Picturesque Views and Curated Cocktails
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FROM THE EDITOR
Welcome to Swig, Charleston City Paper’s annual bar guide. This year we profiled some really cool folks including: the women behind a new Avondale bar, a bartender slinging inventive drinks downtown and a young distiller making a mark in North Charleston. We also gathered intel about fall beers (more pumpkin please!) from area breweries and sat down with three of the area’s smallest bars to see how they maximize space, and fun, even without a lot of square footage. Cheers, y’all. Connelly Hardaway
CONNECTION AND DRINKS
Sa’Quan Jenkins thrives in the art of mixology and making friends
SMALL BUT MIGHTY
Three tiny bars worth visiting
THE NEW GUARD
How Riley Macmurphy continues her family’s distilling legacy
PUBLISHER
Andy Brack
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Cris Temples
EDITORIAL
NEWS:
Skyler Baldwin
Herb Frazier
Connelly Hardaway
Chloe Hogan
CONTRIBUTORS:
Gabriela Capestany
Michael Pham
SALES
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR:
Ashley Smith
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES :
Kristin Byars
Kate Robbins
Mariana Robbins
DESIGN
ART DIRECTOR: Scott Suchy
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS:
Christina Bailey
Ashleigh Keiser
PHOTOGRAPHER:
Joey Izzo
DISTRIBUTION
CIRCULATION TEAM:
Stephen Jenkins
Aidan Lauderdale
David Lampley
Spencer Martin
John Melnick
Judy Narry
Aidan O’Connor
THE COVER
Saint Urban’s Amaro Old Fashioned. Photo by Cameron Wilder.
Swig is a publication of the Charleston City Paper and is published once a year by City Paper Publishing, LLC. All content is copyrighted and the property of City Paper Publishing, LLC
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Connections and drinks
Sa’Quan Jenkins thrives in the art of mixology and making friends
By Michael Pham
If you’re an avid drinker of cocktails and spirits, you know there are plenty of Charleston spots that offer a wide variety of alcoholic beverages — from fine dining restaurants to casual joints and even dive bars. There’s no shortage of diverse options, a truth coterie bar manager Sa’Quan Jenkins relishes.
“I never make the same drink twice,” Jenkins said. “Unless you really want it. Nine times out of 10, I’ll always make you a different drink. Which is both good and bad because there’s so many different drink combinations.”
Of course, if you just want to order martinis all night, Jenkins will gladly make you those. But if you’re looking to hang and chat with him while he’s slinging drinks, never expect the same drink.
Despite the repetitiveness of the cocktail world, there’s something that keeps Jenkins going: the people, be it tourists, regulars or fellow food-andbev workers.
Jenkins recently shared some of the things that keeps him going in a world where things can taste the same, how to keep things fresh for the average drinker
and some things to enjoy during this seemingly never-ending hot season.
City Paper: Describe your bartending experience. How long have you been at Coterie?
Sa’Quan Jenkins: I started at Coterie about a year ago now, and didn’t start bartending until 2017 at Carmella’s. I worked there for about four years, then moved over to Bourbon & Bubbles.
CP: What do you like best about bartending? What’s kept you in the game for so long?
Jenkins: The people. Honestly, serving is always fun, but you only have a certain amount of time to talk to the table. With
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bartending, it’s a little more personal. You’re there all night and there all the time — at least I am. But it’s also great because I can use people at the bar for my experiments, you know? I can get an honest opinion from them. You also meet people from all over the place and learn so many things from them. Like when I worked at Bourbon & Bubbles, I met some people from the Midwest who taught me about Midwestern Old Fashioneds. People would come in, sit at the bar and ask, “Hey can you make this?” And if I can, I will. If I can’t, then I can try my best.
CP: What other things have you learned from customers along the way?
Jenkins: I got put onto a lot of amaros and certain mezcals from customers. I also got a lot of my bourbon knowledge from customers, which is nice. Sometimes, someone would order a Weller and at the time I didn’t know what a Weller was — I never had it before. So when they order it, I would get to taste it with them and they’d teach me things like notes and smells and stuff about the spirit. Wine, too. Customers have really helped me learn wine. It really helps me because I’m learning about things from different regions, or places that I might not even visit. I’ve learned so many things about spirits and just weird drinks, too. I never knew what The Incredible Hulk (Hpnotiq liqueur and Hennessy) was. I’ve also learned some of the crazy names for cocktails. People will be like, “Can I get the salty dog?” and I’ll say sure, that’s nice. It’s literally just grapefruit juice and tequila. But you wouldn’t think about things like that normally, you know? Stuff like that, I’d always be confused when people would ask me, but then I’d look it up and be like “Oh, it’s that easy?” and make it for them.
