Today in 1788, South Carolina became the 8th state.
South Carolina
South Carolina Breweries
- Aiken Brewing Company, Grill and Bar
- Blue Ridge Brewing
- Coast Brewing Company
- Hunter Gatherer Brewery
- Liberty Steakhouse & Brewery Myrtle Beach
- Mad Boar Restaurant and Brewery
- New South Brewing
- Palmetto Brewing
- Quigley’s Pint & Plate
- RJ Rockers Brewing
- Skull Coast Ale Company
- Southend Brewery and Smokehouse
- T-Bonz Gill, Grill and Brewery
- Thomas Creek Brewery
- Westbrook Brewing Co.
South Carolina Brewery Guides
Guild: South Carolina Brewers Association
State Agency: South Carolina Department of Revenue
- Capital: Columbia
- Largest Cities: Columbia, Charleston, North Charleston, Greenville, Rock Hill
- Population: 4,012,012; 26th
- Area: 32007 sq.mi., 40th
- Nickname: Palmetto State
- Statehood: 8th; May 23, 1788
- Alcohol Legalized: April 14, 1933
- Number of Breweries: 14
- Rank: 37th
- Beer Production: 3,726,460
- Production Rank: 21st
- Beer Per Capita: 25.8 Gallons
Package Mix:
- Bottles: 35.5%
- Cans: 59.3%
- Kegs: 5.0%
Beer Taxes:
- Per Gallon: $0.77
- Per Case: $1.73
- Tax Per Barrel (24/12 Case): $23.81
- Draught Tax Per Barrel (in Kegs): $23.81
Economic Impact (2010):
- From Brewing: $3,804,637
- Direct Impact: $883,919,695
- Supplier Impact: $317,601,830
- Induced Economic Impact: $625,465,783
- Total Impact: $1,826,987,308
Legal Restrictions:
- Control State: No
- Sale Hours: On Premises: On-premise closing times are local option and are not set by the state.
Off Premises: 24 hours for beer and low-alcohol wine, 9am-7pm Mon-Sat. at liquor stores - Grocery Store Sales: Yes
- Notes: 14% ABW (17.5% ABV) cap on beer
Wine > 16% ABV sold in liquor stores
No hard liquor sales after 7 p.m. and none on Sundays.
No off-premise alcohol sales after midnight Saturday until 7 a.m. Monday, except in Aiken, Greenville, Spartanburg, Horry County, Colleton County, Richland County, Charleston County/city and Beaufort County. No sales on election days at liquor stores.
Data complied, in part, from the Beer Institute’s Brewer’s Almanac 2010, Beer Serves America, the Brewers Association, Wikipedia and my World Factbook. If you see I’m missing a brewery link, please be so kind as to drop me a note or simply comment on this post. Thanks.
For the remaining states, see Brewing Links: United States.
A glaring omission is Liberty Steakhouse & Bewery in Myrtle Beach, which has been around since early 00’s! Original brewpub (HUGE restaurant space & a big bar area w/many TV’s) is at Broadway at the Beach (big shopping center); they’ve since added 4 “taphouses” in SC (one of which is at north end of MB) & another brewpub in NC.
Their ales & dark brews are good (I don’t drink light wheat brew, so no comment on those). I’ve gone to MB many times 1996-on to hook up w/my eastern buddies for a week golf & partying – we’ve had a few group gigs at the brewery & taphouse (the latter of which is very close to our lodging). Good chow & beer @ both places for reasonable $$ – finding a fellow beer geek at the bar might be tough, tho.
Bottom line: Beer geex visiting MB have limited choices beyond Liberty. Magic Mushroom, a SE US pizza-based chain, is WAY best of the rest -40+ taps & a big bottle selection, most of which are of the craft/micro variety. Sit at the bar! The barmaids I’ve encountered there answered my q’s about brews on the menu I knew nothing about.