This week as I was bumming around downtown with the wifey, I had a genius idea that we should stop into the Charleston Beer Exchange (CBX). CBX is located on 14 Exchange St, off of East Bay St. downtown. As you may already know, this is one of the finest beer stores there is and we are very lucky to have it here in Charleston. If you need evidence of that, check out this link where RateBeer.com rates CBX as the 2nd best Beer Retailer of 2011! This is not just in the United States people, this is in THE WORLD! CBX finished second, only losing out to a Beer Store in Belgium. I need to make it a point to get there more often!!! Can't take a gem like CBX for granted!
So while I was there the other day, I took some pics in case you haven't been there yet.
Some highlights of the store:
1) Growler Station with 9 Rotating Taps of deliciousness. You can always see what they have on tap by checking their website, as they keep it updated daily (hourly even). Click here for what they have on tap right now. On this particular day they had Westbrook White Thai, Southern Tier 2XIPA, coast American Pale Wheat, Sweetwater IPA, Palmetto Espresso Porter, Rogue Old Crustacean Barley Wine, Bell's Consecrator Doppelbock, Victory Prima Pils, and Ommegang Aphrodite. As you can see a good mix, with some local breweries thrown in as well. The alcohol content of the beers featured on this particular day ranged from 5% to 11.5% and the prices for a growler fill ranged from $8.99 to $29.99. The majority of them were under $14, so the prices are really good here!
2) They have a phenomenal inventory of singles, 22oz, 750 ml, 4 packs, and 6 packs. They stock over 850 bottles and keep an inventory list on their website. Click here to see. What can I say about the inventory, except that they carry the best beers that are out there. There is a reason they are ranked #2 Best Beer Retailer of 2011. For a fairly small store, they pack in a lot of beer and it's all excellent stuff! The only problem is that with all that good beer, it's hard for a guy like me to make decisions and I end up taking a long time figuring what I'm going purchase. A good problem to have in my opinion, not so much in my wifey's opinion.
3) They ship their beer!!! This is good for those who may not reside in Charleston, and for those whose states allow it. As of the time of this writing, they do not ship to the following states: AL, AR, KY, MD, MA, MS, MT, NH, PA, UT.
4) The owners collaborate with Coast Brewing to put on an AMAZING craft beer festival here in Charleston called The Charleston Brewvival! The first Brewvival was in 2010, where Greg Koch, CEO and Co-Founder of Stone Brewing Co. was the key note speaker. Unfortunately I didn't live in Charleston at the time, but I was fortunate enough to have been able to attend the 2011 edition and it was the best beer festival ever! Check out this ridiculous list of breweries and the beers they brought with them to Brewvival 2011. Next years Brewvival I am sure will only be better. My goal for next year is to try and remember the entire beer fest from beginning to end. This year, the last hour or so is a little fuzzy! Great time!
5) Prices are good and you can buy any of their beers as singles. So if you see something in a 6 pack and aren't sure or only want one or two, feel free to just buy one or two and they don't mark it up. Basically whatever the 6 pack costs, they divide it buy 6 and that is what it costs for a single.
All in all, The Charleston Beer Exchange is a fantastic store that I highly recommend you check out if you haven't already. Also, if you haven't been to The Charleston Brewvival yet, you need to check that out too. It takes place in February, so keep your calendar open.
Cheers!
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