CP: What’s the ultimate goal for you?
Jenkins: I need to find a new goal. When I started off in food and bev, my whole journey was to be a bartender. It’s just kind of funny now because I’m a bar manager. I need to find a new goal because obviously, I’m in it now. You don’t really think about stuff like this when you’re in the middle of it. I’ve worked probably almost every position in a restaurant — from dishwasher to server assistant to server.
Jeremy Buck at Coterie has been a really big influence. If I had any questions or ideas, I’d always go to him and ask, because he was a bartender for a really long time. He knows his stuff. I look at him and think, “Maybe that’s something I could do.”
CP: When you do get a chance to go out to a new restaurant or bar, what’s your go-to drink? Your control, so to speak.
Jenkins: Espresso martini. I would also do an Old Fashioned because I love when people make them. There’s only three ingredients, but for some reason, it’s different every single time. I always tell people: Order Old Fashioneds because it’s three ingredients, and if the bartender doesn’t know what they’re doing with that, then I don’t know.
CP: What’s some advice you could give upcoming bartenders?
Jenkins: You can have a vision. You can have whatever you want. But if you aren’t as passionate about the drink, you will fail. You can make anything, and if the
owner or whoever’s above you approves you without trying the drink, then people aren’t really com ing for the drinks.
CP: What is your favorite kind of spirit right now, especially in the summer?
Jenkins: Tequila. And it’s not even close … I lied. An amaro.
CP: What’s your favorite amaro right now?
Jenkins: Montenegro. It’s undefeated. It’ll probably never be topped. I literally drink Montenegro on the rocks with some Angostura Orange Bitters and it is the best thing.
Pro tip: Bitters are the secret ingredient to every cocktail. It makes such a difference.
CP: What is the drink of the summer?
Jenkins: I love this question. As a bartender, mak ing cocktails, you think about this all the time. But for right now, the world is saying Hugo Spritz, which is nice. I tried drinking an Old Fashioned, but that didn’t work out.
But really? Rum punches. For me, rum punches are hitting really differently. I’ve been on a rum kick lately. Anytime someone asks me to make a drink for them, it’s probably rum and a banana liqueur.
CP: If you were making a rum punch at home, how would you make it?
Jenkins: I do some crazy stuff. I’ll usually do a dark rum, guava juice, blueberry puree and pineapple juice. For some reason, it just works.
Coterie’s bar manager Sa’Quan Jenkins said nothing beats a bright rum punch to beat the summer heat
Small BUT MIGHTY
Three tiny bars worth visiting
By Connelly Hardaway
In its early drinking days, Charleston was home to more than 100 taverns, according to Robert Rosen’s A Short History of Charleston . These establishments served colonists looking for conversation, community and, of course, some good swill. Some of those taverns may have been small in size — but they were big in impact, bringing together a fledgling country while serving Dragoon’s Punch.
Today, the city boasts bars of all shapes and sizes, from 25-seat marvels to more intimate spaces. The area’s tinier bars, intentionally or not, pay homage to the city’s early drinking establishments, placing an emphasis on not only cocktails, but connection, too.
Bar Vauté
Located downtown beneath Brasserie La Banque, Bar Vauté, which opened in 2021, is described as a “’bar clandestin’ hidden in plain sight.” Push back a heavy curtain to reveal the art deco-decorated space, dimly lit by candles and, if you arrive
Continued on page 12
Head beneath Brasserie La Banque for an intimate cocktail experience at Bar Vauté where the drinks are cold and the vibes are right
Photos by Andrew Cebulka
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early enough, natural light through street-level windows.
The historic, antebellum building at 1 Broad Street dates back to 1853 and it wears its age on its sleeve, where exposed brick walls cool down even the hottest of wandering tourists. Bar Vauté general manager Tanya Thomas said that while the upstairs of the building is all chic brasserie, the downstairs “has a little more grit to it.”
“We’re very much experimental with our cocktail list,” she said. Look no further than a recent creation, the Corpse Reviver #2, made with Botanist gin, Lillet, lemon, cointreau and absinthe. A boozeforward drink, it hits all the right tart and refreshing notes — and would likely knock wind into a corpse or two.
