It’s a sad misconception that the United States has terrible beer. Sure we export awful stuff: Budweiser and Coors and other junk, but domestically there is a huge diversity of microbreweries and innovative, delicious beers. For me, one of the greatest parts about traveling within the US is the chance to check out the local brews, and to soak up some local culture at the bar of course!
This is why I was so interested in the Original Pub Tour of Charleston, a 2.5 hour program that claimed to take participants on a walking and drinking tour of historic Charleston. The tour costs $30 and while it doesn’t include beer (has to do with the law or something) it does involve a nice little walking tour of Charleston and some yummy appetizers at the various bars. We visited 4 different bars, each with a unique atmosphere and story.
And then there was the beer: Charleston has some truly awesome local breweries that Mike and I were psyched to check out.
A rundown of some of Charleston’s best local beers:
Holy City Brewing Pluff Mud Porter
Palmetto IPA
Coast Belafonte
Maybe in another life I’d be a beer blogger.
The best part about going on this organized pub crawl though is that you get to meet some really interesting people. The group ranged from 22 year old newlyweds to some ver humorous (and dirty minded) old men. One woman clearly agreed with me on the superiority of American beers- she is on an quest to find the best IPA in the US.
The tour guide himself, Daniel, was also a pretty interesting guy, full of lame and dirty jokes. He co-owns the tour company with his wife. He told me they wanted to start a tour that presented a different view of the city than the ubiquitous carriage tours and ghost walks. I think they’ve done a good job. In addition to visiting a plethora of pubs Daniel threw in some Charleston history and folklore.
We ended the evening at the Rooftop Bar and Restaurant, sipping Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka while watching the sun set over downtown. It made me a little sad to be leaving Charleston the next day. I’ll definitely back- once my liver has recovered.
Disclosure: The Lesesne Tour Company comped me two tickets to the Original Pub Tour of Charleston. All opinions are my own.
