Holy City Brewery--Home To Top Notch Craft Beers And A Lowcountry Landmark.

It was the party before Brewvival. The place was Holy City Brewing. In collaboration with RJ Rockers Brewery, Holy City produced a beer using cold-press coffee from Coastal Coffee Roasters in Summerville and dubbed the perky stout Half Calf. I was there to celebrate the preview with my good friend Brad Mallett, owner of the popular and trendy coffee shop.

Half Calf was one of four collaborations brewed for the Brewvival. The other three were with NoDa Brewing Company(Shades of Grace), Southbound Brewing Company(Sister City Saison), and Wicked Weed Brewing(Holy Weed with green tea leaves from Charleston Tea Plantation).

The enterprise is a success story of immense proportions bearing a rightly acquired name synonymous with Charleston, Holy City. A four-team venture, three of them CofC graduates, the brewery is a converted 4000 square foot warehouse originally owned by the non graduate of CofC, Mac Minaudo.

The main section of the warehouse is an efficient collusion of working space and showroom highlighted by a shiny, deep blue floor covered with a collection of brightly polished, stainless steel tanks with the remaining space dominated by a long bar transplanted from the original Cumberland's of downtown Charleston--on this day lined with patrons downing pairings of samples and full glasses of the brewery's latest collaborations in celebration of this years edition of Brewvival.

The exterior of the warehouse, like the beers brewed inside, is a Lowcountry work of art. Painted in a palette of earth colors, it is covered with scenes of the Charleston skyline, jelly fish, hammerhead sharks, marine birds, an alligator, a curious pterodactyl and a lone bicycle rickshaw--significant of the fact Joel Carl and Sean Nemitz are business partners in Charleston's rickshaw business. The establishments most prominent feature is a very long trash bin painted with a full length scene reminiscent of Charleston's beautiful waterfront with the name Holy City transparently etched in white over it.

A labor of love that began in the garage of Joel and Sean's rickshaw business where they built a 15-gallon, all-grain pilot system that produced roughly a dozen signature brews, later joined by professional brewer Chris Brown and beer enthusiast Mac, Holy City has grown into a dominant player in the craft beer market of Charleston.

Throughout the Lowcountry, the Holy City brand is as original as joggling boards and its taps are as common as the palmetto. Holy City Pilsner and Holy City Pluff Mud are two of the house beers served at my favorite Summerville stomping grounds, the previously mentioned Coastal Coffee Roasters; and the place where I was introduced to Holy City Brewing by way of the occasional beer tasting event hosted there--a fabulously frothy good time.

The day's large crowd was conclusive evidence of the brewery's success. The picnic tables were full, the tasting room standing room only. For entertainment, the Bluestone Ramblers churned out bluegrass tunes while Refueler's Mobile Cafe served up the food. With a brew in one hand and a camera in the other, the happy beer lovers took their turns documenting the occasion by posing for a memorable snapshot in front of the semi truck long, panoramic painted, one-time trash collector--including yours truly.

 

Coastal Coffee Roasters Shared Samples of The Most Expensive Coffee In The World-The Place For Great Coffee And Entertainment

As you read this article, it is quite possible you may be sipping on a cup coffee, one of the most consumed beverages anywhere. Across the world, within the forests of Southeast Asia, lives a grayish, shaggy haired animal whose face reminds you of a raccoon but bears a nickname containing the word cat. Apparently this 19-inch long creature savors the sap of the palm flower, which when fermented becomes toddy, a sweet liquor. Similar to the way maple syrup is collected back in my home state of Ohio, buckets are attached to the palm trees to collect its sap. This opportunistic, masked bandit is often seen freely profiting from this harvesting practice. Therefore, because of this it is sometimes called a toddy cat.

This toddy cat is a member of the viverridae family of mammals and for most of the daytime hours stays hidden in the top of coconut trees. Thus, its fitting common name is the palm civet. Its chosen cuisine makes it invaluable to its ecosystem. It feeds on berries and pulpy fruits. Then disperses the digested seeds throughout the tropical forest in its droppings, assisting in the germination and regrowth of the forest trees.

Now, what is the connection between the fact you may be drinking coffee and the Asian palm civet. The palm civet also feeds on coffee berries for their fleshy pulp. The coffee berries pass through its digestive tract where it goes through a few chemical processes involving enzymes and amino acids. Then, the beans are defecated with their shape still intact and collected by humans for cleaning and roasting. It is highly unlikely you are drinking coffee made from these intestinally manipulated coffee beans. This highly naturalized coffee is called Kopi Luwak and costs about $100 dollars a cup. I first heard of this coffee while watching the movie "The Bucket List." Jack Nicholson's character, a wealthy entrepreneur, drank the coffee on a regular basis totally unaware it was made from cat scoop poop. Morgan Freeman, a knowledgeable stranger that became his friend, derived immense pleasure in telling him the truth about his cherished coffee.

Coastal Coffee Roasters in Summerville treated friends and patrons with the opportunity to taste this unusual coffee Saturday, December 1st. Unfortunately, I was unable to be there as a first hand observer and taster because I am still recovering from my car accident, but I was filled in by a friend on the details and judging by the humorous comments left on Coastal Coffee Roasters Facebook page, everyone enjoyed the experience. Dave Keller, otherwise known as Busker, was on hand for the fun. Dave is somewhat of a fixture at CCR.

Dave Keller and friends perform their musical magic on Friday nights at 7:30 pm. Dave's life story is an interesting one. When asked where the name Busker came from, Dave happily relates the story behind the name. He said, "While traveling around Salisbury, England, I saw a sign that said 'no busking.' I asked what that meant. The person informed me it meant no street performing. So, I came up with the name Busker from that word." Dave also fluently speaks German. He lived in Germany as a young boy. Ask him about his birthday. His answer will surprise you. Dave plays a mean acoustic guitar, the bass, and the saxophone. Busker is no stranger to Summerville, they are a local favorite. The Journal Scene named them Readers' Choice in 2011. Rick Olson is Dave's partner. Come and rock out with the gang.

Shopping Local December 7 is an event to keep in mind. It begins at 5:00 pm. Azalea Olive Oil Company and a professional gift basket designer will be on hand to give you hands-on assistance in basket creation. Bring a basket with you to create a gift for the hard-to-buy-for client, friend and family member. A unique one stop shopping opportunity to buy local food items will be on display. For a complete list of offerings go to Coastal Coffee Roasters. Music will follow the event at 7:30 pm.

There is always something going on at CCR. Come join the fun. Kevin Church performs Thursday 7-9 pm. Jeff Trimble is the featured performer on Saturday.