There are classic cocktail options, too, like the Boulevardier, Viuex Carre and French 75. Bar Vauté serves both small and large plates, from a roasted beet salad to steak frites. During the bar’s Apero hour — 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday — guests can order
courtesy
Belly up to one of four barstools at Charleston’s Smallest Bar to sip Hutson Alley Hooch, the bar’s signature frozen drink
$3 oysters on the half shell and a chef’s selection of cheeses. With so much to offer — and in a tantalizingly hidden location to boot — Bar Vauté draws a mixed crowd, from South
SMALL BARS continued from page 10
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Charleston’s Smallest Bar
of Broad residents to college kids to tourists who see the bar featured on TikTok. When it gets crowded and a line starts to form, Thomas said that the bar sends out complimentary bubbles and blinis with caviar to waiting guests.
“ You can go anywhere in Charleston and have a good time. It’s how we’re making people feel that’s special and important.”
—Bar Vauté GM Tanya Thomas
It’s all part of the hospitality Thomas said is par for the course for Bar Vauté’s corporate owners, Indigo Road Hospitality Group. “This [Charleston] is really a capital for hospitality,” Thomas said. “I think Charleston is very cognizant of that. They understand, you can go anywhere in Charleston and have a good time. It’s how we’re making people feel that’s special and important.”
Charleston’s Smallest Bar
They say not to judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to judging a bar by its name, well, Charleston’s Smallest Bar is as accurate as they come. With just four barstools, this bar is tucked away in Hutson Alley, located between 39 Rue de Jean and Coast Bar & Grill.
The tiny space, which once served as storage for restaurant Rue de Jean, has been open for just over two years. Buoys and fishing decor dot the walls, and an in-the-works mural behind the bar features familiar local faces, including Holy City Hospitality founder Michael Bennett and his wife, Amy, and an older gentleman meant to represent both Ernest Hemingway and Captain Harry, a legendary local fisherman.
Human resources manager Amanda Grant and marketing and events manager L.A. Thompson said that the space featured a different kind of decoration until very recently — signed dollar bills. “It got to the point where there were so many dollar bills so fast,” Grant said. “And that’s being done really well in some places. And we thought, maybe not us.”
While the dollar bills were taken to the bank (which accepted almost all of the marked-up money) and donated to local charities, the enthusiasm for the small bar remains. Bartender Eddy
Giegher is hospitality incarnate, serving up drinks with a smile and a tale or two.
The small bar keeps things simple with canned cocktails, beer, wine and two frozen beverages on tap, including the signature Hutson Alley Hooch. Made with pineapple moonshine, rum, light rum, pineapple juice and coconut cream, it’s perfect for Charleston’s near-constant warm temps.
Hungry drinkers can order small bites, including fried shrimp, crab dip and oysters from neighboring restaurant, Coast.
Grant said that the bar is the ideal spot for folks waiting for a dinner reservation, or for Charleston Music Hall attendees to pop out for a drink during intermission. Guests don’t have to stay put in the bar either; Hutson Alley diners are free to walk up and down the entire alley with drinks in hand.
Saint Urban’s
The son of an architect, Warren Johnson said that he has always been interested in design, art and architecture — especially when it comes to small spaces. “It’s just a huge part of who I am,” he said.
Johnson opened Saint Urban’s in I’On with Chad Besenfelder (who also co-owns I’On’s The Shellmore with chef Eric Milley) in 2023 and he has carefully curated the 367 square feet into a
European-inspired wine bar.
Guests can sit at the bar or at a cozy banquette covered in pillows from Denmark, Scotland and London. The rest of the space echoes this European aesthetic — the tiles are from Portugal and the artwork comes primarily from France. Johnson recently traveled to Bath, England to check out some small cheese producers. If you’ve arrived with a larger party and the weather is nice, you’re free to sit on the more expansive outdoor patio, too.
“I was in the restaurant business when I was younger, and loved it,” Johnson said. “It’s a thing that, if you’ve been in it at a certain level, it never gets out of your system. You’re always walking into a space and looking at things with perhaps a different set of eyes.”
Saint Urban’s opened quietly last summer and has grown to include a lengthy roster of regulars. Stop in on a weekday evening and watch friends greet one another and strangers become friendly over a drink or two. A recent visit saw a guest proclaiming that Saint Urban’s “feels like family.”
Guests can order from the small-ish menu of five to six artisanal cheeses from very small producers as well as salamis, jamon, mortadella and pâtés. Grab a glass
Continued on page 16
of wine by the glass or bottle or order a cocktail — Saint Urban’s has a full bar with a limited selection of liquors and liqueurs, but Johnson promised that he could make something anyone would enjoy.
