Ed L.
Yelp
I wanted to try the local brewery during my time here, so a local friend of mine picked me up and took me here to the Palmetto Brewery here in Charleston, South Carolina. The parking lot was kind of sketchy, especially when you had more than 2 drinks.
Local breweries are fun, aren't they? It usually gives the spice of the community and the drinks are usually hard to pronounce on occasion, especially when you can't see very well after having a bunch. Needless to say that I stopped at 2 drinks for the night and can manage to walk to the car without much effort. With that said, my friend and I arrived here around 6pm. The Charleston Beer runners usually meet here for their Thursday run, so it was nice to meet some of them here at the Palmetto Brewery after they had finished. You know that saying goes, "I feel alone in a crowd of people"? It feels like that when I'm in this kind of atmosphere. Sure the beers and stuff is great, but if you're drinking alone in a pub like this, it feels like this sometimes before the people you know come back after 45 minutes. Still, I sat there on the outside area enjoying my brews and looking at my phone during the time I was alone. Guess that's how it is when you're the new guy in town. It is what it is, but its okay though. I had my brews and I was charged $15.00 for 2 drinks, which isn't terrible, but not cheap either.
The overall experience here at the Palmetto Brewery was okay, even though for reasons mentioned above that being the new kid kind of sucked sometimes drinking alone. When I got to meet the other Charleston Beer runners that evening, it was nice and not as awkward, since I knew some local area runners now. What I learned about this place is that you go up to the counter were the plethora of beer names jump out at you like a billboard on steroids, order what you want, and you can ask if you want to start a tab for the night. I was glad that it wasn't raining that night, so it was almost perfect to come here. The brews were fairly good and definitely a interesting taste and departure to the usual beers and IPA's that are known for their distinctive tastes. Sometimes, change is good. The service was really touch and go that evening I was there, since the staff behind the bar was running around and I didn't know who was coming or going. It was friendly and casual. Quite interesting, but then again, I usually don't frequent the bar scene. But still, it was nice to sit here after a day of travel to relax and refresh myself with a couple beers before heading back to the hotel. During my time here, I ended up purchasing dinner from the nearby food truck, which was convenient. Food and beer makes all the difference sometimes! If you are a beer connoisseur and are in the Charleston, South Carolina area, consider coming to the Palmetto Brewery.
The Palmetto Brewery is located at 289 Huger Street, Charleston, South Carolina. The parking lot area is basically underneath the I-26. They accept major credit cards as well as cash. The area seemed to be a ghost town after dark and it seemed kind of sketchy in a semi industrial area too. As far as parking goes, they literally have parking that will fit about 20 or so cars at any given time underneath I-26. Other than that, you're on street parking where you can find it. If you are big on the CARTA bus, consider the routes that are optimized for you to get here. Not sure if the DASH shuttles run through this area, but worth a shot to look and confirm. For the most part though, while I might have been a downer here, I just chalk it up to be the newbie in town and not really knowing the locals who frequent here. The ambiance was nice though and at least I got to sit at a table all to myself during the entire time I was there versus standing around with beer in hand when everyone else was sitting and chatting. They had a live band here playing while I was there, which was pretty cool too.
4.0 stars for the overall experience and the service was good too. 3.5 stars for the prices. 4.5 stars for the beer. 4.0 stars for the live band and the ambiance.
Support local!
B