chuckography

Found the BEST brewery in Summerville...

 Well, technically, Oak Road is the ONLY brewery in Summerville.

As I sipped one of the 10 beers posted on the menu behind the bar, I was chatting with Trent Nisbet who gave me the brief history of the brewery at 108 East 3rd North Street.

When he agreed with me that it was the only one, I had suggested they proclaim itself as the BEST Brewery in town.

When the CEO Benjamin Bankey came in a little bit later, he was told of my suggestion and agreed that would be good marketing.

"We could play around with that as we prepare for our 2nd Anniversary next month in June, he allowed.

I had a good chat with the knowledgeable and affable BrewMaster Brian Cox who explained a clear idea of what he was brewing in his collection of 30-gallon vats.

While I was not aware the brewery had opened, I HAD visited next door 2-3 years ago at the next door fun Coastal Coffee Roasters that featured "Food+Drinks + Music and so much more."

Now, of course, the sign has added beer and wine.

It's a friendly family place and today a food truck was parked out front offering a different take on a pizza.

CEO Bankey said all three entities are under one roof just off Main Street and all the partners work hard to make the whole operation a success.

I was searching for the coffee place I remembered and didn't realize the brewery was there.

My buddy had just responded to my email asking for the brewery's name and address when I turned off Main and saw it. Very glad I did. It was a pleasant stop and brought the number of breweries I had visited in this series to an even dozen.

(Click on the photos and links for more details.) This was a rare daytime visit to check out where beer is made.

The good news is that Oak Road is looking at adding Wednesday and Sunday to it open hours - probably by the anniversary celebration in June.

Makes sense to stop by, sample some tasty brews and not have a long drive back from downtown Charleston. Makes a LOT of sense.

And, be sure to see some brewery humor at the water fountain hanging on the wall.

 They are very busy making some fine beers and if they want to offer an opinion about how another national brand tastes, sounds fair to me.

(I used to drink Ultra a long, long time ago.)

But then, Craft Beers started appearing on the scene and the taste difference was VERY apparent.

Thanks, Brewmeisters!

Labels: 10 beers on the menu. Filling 5-liter/gallons? kegs for variety in small batches, Ben Bankey, best one in Summerville, Brian Cox, Oak Road Brewery, only one in Summerville, Trent Nisbet

posted by chuckography @ 8:53 PM