10 Best Breweries in Charleston, South Carolina

Ever thought about vacationing in South Carolina before? I didn’t either until I discovered they have a massively growing beer culture!

Although it may be hot during the summer months, Charleston is actually quite mild for the rest of the seasons. This means perfect beer-drinking weather for three out of the four seasons (cue happy music)! Use this Going for scoring wildly cheap flights to countless destinations, including Charleston.

Let’s dive right in and explore the best breweries in Charleston, South Carolina. Consider renting a car in Charleston with a sober driver so you can tour around the various spots because the craft beer scene here is one of the best in the entire country.

Let this list be your Charleston brewery map! Disclaimer: This list is not ranked in any particular order.

Best Breweries in Charleston, SC

Let’s get into some epic craft breweries that you need to visit.

1. Charles Towne Fermentory

Tucked away in a small garage, this modern-day taproom and fermentation spot has everything a craft beer-lover could ever want.  With foosball tables and plenty of tap handles, this brewery feels like hanging out at your favorite college hangout spot (but with good beer instead of the cheap stuff).

Focusing on specialty beer, with an emphasis on both hops and special fermentation techniques, this brewery has something for every beer drinker’s palate.

This is one of the local’s favorite hangout spots. Grab a nice refreshing beer after a long day in the sun. With live music most nights and free brewery tours, this relaxed, laid-back setting will leave a good impression on you and your taste buds.

See Related: Best Places to Travel in Your 20s in America

2. Holy City Brewing

This tasting room is also in an old garage space, which seems to be a popular theme nowadays! Some of my favorite breweries back in Minnesota and Wisconsin are also set in old garages.

Located in North Charleston, this brewery serves up a little bit of everything in its tasting room with great outdoor seating. From a wide variety of pints and a refreshing selection of food options, this brewery has something that will fit everyone’s needs. Add this to your list of Charleston breweries with food!

Starting with four friends who came together for the common love of beer, Holy City Brewing has made a big name for itself amongst the locals and reached beyond just North Charleston.

With some hard work and determination, these beer-loving friends joined together, overhauled their 4,000-square-foot warehouse, and turned it into something special. Quickly outgrowing their first space, they recently moved to a 20,000-square-foot warehouse and overhauled that. 

Their new space can hold over 360 people, plus they have acreage in the marsh out back, filled with picnic tables. And an event space above the taproom that holds fifty people. This brewery had taken off in ways the owners couldn’t have imagined when they started with their small homebrew equipment.

North Charleston locals keep coming back repeatedly, and that speaks for itself. Stop by for a pairing of one of the many food trucks with their unique ales if you want a more casual dining experience.

See Related: Best Breweries in Rochester, Minnesota

3. Frothy Beard Brewing

Three good buddies started Frothy Beard Brewing in 2013 and haven’t looked back since. Relocating to a bigger, more capable facility in 2017, they have gained a lot of press and attention from the locals.

Their drinks have a nice variety from light to dark, something for every type of beer drinker. Anything from a good sour beer to a dark porter for the fall. And, of course, everything in between! If you’re brave enough, try their Sweater Weather on Nitro, it is the perfect pumpkin spice blend to spice up your fall day.

With Zombie Bob’s Pizza thrown in the mix, this taproom will surely leave your belly full and satisfied. They even use a beer: Back From the Dead Porter from Frothy Beard Brewing, in their super top-secret sourdough recipe for the crust of the pizzas.

This is all the information I could find about this pizza dough, so they’re doing a good job keeping the recipe top-secret. This group of friends knows how to serve great beer and pizza in Charleston at an affordable price. What more could you ask for from a hometown pint?

See Related: Best Things to Do in Charleston

4. Munkle Brewing Co.

This place definitely has a bit of a backstory, and that’s what we love about breweries. Every establishment has a different backstory about how they got started brewing their beer.

The tale of this brewery is a bit different than most, but the knowledge from learning the old, traditional ways to brew beer from monks is something most cannot obtain. Any beer geek knows the monks paved the way for us modern-day beer drinkers but rarely gain recognition.

This brewery was started by a nephew, which his uncle inspired. “Uncle Rob” started brewing beer at a Benedictine monastery in Three Rivers, Michigan.

A lucky find of old homebrew equipment in the basement of the monastery, Uncle Rob began mastering the art of brewing honored by monastic tradition passed down through many generations.

Their old-world-style beer has made waves around the downtown Charleston area. The fact that the owners have sampled beer from all over the world is something truly special. Learning the authentic, historical ways to brew is something not every brewery has taken steps to learn.

This is one of our favorite breweries for classic styles. They lean towards brewing old-world-style pints with the true monastic presence represented in most of their brews. Belgian, German-style Trappist and other monastic beers are brewed in the spirit like it was done hundreds of years ago.

If your taste buds want to go back in time with a sip of traditionally brewed beer, take them to Munkle Brewing Co., surely, they won’t be disappointed. It’s a must-see spot in downtown Charleston and the brewery district.

See Related: Best Group Vacation Ideas

5. Revelry Brewing

Revelry Brewing is best known by the locals for having a good atmosphere and even better beer. With a glorious selection of great-tasting beers, this brewery must be on your Charleston brewery list. There are definitely a few beers on my list that I want to try from them.

