8 of the best rated breweries in SC to drink a unique beer
Craft beer popularity has exploded in recent years and South Carolina is no exception.
A quick search on Google will pull up lists of breweries across the U.S. and South Carolina too. From IPAs, to stouts, ales and sours, it seems like there’s no shortage of beer lovers who want to try their hand at making their own brews with unique and quirky names.
However, there are those few breweries that rise to the top above the rest. Here are 8 of the best rated breweries in South Carolina from Google reviews, based on their overall ratings and number of reviews. Two of the best rated breweries were pulled from each of the following cities: Charleston, Greenville, Myrtle Beach and the Columbia area.
WECO Bottle and Biergarten
Rating: 4.8 out of 5 (353 reviews)
Location: 626 Meeting St., West Columbia
A re-imagined former garden center, WECO offers generous amounts of shaded outdoor seating and a relaxed atmosphere for customers, be it those who want to spend an afternoon out with friends or someone who needs a quick pit-stop after work. WECO also regularly hosts food trucks.
WECO has a variety of unique beers, from the Blood Orange White Zombie to the Pineapple Coconut Beach Umbrella.
Craft and Draft Irmo
Rating: 4.8 out of 5 (142 reviews)
Location: 7583 St. Andrews Road, Irmo
Craft and Draft was started by Andrew Johnson and Kellan Monroe, who met at engineering school at the University of South Carolina and regularly talked about opening their own brewery. Craft and Draft offers local and regional brews from 12 taps and rotates its lineup daily. There’s also more than 300 beers stocked on the shelves.
Liability Brewing Company
Rating: 4.8 out of 5 (234 reviews)
Location: 109 W Stone Ave., Greenville
Liability Brewing began in August 2018 from a love of craft beers among a group of friends. The company touts that nearly all of its ingredients come from the U.S. The brewery also only puts food products into the beers and it doesn’t filter, the company’s website states. Try some of their beers, all with wild names, from the 8-Bit HiDef to A Black Belt in Kung Fool.
Fireforge Crafted Beer
Rating: 4.7 out of 5 (346 reviews)
Location: 311 E Washington St., Greenville
Fireforge was started by husband and wife Brian and Nicole Cendrowski because of their mutual love for beer — both drinking and making. The brewery offers a variety of options for any beer aficionado, from IPAs and sours, to porters and those heavy on malt.
Brewlab Charleston
Rating: 4.9 out of 5 (207 reviews)
Location: 2200 Heriot St., Charleston
Brewlab is fittingly located in Charleston’s brewery district. The Brewlab has a recently constructed 5,000 square-foot brewery and taproom that offers food from the onsite kitchen, wine and custom drinks. Beers include a healthy dose of lagers, sours, IPAs, and those of the dark and malty variety.
Munkle Brewing Co.
Rating: 4.8 out of 5 (212 reviews)
Location: 1513 Meeting Street Rd., Charleston
The creation of Munkle Brewing Co. was inspired by owner Palmer Quimby’s uncle, Robertson Carr Donehue. The company’s website states that Donehue learned about beer brewing during his time at St. Gregory’s Abby. Later, he would pass on that knowledge to Quimby.
Munkle focuses mainly on Belgian and German-style beers, specifically Trappist and other monastic beers.
New South Brewing
Rating: 4.8 out of 5 (283 reviews)
Location: 1109 Campbell St., Myrtle Beach
New South began brewing in November 1998, brews in a 20-barrel brewhouse and produces around 3,000 barrels annually, the company’s website states.
New South distributes cans of New South White Ale and Nut Brown Ale to Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Charleston and Florence. It also distributes draft kegs of India Pale Ale, Dark Star Porter and Dirty Myrtle Double IPA. Customers can also enjoy beer from New South’s taproom.
Tidal Creek Brewhouse
Rating: 4.6 out of 5 (410 reviews)
Location: 3421 Knoles St., Myrtle Beach
At Tidal Creek, customers can find unique brewed beers, but also the company’s own brand of brewed coffee to enjoy at breakfast from the kitchen.
The owners of Tidal Creek developed the name after living through several hurricanes in South Carolina. Customers can find plenty of food options during breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner hours. And of course, there’s the variety of beers, from IPAs and ales, to stouts and sours.
This story was originally published November 16, 2022 at 8:00 AM.
