manager Michael Biondi.

Low Tide Brewing

2863 Maybank Hwy, Johns Island, South Carolina

@lowtidebrewing

Low Tide Brewing was Johns Island’s first brewery when they opened their doors back in March of 2016. Co-owners Mike Fielding and Andy Elliott made it their mission to not only make delicious and unique beers, but to craft custom beers for Lowcountry bars and restaurants. They are constantly rotating their flavors, but their staples include the Tide Chaser IPA, Sweet Caroline Kolsch and the Aloha Beaches pineapple wheat beer.

"We are excited for the return of beer week, and we are eager to be more involved than ever. This year we want to put a focus on beer education and our retail partners. To do this, we will be hosting the Certified Cicerone Exam and organizing a ‘March of the Murrays’ themed pub crawl with some of our downtown retail establishments," said Fielding. “Our March of the Murrays beer week event will be on Saturday, Oct. 30 from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. 

“We are encouraging everybody to dress as their favorite Bill Murray character from any of his movies. It should be a lot of fun while paying tribute to Bill Murray, the face of Charleston, and at the same time help support some of the bars that always support us,” said facilities manager Will Stone.