During my trip to Charleston, I picked up 6 (mostly) Carolina beers. Here are the slurred words inspired by them and the beautiful city of Charleston.
Charleston – I’ve only just met you, but I’m already a fool for you. From the beautiful architecture, the flickering gaslights, the muggy, sultry weather that I love so much, the palmettos and Spanish moss, to the unbelievable barbecue, and of course, the good cold beer, you are a city worth revisiting again and again.
For my pick six, I stopped at a Harris Teeter and took what was available. The result was predominantly Palmetto BC with a few beers from Georgia mixed in.
Palmetto Brewing Company — Low Country Lager — 5.5%
The low country lager is a simple lager the evokes American adjuncts. It has the grainy, hint of corn sweetness but also features a nice mild-bitterness finish with notes of grassy and floral hops. It’s a solid stadium type beer.
‘Love in the low country big trees overhead shady spots
around an afternoon quiet town
sit down in a good company under the spell of a song
listening along to the good people
drinking good beer
and feeling all warm and holy.’
Palmetto Brewing Company — Amber Ale — 5.8%
It’s a sweet, rich amber with strong dessert-like notes of hazelnut, toffee and caramel. Hell maybe even a hint of pecan. It’s as good as any Wisco fall brown ales back home.
‘They were children
of the Mississippi
playing in the backwaters and the mud
young and full of love
drinking lagers and listening
to the sun.
eyes of aster blue
flowing to
puppy mud brown hues
water on the river
carrying a song
and a love
so true.’
Palmetto Brewing Company — Mango IPA — 6.5%
Whoa. So this has some strong, syrupy sweet/candy like notes of mango that dominate it right off the bat. But thankfully that onset of sugar gets balanced out by a strong bitter hop finish.
‘Easter pastels
and palmettos
enough of a sell
to get me to go.
I can paint the picture
in my head
sunset
backdrops
sitting
on a rooftop
sipping
sweet sunset
dreams.’
Second Self Beer Company — A.T. Ale — 5.5% — APA
“ATaLe is a tribute to our home. We are LOCAL Atlantans born and bred who are inspired by the city we love. This is the beer you want to drink when you just want to drink a beer. Its CRISP and CLEAN taste goes anywhere with anything. A truly REFRESHING Atlanta Ale.”
I like this. And it’s not what you’d expect from your typical APA. It has the sweet, bready pale malts, but then leads into a juicy peach/mango fruit flavor that makes it super refreshing. It finishes with a subtle bitterness with grassy/floral hops.
‘The sun shines as it sings it’s morning song
soundtrack across the open highway shining like peach over
roads to nowhere or anywhere depend on how you
feel
and I feel like more than a million
infinite as the southern horizon
racing
across the prairie landscape
fireflies fly pass by
shooting stars across space
happiness is never too far away.’
Catawba Brewing Co. — White Zombie — 5.1% — White Ale
“We named this beer as a Halloween seasonal brew. But its refreshing taste makes it a year round staple. Zombie is made according to the Belgian Witbier tradition of using unmalted wheat to create the light body and white sheen. Additions of coriander and orange peel give Zombie a fruity and spicy character, while the hops are subtle and lightly detected. Don’t be scared to blow the head off a Zombie and drink up!”
It has a very creamy, smooth body, almost like a cream ale. The malts are sweet pale malts, with bready/doughy flavors. It finishes with a subtle hint of zest and spice. It reminds me of a spotted cow with a spicy-hopped finish.
‘Moonlit pale faced
zombies in the grave place
wandering the backstreets
looking for something to eat
or drink
it’s the weekend roam
where the dead come home
closing time
where the night starts to die.’
Second Self Beer Company — Margarita in Gose — 4.3%
“This beer takes goses to a whole new level. We use organic orange peels from Florida and freshly squeezed lime juice to give it the sweet-tart taste of the classic cocktail. We’ve also upped the salt slightly to pair nicely with the citrus. A beer that is good anytime but best enjoyed outdoors on your favorite patio.”
Salty and sour which pairs it perfectly with the sultry weather of Charleston. You definitely get the dominant notes of citrus, along with lime, and taste of salt that makes it feel like you are sipping right out of a salted margarita glass. Just think citrus margarita and that’s what you get here.
‘What can beat a margarita beer on the beach
hungover in the sun sweating
Saturday night sins
listening
to songs of salvation waves
crashing electric sun plays
why couldn’t all sundays be this way.’