2011 Was a Good Year for Beer in Charleston!

I think most would agree that 2011 was a good year for beer in Charleston, SC!  Here's a quick recap.

January
Charleston Beer Exchange gets ranked #2 Best Beer Retailer in THE WORLD by RateBeer.Com.  I certainly think it should be number one based on my visit there.  Take note that the #1 Best Beer Retailer is in Belgium!  Way to go CBX!

February
Westbrook Brewing opens it's doors to it's beautiful facility.  They started with offering tastings at the brewery as well as having their beer available on many restaurant/bar taps locally.  Almost a year later, you can find their beer at more and more restaurants/bars, they now can (not bottle) their IPA and White Thai, as well as bottle some real special beers such as Wine Barrel Aged Tripel.  Check out one of my visits there by clicking here.

The 2nd Annual Charleston Brewvival was held again in the field across from Coast Brewing in late February.  This was my first time going and I loved every second of it.  The beer is ridiculous!!!  So many barrel aged beers, high gravity beers, and just crazy, crazy offerings!!!  Check it out here.

June 2011
The Charleston Brews Cruise opened and started operating it's van tours of local breweries 6 days a week. The cruise consists of three stops, which vary depending on the day of the week. At the first stop, guests learn the brewing process.  At the second, guests are taught about the different styles of beer as well as the brewery's specific styles and history. The last stop is a social atmosphere.  My brother and I loved our Cruise!

The House of Brews in Mt. Pleasant opened in June and what a cool place it is!  HOB specializes in bottled and canned craft beer from all over the world as well as features a 4 tap growler station.  If you haven't been here yet, you are definitely missing out.  My wife and I loved it.  Here's the proof.

July 2011
Holy City Brewing opened and started popping up at various local restaurants and bars.  In September they opened up their tasting room to the public.  One can go and get a tour, 4 samples, and go home with a Holy City pint glass for $5.  You can also play a game of pool if you like.  I certainly enjoyed my time there.

October 2011
Charleston Beer, written by Timmons Pettigrew about our beloved Charleston beer scene is released and it's damn good!  Here's my review!

December 2011
Bottles in Mt. Pleasant opened it's doors.  It's a beer/wine store with a liquor store next door as well.  The store features a growler station as well as a huge selection of craft beer.  A blog will be posted soon about Bottles.  Stay tuned.

What did I forget?

Cheers to a Happy New Year in 2012!

Posted in: Year in Review