All About the Breweries

By popular request, I've compiled a list of my favorite breweries that I've been to visit and highly recommend. There's quite a few on my bucket list of breweries to visit but they're kind of spread out all over the place and we haven't made it there yet. Luckily, I've got a fiancé who loves the craft beer scene just as much as I do and who is always on board for a spontaneous trip to visit a new one.

Actually, truth be told, that's how we've ended up at a few of them. Got an extra hour of time to spare? Quick, find a brewery!

Anyway. Here's my five favorite {in no particular order}:

River Rat Brewing

Columbia, SC

Not only is this one located just around the corner from where I work, it's got excellent beer. They are located a short walking distance from Williams Brice {if you wanted to tailgate before a USC game} and have an awesome outdoor area. There are plenty of picnic tables, cornhole boards, and open grassy areas to go around.

My favorite beers here are:

American Kolsh Story

Broad River Red

Patrick's favorites:
Double IPA

See more here & here.

Holy City Brewing

North Charleston, SC

Holy City beers have been some of our favorite for awhile, but we've only recently been to visit their taproom. Don't be discouraged by the sketchy surroundings - it's worth a trip! Plus, the fries? Amazing.

My favorite:

Washout Wheat
{quite delicious in a can, even better on draft}

Patrick's favorite:
Overly Friendly IPA

See more here.

Wicked Weed Brewing

Asheville, NC

Oh, Wicked Weed. Patrick and I stumbled across this one on our first trip to Asheville and we still can't stop talking about it. They have an awesome atmosphere here, really good food, and even better beer. The only problem is that they always have something new on tap and I wind up getting a different beer every time I go here. So I can tell you my favorites, but there's no guarantee that they'll be there if you visit!

My favorites:
Weiss Not?
Lunatic Blonde

Patrick's favorite:

Freak of Nature

See more here & here.

Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

Charlotte, NC

If you want to go to a biergarten, this is the place to go. It was one of the very first breweries that I had ever heard of in Charlotte and I'm pretty sure that it's one of the first ones that I ever visited. You need to check this place out on a warm, sunny day because the biergarten is outstanding.

My favorites:

Hornet's Nest {which is about to be available again starting in May!}

Southside Weiss

See more here {old taproom} and here {new taproom}

Sycamore Brewing

Charlotte, NC


|photo by Jessica Roberts|

Of course, I couldn't leave this brewery off of the list. Not only do they have excellent beer but it's where my fiancé and I took our engagement pictures last December. For that reason, it will always be one of our favorites. But now? Now I wish that I still lived in Charlotte because they've relocated Food Truck Friday to Sycamore. A Big Cheesy + Bacon from Papi Queso AND delicious beer from Sycamore? Yes. All the yes.

Sycamore is constantly changing up their beer lineup so I don't have our favorites for you. But you should go anyway because they're bound to have something on tap that you love. Even they admit that it's hard to keep track of what's on tap!

See more here & here.

Low Tide Brewing
Johns Island, SC

This one literally just made the list this weekend. It's a new brewery that's only been open for three weeks but y'all, I absolutely love it. They had lots of great beers on tap and the people who work there are so incredibly knowledgeable and friendly.

My favorites:
Sweet Caroline Kolsch
CharleSun Peel Lager

Patrick's favorites:
TBD! He hasn't been to this one yet :)

See more here.

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Here are the honorable mention ones:

Hunter Gather Brewery in Columbia, SC {we go here more for the food than the beer but the beer is good, too!}

The Lexington Avenue Brewery in Asheville, NC

Sugar Creek Brewery in Charlotte, NC {part 1 & part 2}

Unknown Brewing in Charlotte, NC

NoDa Brewery in Charlotte, NC

Conquest Brewing in Columbia, SC

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And of course, we have a bucket list of breweries that we want to visit:

Goose Island in Chicago, IL

Twisted Spur Brewing in Columbia, SC {coming SOON! like perhaps even this weekend}

New Belgium Brewing in Asheville, NC {coming May 2016}

Sierra Nevada Brewery in Asheville, NC

Westbrook Brewing in Charleston, SC

Brewery 85 in Greenville, SC

Swamp Rabbit Brewery in Travelers Rest, SC

Swamp Cabbage Brewing Company in Columbia, SC {because somehow we still haven't made it there yet}

SweetWater Brewing Company in Atlanta, GA

Southern Sky Brewing in Kennesaw, GA

Foothills Brewery in Winston Salem, NC {side note: I've been here many times pre-beer drinking days and they have great food. Now I just need to go back and sample the beer!}

... and like a million others. Because you know that we would never turn down the option to go visit a brewery somewhere!