A Strategically Located Brewery that has It All--Daniel Island's New Realm Brewing Company Pre-Party with Forty Mile Detour

Three things matter, when it comes to business property: location, location, location, and New Realm Brewing Company on Daniel Island affirms that ubiquitous real estate saying. As an obvious case in point, having a short walking distance to Credit One Stadium makes New Realm an ideal concert pre-party venue.

New Realm Brewing Company is an all-in-one restaurant, brewery, and distilling company. It was started in 2016 by co-founders Carey Falcone, Bob Powers, and Mitch Steele. It claims core principles such as quality, creativity, authenticity, and striving for perfection, all with a customer-first mentality with its guests, employees, retailers, and community.

New Realm crafts beer in many styles, from hazy IPAs to classic pilsners and Belgian-inspired ales. Add to that, it distills a variety of spirits used in its excitingly fresh cocktails. The day I was there for the Tyler Childers pre-party, I chose the Tank Dog Hazy Imperial IPA and Tank Dog Tangerine Mango IPA in the one-pint cans. With an ABV of 9.6%, it will knock your flip-flops off. 

They prepare seasonal fare using local ingredients to create dishes that pair perfectly with their beers, hard seltzers, and cocktails. Their creative culinary team pulls inspiration from the regional food scenes in surrounding communities and local farms to create approachable menus rooted in tradition. They blend global flavors and local fare to pair perfectly with its beers and inviting setting for friends, neighbors, and guests alike. From hand-ground premium burgers to house-made desserts, there's something on the menu for the whole family. 

New Realm's indoor dining area is as big as its philosophy. There are community tables for friends to gather at, plenty of bar seating, an open kitchen, and a beautiful view of the brewery. Outside, table seating wraps around the building's exterior which is dominated by a sprawling, covered patio with couches, Adirondack chairs, a service bar, tall tables, and a dance area where local bands set up to entertain its massive crowds.

New Realm affords local area bands the opportunity to showcase their stuff. Forty Mile Detour, a Lowcountry band that incorporates elements of blues, rock 'n' roll, folk, and bluegrass, was the headliner for the Tyler Childers pre-party. For three hours and a nearly 30 song set, Mark Yampolsky and fellow band members Heather Norton, Bobby Napier, Mike Sparks, John Auwaerter, and Dante Cerni energized the outdoor patio with their unique sound and unquestionably proved their well-deserved place as one of the area's premier bands.

Ideally and strategically located on beautiful Daniel Island, New Realm Brewing Company lives up to and beyond the principles of its business philosophy. Epic is a fitting word to describe this venue. Crafting beer in many styles, from hazy IPAs to classic pilsners and Belgian-inspired ales along with a variety of spirits, a food menu to match, and quality entertainment, New Realm has it all.

880 Island Park Drive, Charleston, SC

An Awesome Charleston English Style Pub Offering a Unique Practice Impossible to Resist

People visiting Botany Bay Beach are not permitted to remove sea shells from the beach, so they hang them on the weatherworn trees. It is a way of leaving your mark, a statement that you were there.

There is a Charleston drinking establishment where patrons leave something to mark their visit. As a result, that something covers every inch of available interior wall and rafter space. That something is dollar bills, 27 years worth. There are layers upon layers of Washingtons autographed by customers marking first dates, inside jokes, anniversaries, parties, and holidays. In 2020, it was estimated to be about $50,000 worth, and the amount has grown since, and continues to grow. The unique practice is impossible to resist. 

The Griffon is a prominent staple in the community and a tribute to the locals. Many people consider it to be a Charleston legend. Two pals looking for a place to kick up their feet with their friends opened it in 1996. It was that simple. To this day, that homey feeling remains. Dan Wenz began working for the brothers close to a decade ago and purchased the business from them in 2008. He became partners with Scott London. He vowed to leave the bar unchanged. The bills that plaster the walls since its beginning are still there, at least a significant majority. 

There was a moment when necessity dictated a divergence from the norm. It was during the Covid-19 shutdowns. Seventeen employees of the Griffon became unemployed as a result. The Griffon took down some of the dollar bills on their walls to support their furloughed staff to help pay for bills and groceries.

