The Resy Guide to Finding Great Beer (and Food) in Charleston

Share House keeps the party vibes turned up all day with two massive bars, indoor-outdoor seating, and a generous beer list featuring plenty of favorites. National crafts from national outfits like New Belgium sit alongside local drafts and cans from Westbrook, Revelry, and others. Had your fill of beer? Check the house-made “crushes,” icy cocktails to keep the party vibe rolling.

The Whale is not your normal bottle shop. After finding a groove in Asheville, owners Jesse Van Note and Andrew Ross took the concept to the fast-growing neck area of Charleston’s peninsula. We all love our favorite local brewery creations, of course. But if you’re looking to try something new, go to The Whale. Drafts are poured by the glass, or browse the bottle list, where you have the option of reaching into the “cellar” for selections likely not found anywhere else in Charleston, like a half-dozen Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen Belgian lambics or a highly praised Jester King wild ale.

Catch The Whale’s beer list on its website here. 

Real talk: The best beer list doesn’t have to be the longest. Not only has Sullivan’s Fish Camp been one of the hottest Resys since opening, serving up some of the best seafood Sullivan’s Island has to offer, it has a well-edited beer list to boot. Westbrook’s custom-brewed Crab Claw lager makes for a sessionable sipper early or late in the day, and regional go-tos from Birds Fly South and Blackberry Farm hold down spots elsewhere on the draft list.

Upper peninsula brewpub Edmund’s Oast offers Charleston’s best restaurant draft list, full stop. In addition to its own creations — like the crowd-favorite PB&J — EO pours some of the best beers you’ll find anywhere. EO’s House Blonde makes for an ideal summer sipper. If that’s not enough for you, step next door to Edmund’s Oast Exchange for a six-pack to take home or head up the street to the restaurant’s offshoot production brewery, Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co., for another lengthy list to peruse.

Want to get the crew together for the game? Grab a Resy at Bay Street Biergarten. With one of the biggest draft lists in the city, even more in bottles and cans, and a spacious outdoor patio with yard games, Biergarten has something for all your guys and gals. You can’t go wrong with a full stein of brew — and they’ve got them, from local Charles Towne Fermentory IPAs to delicate German sippers. BSB runs a solid brunch on Sundays, and the outdoor bar is the place to be on sunny weekend afternoons. Did we mention there’s free parking?

Its original downtown location may have recently moved up to Park Circle, but it still has one of the best beer lists in town and even more spaces to hang, just a few steps from the popular East Montague Avenue nightlife area. A dozen or so taps feature local and regional craft selections, and the coolers are stocked with dozens more. From locals like Munkle’s Silver Shoes Stout to Coast Hop Art (brewed around the corner), to notable nationals like Noble ciders and Prairie Artisan brews, the Moose has a drink to complement the knockout duck fat fries in-the-know regulars order the second they sit down.

Find out more about Tattooed Moose’s beer here.

Ask any resident of the nearby Wagener Terrace neighborhood and they’ll tell you Rutledge Cab Co. is a staple for upper peninsula downtown residents. With a dozen taps, plenty of cold cans and bottles, and a solid menu of burgers, sandwiches, and shareable snacks like Reuben egg rolls, Rutledge Cab fits the bill as a family-friendly local spot. (Don’t worry, still plenty of PBR tallboys coming out from behind the bar.) Pro tip: RCC runs 20% off specials for neighborhood night every Tuesday.

Charleston Beer Works has been pouring beers on King Street for almost 20 years, at its current location since 2015. Three bars, one on an outdoor patio, and dozens of draft beers await at upper King Street’s self-proclaimed “Original Sports Bar.” All the usual suspects plus some local favorites are always on tap, including from Holy City, Coast, and Low Tide Brewery. Don’t forget to check the happy hour offerings, like $4 local drafts on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Get more details at Charleston Beer Works’ website.

Recently marking 10 years on Morrison Drive, this spot has quickly carved out a space in Charleston’s dive bar scene. With a tight draft list, canned and bottled selections are fitting for the former iron forge building — think Old Milwaukee, Natty Boh, Colt 45 tallboys, and more. (Local and national crafts also available, of course.) At happy hour, $4 beer-and-a-shot specials await, along with some of Charleston’s best housemade beef jerky.

Find your beer at The Royal American’s website.

Not only are they serving up reliably great barbecue in every corner of Charleston, Home Team has one of the best beer lists around. The downtown location, especially, features dozens of drafts and a slew of local and craft bottles, cans, and tallboys. Our pick? Order a can of Estuary Beans & Barley’s brews, like the Mexican Lager or Hazy IPA, brewed on Johns Island, about 20 minutes from downtown.

See Home Team’s menu here. 

Coleman Public House was serving craft beer before it was cool. Seriously: One of the first places serving adventurous new “high-gravity” beers before state law expanded the craft beer industry, Coleman Public House is still kicking it with great beer, burgers, and stepped-up bar food with some of the best bartenders in town. On the other side of the peninsula, the crew also opened Maybank Public House for lucky James Islanders who also now get to sidle up to the bar for a Seminar Pixels Hazy IPA out of Florence, S.C., or Stone’s latest Enjoy By creation.

Visit Coleman Public House’s website for more info.