They have beautiful fermentation blends such as Quenched: a blend of grapefruit puree, citrumelo, Meyer lemon, red lime, and kumquats. My mouth is watering just typing those succulent ingredients. In the heart of Charleston, this is one brewery that is going to be very hard to miss. If I were you and had some time to kill in South Carolina, this is where I’d be going for the afternoon.

See Related: Best Traditional Cafes and Brasseries in Paris

6. Freehouse Brewery

Freehouse Brewing is South Carolina’s premier organic brewery. Specializing in organic beer, they focus on Mother Nature and the people who drink it. Zero pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used in any production stage of their beer. 

With zero GMOs and artificial ingredients, their craft is truly pure beer. Plus, organic agriculture is better for the environment, so you can feel good about drinking their products.

On the banks of the Ashley River in Charleston, this quaint little taproom serves cold drinks and warm smiles on a hot summer day. With views of the marsh and the river, Freehouse is the perfect place to drink craft beer on a beautiful weekend.

With the classic IPAs and lagers, this brewery also presents deliciously sour wild ales, all brewed with local ingredients from all over the Carolinas. These beers will surely quench your thirst on one of those hot Charleston days. With plenty of seating outside, this dog-friendly brewery will make your mouth both pucker and smile (from the delicious sour beer).

See Related: Best Restaurants in Charleston

7. Fatty’s Beer Works

While Fatty may or may not be a fictional character, we know that the beer Fatty serves is an absolute treat. The story behind each beer that is brewed in Fatty’s taproom is a good one. Some of them are quite intriguing.

Fatty’s taproom and brewery are something special in Charleston. People come for good laughs and even better beers. Specializing in sour beers and IPAs, Fatty’s has a beer for everyone’s style. They even have a stout that is brewed with local oysters! Now that sounds like a beer I would be interested in trying.

With a dog-friendly atmosphere and live music on the weekends, this spot is hard to beat. According to the locals, get there early on the weekends, because otherwise there won’t be much parking left!

See Related: Best Paris Wine Tasting Options

8. Pawley’s Island Brewing Company

Located in North Charleston, this quaint little brewery serves up delicious brews. Most locals love it for the friendly atmosphere and laid-back vibes. This is one of the best Charleston breweries to escape the crowded downtown.

They are one of the key breweries at the heart of the craft beer boom in Charleston. With a good variety of brews on tap, the crew at Pawley’s Island Brewing Co. knows what they’re doing both in the public eye and behind the scenes.

With a nice selection of light beers, sours, and IPAs, they aren’t afraid to go a little darker, made famous by their Gray Man Stout. They have beers for every season, especially the ones that pair well with sunshine and warm weather.

They also have warm hearts at Pawley’s Island Brewing Company. They teamed up with South Carolina Aquarium, a local nonprofit, and brewed two beers specifically made for the aquarium.

The aquarium funds the proceeds and helps aid their mission of cleaning up the shorelines and saving the sea turtles and their habitats.

See Related: Best South Carolina Beaches to Visit

9. Westbrook Brewing

Located northeast of Charleston, this brewery is worth the short commute. This brewery is also unafraid to go to the dark side, specializing in sours, light beer, and IPA.

They have a range of dark beers with Mexican cake influences (extremely popular, limited, and sold out almost immediately) and barrel-aged specialties. This is where you can drink any beer you are in the mood for. No matter the weather outside.

With a wide range of beers on tap, every palate will be quenched with the refreshing beer served in their tasting room. Westbrook Brewing Company is a brewery that puts thought and effort into crafting its beers. They leave their customers wanting another pint, one more sip because it’s just that good.

See Related: Best Hotels in Charleston

10. LO-Fi Brewing

With minimal information on this establishment’s actual brewery or owners, LO-Fi Brewing leaves the mysteries to be answered by the beer they brew. Checking out LO-Fi Brewing’s great website will not give you much insight into how or who runs this place, but I love it. With only three or four beer options on tap, they are confident you will like one of four options, if not all.

Nothing will top their signature beer: LO-Fi Glitter Pony. As described on their website as a “complex modern classic”, it seems this beer has a bit of something that everyone wants in a beer. Fruity, spicy, and deep golden, this beer will leave you both confused and wanting more. The locals say that the location is odd, but don’t let that scare you off.

People don’t complain about the small selection of beer, because they know when they go to LO-Fi, they’ll be getting a good pint of craft beer regardless of how many choices are on tap.

Locals and non-locals alike rave about the Glitter Pony and their Mexican lager. This brewery is small, with minimal choices, but the quality of beer and service keeps people returning repeatedly.

So next time you’re in Charleston and have a few hours or days to kill, check out the breweries on this list. There is a brewery on the list that has a drink for everyone!

Check out what the locals say, and knock back a couple of cold, refreshing, (sours, for me), lagers, IPAs, or stouts to wind down the day. Enjoy what these Charleston breweries have to offer, which is a variety of flavors, good vibes, and an amazing craft beer scene.

Burlington, NC, is also another option for a place to explore and probably plan a nice getaway with the family.

FAQ

Other Brewery Guides

• Best Breweries in St. Paul, Minnesota
• Best Breweries in Munich, Germany
• Best Breweries in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Best Breweries in Fairbanks, Alaska
• Best Breweries in Denver, Colorado
• Best Breweries in Amsterdam

Related Resources

• Going (Formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) Review
• Best Travel Credit Cards
• Best Places to Travel in December on a Budget
• Things to Do in Travelers Rest, South Carolina