“ We designed this place to be its own destination.”
—Saint Urban’s co-owner Warren Johnson
“We designed this place to be its own destination,” he said. Named after the patron saint of vineyards, wines and wine growers, Saint Urban’s is a passion project that anyone stopping by can enjoy.
Johnson said that when Besenfelder pitched the wine bar idea to him he thought on his answer before deciding on a resounding yes. “I said, ‘Yeah, let’s just do something really fun because these are my favorite things.’ I love to entertain, and I love design. I knew that he and I would work so well together and really geek out on the space,” he said. “It’s been so fulfilling.”
JOHNS ISLAND’S FIRST FIRE TO TABLE OUTDOOR RESTAURANT & BAR
Photos by Cameron Wilder; Grey Film
Sip on wine or a cocktail at Saint Urban’s where the cheese and meats are hand-selected from quality, small producers
Make Time For Pleasure
Riley Macmurphy grew up in a distilling family and now she’s taking the lead as Tom & Huck’s head blender
The new guard
How Riley Macmurphy continues her family’s distilling legacy
By Connelly Hardaway
Firefly Distillery, founded in 2005 by Scott Newitt and Jim Irvin, has been known for years for its flavored vodkas and moonshine. Recently, though, the distillery expanded to include Tom & Huck Distillers, a collection of aged and distilled spirits.
The Tom & Huck team is composed of Irvin, his stepson Jay Macmurphy and granddaughter Riley Macmurphy. At just 22, Riley is head blender for Tom & Huck, standing out as a young woman in an often male-dominated industry.
Macmurphy said she doesn’t know a life without distilling.
“I was always around,” she said of growing up in the extended Firefly family. The distillery’s former location on Wadmalaw Island, shared with Deep Water Vineyard, was the ideal spot for a kid. When Firefly moved its headquar
BEAMING WITH GRATITUDE!
ters to North Charleston in 2020, though, Macmurphy said she wasn’t as involved.
“It was my parents’ job, you know? It wasn’t something I was into as a high schooler,” she said. Things changed last year when Macmurphy came in to help
out with production one day. “I was there for probably three days and I instantly was like, ‘This is the best place to work.’ … It was all very fascinating to me.” Macmurphy said her parents were surprised, but pleased, when she told
NEW GUARD continued from page 21
Joey Izzo
Tom & Huck’s Steel Feathers line of spirits includes three flavors: blackberry, espresso and Southern tea
Live, Work, Play Downtown at IRON FORGE
them she wanted to pursue a life in the spirits industry.
“I want to be my own person and I wanted to find something I was passionate about,” she said. “And I’m just very lucky that this happened to be the thing that I was.”
Rockin’ in the rickhouse
Tom & Huck’s spirits are, as a description claims, “distinguished by the coastal location and maritime climate of the Lowcountry.”
That’s a nice way of saying that the rickhouse, where the spirits age is really, really hot. “It’s actually wild in there,” laughed Macmurphy, who spends plenty of time in the barrel aging facility.
“ I always thought that it was following a formula. But it’s much more of an art and craft. Every single distillation batch is different from the last one and it is all based on the person who’s distilling it.”
—Riley Macmurphy
Bourbon is aged in oak barrels that don’t let liquid seep out — but they’re not airtight. This allows barrels to be susceptible to temperature and humidity changes, something they
The lineup
Tom & Huck’s current products include:
experience a lot of in Charleston’s hot and humid climate.
And Macmurphy will tell you that the distilling process isn’t as simple as most folks, her previous self included, assume.
“I always thought that it was following a formula,” she said of the distilling process. “But it’s much more of an art and craft. Every single distillation batch is different from the last one and it is all based on the person who’s distilling it.”
The people who are distilling liquor at Firefly and Tom & Huck are, at various points in time, mostly women. Last year, Firefly boasted an all-female production team. While some of those positions are now filled by men, the company is always working to place an emphasis on gender equality in distilling.
“As someone who’s watched the distillery industry evolve over the years, it’s inspiring to see how a once male-dominated field now actively embraces diverse talents, particularly women,” said Ann Irvin, wife of co-founder Jim Irvin.
“At Firefly, this progress has strengthened our dedication to both innovation and tradition, empowering each generation to leave their unique mark while honoring the craftsmanship that laid our foundation.”
And while women own less than 8% of the 2,235 craft distilleries in the U.S. (as of 2022), according to the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, the number of women working in the industry continues to grow.
