While down in SC, in between all those tasty Miller Lites and Mich Ultras, I also sought out the best beer offered in Edisto, SC. While there were a few decent selections in the store, I wanted to be bold and daring and try some beers actually made in my little triangle state. Unfortunately, there are very few of these. Most of the SC breweries are split between Charleston and the Upstate, although I didn't get to check out the ones in the Greenville-Spartanburg area... I tried three beers from two breweries down in Charleston- unfortunately not the highly-recommended COAST brewery.
Charleston Brewery Halfmoon Hefe Weizen
I ordered this at a restaurant called RB's that sits on Shem Creek right outside of Charleston. I picked it because it was the only non-macro they carried, and because I'd just been at Half Moon Outfitters downtown. I'm a dork about things like that. Back to the point... The restaurant is worth a visit, but this beer isn't. Although it pours golden and cloudy, as it should, there really just isn't much to it. It's like comparing beaches and forests in SC to their West Coast kin- no pizzazz, no epic-ness. The taste was mildly citrusy, but too much carbonation and not enough of anything made it nothing more than a thirst-quencher after drinking all of my water. While it was better than any Miller or Budweiser crap, it paled in comparison to any other Hefeweizen I've had, including Franzi. I'd make a pun about it being half of a hefeweizen, but that'd be too easy.
A little research suggests that the brewery is defunct. Sad. Moving on.
Palmetto Brewing Company
I tried the Pale Ale and Amber from this brewery on a crazy white trash karaoke adventure- both were alright but not great versions of their styles.
The Pale Ale was a clear copper, and tasted a bit on the malty side, pretty mellow overall. It lacked anything that made it stand out, but it was drinkable (especially if you're already drunk!) Around-abouts a B.
Palmetto Amberis, to state the obvious, amber in color, with a decent head that sticks around. Some slight fruitiness and roasted character, but the flavors were somewhat weak. the balance tended more towards hops.. it could have been thicker, but again, it went down easy.
So these are both good beers for a lazy drinking session, which is pretty much all I ever want to do down around the Charleston area, so good job Palmetto!
If you're down visiting the area, or if you live there already (Go Cocks?), check out some of the other breweries based in SC:
COAST- which is supposed to be far superior to Palmetto
RJ Rockers, Thomas Creek, and Mobius all in the upstate, which may or may not be any good but hey, if you want local...
On a final note: Mice are crazy. Seriously. I'm writing this while in the lab, and I'm halfway sure the mice are going to morph into giants at any second and try and take over Manhattan. Spending any significant amount of time with animals is plenty enough proof that they have personalities. And thus should not be eaten :)
