Revelation at Revelry Brewing

I've always wanted to visit Charleston, SC, mainly because I had heard and read about its compelling history and its architectural beauty. So with it being a scant two and a half hour drive from my humble abode, we set out to explore some of the "Holy City" over the course of two days.

In addition to the history and architecture, many of our experienced friends advocated strongly for the "Low Country" cuisine, so our two day trip allowed for four meal experiences. As a Shrimp and Grits guy, I was ready to make comparisons, and, as in most of the southeast, the exploding beer scene provides many opportunities to complement whatever you're eating.

What follows will be four quick reviews--well, five, really, when you count our impromptu visit to Revelry Brewing (below), an increasingly popular brewing complex making some amazing beers. The nice thing is that since this introduction will be part of each review, you only have to read it once.

Unless, of course, you just enjoy my work. And feel free to share.

Revelry Brewing Company

I mentioned a beer back in Part 2 called Gullah Cream Ale by Revelry Brewing, and that the name jogged a memory. My son Kacy's high school friend and a former wrestler, Sean Foley, was employed there, so we arranged to meet him at the brewery. Sean made his brewing bones at Brix City up in Little Ferry, NJ.

Revelry is a "small-batch" brewery, but the place is churning out about five thousand barrels a year. While that's not necessarily unusual, it's in a facility that has a three-storey rooftop bar and a very neat separate building called "The Hold" a block away for its special barrel-aged offerings. That that building houses a coolship (guarded by a knight in armor) along with a display of the many medals Revelry beers have won adds to the uniqueness of the place.

With all that beer around, and being guided personally by a brewer we knew from the Garden State, how could we go wrong? And we got to meet Frankie, a three-month old boxer (top photo) and a new addition to the Foley/Revelry family.

To start, we sampled three of Revelry's beers: a refreshing wheat, a dead-on style Belgian Blonde and a very sessionable 5% stout. Then it was up to the rooftop where Sean called forth three tap-fresh Gullahs.

We enjoyed them while mingling with the 4 PM crowd that had gathered there to catch the breezes and enjoy the brews. Among them were Courtney and Jessie (above), two delightful gals and traveling nurses from Dallas who were on a "road trip" and heading up to Philadelphia next. Naturally, I advised them to go to McGillin's, meet with Chris Mullin, mention my name--and then run like hell.

We also met Kenzie (above), a bartending twin that Sean can't distinguish from her sister.

But the most interesting part of the visit was yet to come. We walked a block away to The Hold, a special building where Revelry stores its foeders and barrels for making its barrel-aged line. It also houses a coolship room where beers are cooled (duh) in the open air, and subjected to the influences of wild yeasts which are brought in from outside by a specially placed fan. It's actually a throwback to Old-World brewing techniques that modern day brewers are putting to use. Read more here.

Note: That's Sean Foley in the barrel room, and the pic of Frankie above, is the last one of him awake. He was tuckered, and he wasn't even drinking any of Revelry's sours and high-octane barrel-aged stuff. PS: the Braggot was kick-ass.

That's an empty coolship (above) and one that's working (below.

Revelry has won numerous awards for its beers, and considering it's only been in business for about five years, that's pretty impressive. Its location near newly-planned apartments should benefit those who live in walking distance when the apartments get built.