“I think that there’s definitely more women in general [in the distilling industry] and I see it growing all the time,” Macmurphy said, adding that working on the all-female production team at Firefly felt like being a part of history. “The two blenders before me were also women, and I feel like I’m just carrying the torch. … I love it.”
BEND & STEAL AMERICAN WHISKEY
This whiskey is finished in Madeira casks and has notes of coffee, coconut, almond and caramel. Fun fact: Charleston was once the Madeira-consuming capital of the country.
STEEL FEATHERS FLAVORED WHISKEY
This trio of flavored whiskeys is named after the grounds where the barrels age which once served as a U.S. Navy Shipyard and was later home to a bird sanctuary. Available flavors include blackberry, espresso and Southern tea.
LIVE BOURBON
A toast to Firefly’s popular concert series, each bottle of this single barrel whiskey is unique.
SWIG SWIG Worthy Worthy
Steph Sievers wanted to create the kind of bar she likes to frequent: chill, unassuming places with great drinks
All My Exes, a new bar in Avondale, puts women at the front of the business, literally.
Customers are welcomed into the bar by portraits of a variety of strong, recogniz able female icons who grace the perimeter of the lounge. The new neighborhood con cept by owner Steph Sievers and bar manager Jen Jackson opened in May 2024. “My initial, half-baked idea was that I wanted to own a bar that was extremely fun to let loose and have fun in on any night of the week, but also had zero tolerance for any sort of hateful language, harassment of other guests, and the like,” said Sievers, who consistently emphasizes that community, safety and comfort come first. Comfort is clear at All My Exes, a small, cozy space with intimate seating. “I like to frequent chill, unassuming bars. … Because we’re so small, we had to get creative to maximize the space,” Sievers explained. Nestled along Savannah Highway among other popular local businesses in Avondale,the concept meshes with the tightknit community.
Photos by Joey Izzo
By Gabriela Capestany
“I knew from hanging out in West Ashley that it was full of people who would appreciate a nice classic cocktail but would also appreciate the emphasis on community and warmth,” Sievers said. “It was a little daunting to open up a brand-new place in a strip with iconic, quality establishments that have been here forever, but the reception from the locals has indicated that we were right in thinking there was a void we could fill with a cocktail bar.”
All My Exes boasts an impressive selection of original cocktail offerings with playful names.
“One of our most popular cocktails is the Mother! which has vodka, peach, lemon, Aperol and glitter,” Sievers said. “It’s topped with champagne, which then makes the glitter fan out really beautifully.” Espresso martini fans will find a new twist on the omnipresent drink in the Queen in the North which incorporates Amaro and a caramel rim.
Or, as Sievers put it, “when you’re just trying to get after it and not think too hard about anything,” there is the Text Your Ex special: a shot of house
Photos by Joey Izzo
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liquor and a beer for $9.
Sievers credited Jackson with creating the bar’s cocktail list.
“I had some vague ideas, but she put it all into action. She’s a powerhouse,” Sievers emphasized. “As you can imagine, developing our cocktail list was one of the most fun parts of opening up. I was little more than a taste tester for all of her iterations while she perfected them, and it was so fun to do this with a dear friend.”
Hungry drinkers can order from a small menu of snacks like bruschetta, charcuterie and European-inspired flatbreads.
“ There’s not much more to it than that — I wanted to provide excellent cocktails with high-quality, fresh ingredients in a relaxed atmosphere.” —Steph Sievers
“[I’ve] been lucky enough to learn about cocktails from some of the most talented in the field, and I have so much respect for the art and experience of a well-made drink,” Sievers said. “There’s not much more to it than that — I wanted
GIRLS continued from page 28
The Queen in the North is a fun take on an espresso martini
Photos by Joey Izzo
Best Buns
Feels like Fall
Area breweries release seasonal beers
By Connelly Hardaway
While temperatures in Charleston may not drop until later in October, many area breweries release fall beers, specifically, Oktoberfest brews, as early as late August. Some places are finally dipping their toes into pumpkin-flavored waters, err, beer and others are re-releasing popular annual brews.
If you can’t make it to Munich, you might as well drink some festive beers stateside. Here’s where to find fall beers around town.
“As the season changes, people start craving those cozy, fall flavors, which is why fall beers tend to feature darker or caramel malts that bring out toasty flavors and aromas, with many styles leaning into sweet and spicy notes,” said Two Blokes Brewing operation manager Michelle Lapp.
The brewery recently released its Blōktoberfest Märzen, which is brewed every year to start the Oktoberfest season. Cooked with imported German malts and hops, the Marzen lager is “crisp and clean with notes of toasted bread, toffee and floral hops.”
Celebrate Two Blokes’ Blōktoberfest on Sept. 14 when the brewery hosts a variety of festivities, from live music to a stein holding competition. Two Blokes will have a variety of German beers on tap including Hefeweizen, Kölsch, Helles Lager and a new Altbier.
Two Blokes has another fall beer up its sleeves, too.
“For the first time in our eight-year history, we’re also brewing a pumpkin beer, which we have been stubbornly avoiding,” said Lapp. “This one is a Pumpkin Cheesecake Sour — to satisfy the pumpkin lovers out there. We are pretty excited about it!”
“ It’s really nice to sink into those classic fall flavors that pair so nicely with beer — malty amber lagers, spices, and the warmth that comes from slightly stronger brews.”
—Cameron
Read
Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company (EOBC) recently released two fall seasonals, the House Oktoberfest and Apple Cider Doughnuts.
“Generally we love the fall season, because as the weather cools (or as we imagine it does), it’s really nice to sink into those classic fall flavors that pair so nicely with beer — malty amber lagers, spices, and the warmth that comes from slightly stronger brews,” said Edmund’s Oast’s brewing director, Cameron Read.
The House Oktoberfest is a German-style lager “overflowing with notes of fresh, artisan-baked bread, lightly toasted marshmallow, soft red apple and the faint hint of wildflower pollen on an
Courtesy Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company
Low Tide Brewing has a variety of fall beers on deck including the Prost Y’all, an Oktoberfest-style beer brewed with imported German hops and malt
FALL continued from page 32
Autumn breeze.”
Apple Cider Doughnuts is EOBC’s attempt at capturing a quintessential fall experience. This blonde ale has notes of cinnamon sticks, apple compote, and, of course, doughnuts.
As a brewery that specializes in Belgian and Old World style beers, Munkle Brewing Co. is familiar with
the European fanfare that goes with all things Oktoberfest. Head to Munkle for Munktoberfest, the brewery’s take on an Oktoberfest celebration, on Sept. 28.
In the meantime, Munkle guests can sip on a recent release, the Haust Bier, a German-style Festbier. Things get even cozier in October, when the brewery releases its Belgian spiced Christmas ale, Kerstavond and again in November with the release of the Dinner Bell Dubbel.
Cooper River Brewing makes a Marzen Oktoberfest for its taproom this fall and a Scottish Red Ale for distribution later in the season. The Red Ale relies more on malts than hops for flavor (hops have a hard time growing in the Scottish environment) and this malt-for ward ale is, according to Cooper River co-owner Jamie Martin, a “consensus favorite at the brewery.”
Fatty’s Beer Works recently released an Oktoberfest brew, Fattystiltskin, available in the taproom and in 16 oz. cans around town. The “biscuit-like malt aroma and flavor [are] balanced with clean noble hop bitterness characteristic of a traditional Marzen.” According to Fatty’s founder and CEO, David McLain, this beer pairs perfectly with grilled, roasted or smoked meats.
Low Tide Brewing ’s head brewer,
Sam Pagano, loves fall beers.
“Maybe it’s because I’m from the Northeast where cool weather activities like apple picking and leaf peeping hikes are the norm, but I can really get behind the seasonal beer selections,” he said. “I think fall is particularly special when it comes to beers. You survived the hot summer months, so now it’s time to get cozy and pack on some pounds before winter.”
You can find several fall beers at Low Tide including: Prost Y’all, an Oktoberfeststyle beer brewed with imported German
Two Blokes hosts its annual Blōktoberfest on Sept. 14. Be sure to check out the brewery’s new pumpkin beer this season, too
malts and hops; Munich Dunkel, a dark brown lager with notes of deeply toasted bread and Pumpkin Bake-off, a seasonal favorite pumpkin beer, brewed with pumpkin puree, pie spices, vanilla and maple.
“I may be an outlier in the industry, but I love pumpkin beers,” Pagano said. “[They’re] warming, easy-drinking and delicious. They are truly an early-American creation, despite being overproduced, over-marketed, and prematurely sent out to stores for an easy buck (also American?).”
Courtesy Low Tide Brewing
Courtesy Two Blokes Brewing
Courtesy Cooper River Brewing
Snag one of Cooper River’s Scottish Red Ale in the taproom or around town
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