The Griffon is acclaimed by various media outlets as being a gem to the city. Southern Living Magazine called it "Unapologetically Awesome," and Maxim Magazine added "Where to Eat, Drink, and Party in Charleston, South Carolina." It packs a lot of power in a small punch, and the press loves it as much as the people.

In its early days, the Griffon was the center of nightlife downtown. People made a loop between Charlie's Little Bar, the Rooftop at Vendue Inn, Blind Tiger, and maybe Dengate's in those days. Everyone had just been to Dengate's or the Tiger. It was a smaller pool back then. Now the area is a bit more touristy, and the college-aged crowd has migrated to Upper King with its ongoing development, now rarely seen. 

The Griffon is a bar for two distinctly different patrons: the locals and the astute tourist who asked a local. The old English-style pub appeals mostly to the working class—and there's a good reason, its lunch menu. It gets a lot of lawyers, a lot of food and beverage workers, and a lot of tourists. Quality food that's affordable is hard to find. As the neighborhood slowly transforms, the locals still flock to the Griffon because they know they can get a great meal that won't bend their credit card.

The Griffon's lunches are loaded, so they're doing really well in the good eats department. A crowd comes through its door every day. The secret is pretty simple: a meat and three veg daily special. Other items on the menu include classic comfort food, like grilled cheese, hot wings, and burgers.

The pub has served a lot of beer over its time, Bud Lights and Pabst Blue Ribbons, but have shifted more to satisfy the craft beer craze. The pub went from selling 10 cases of Bud Light a night to selling a couple of Bud Light cases and mostly draft beers. With that said, Pabst Blue Ribbon is still the number one seller.  

The Griffon is a casual beer bar with cheap food. With the restructuring of the Anchorage Inn at 26 Vendue and 24 Vendue in 2013, along with the presence of Waterfront Park, the tourist crowd flowing in from East Bay Street and through the doors of The Vendue keep the English style pub busy, not to leave unmentioned, the dedicated locals who patronize it just because they want to. Next time you are in the downtown French Quarter, visit the Griffon, have a beer, enjoy the menu, and staple a Washington on the walls of anonymity. Nobody will know you did it, except you, and that is all that matters. 

18 Vendue Range, Charleston, SC

Monday-Friday 11am-2am

Saturday and Sunday 12pm-2am

(843) 723-1700

Crafty Homegrown BrewHouse In Summerville-It's All About The Right Beer

Today, beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world. No surprises in that bit of trivia. That being no surprise, this bit of trivia may surprise you: Beer was one of the most common beverages drank in colonial America. George Washington was a beer lover. He concocted his own beer recipe and had a brewhouse on his estate at Mount Vernon. In fact, virtually everybody, of all ages and social classes at Mount Vernon drank beer as a matter of course during this time period. My first experience with beer was when I was 4 years old. It involved running with my Grandfather's beer bottle and a trip to the emergency for stitches in my hand.

I have never been a huge beer drinker. I seldom drank beer at home. That being said, I did crave the idea of consuming a thirst-quenching, cold beer, especially after working up a frothy sweat on a hot day. Sporting events, weddings, parties, dining out and fishing trips were times I was likely to indulge in a couple of brews. I still seldom purchase beer for home consumption since moving to South Carolina from Ohio, but I have come to appreciate the craft brews available in the Charleston market and will make it a point to attend beer tastings at my favorite nighttime hangout, Coastal Coffee Roasters of Summerville. But there is a new beer kid in the town of Summerville by the name of Caleb Taylor and the Homegrown Brewhouse.

Homegrown Brewhouse is passionate about everything local. Their goal is to have every South Carolina brewery represented on their wall of taps. At present, it has 40 taps pouring the finest beer from the South Carolina market with an impressive selection representing Charleston. If you are not sure about a particular selection you would like to try, they offer a 4 ounce sample to tantalize your decision making brew-buds. Once you have decided, you will be ready for the 12 ounce pour.

At the Homegrown Brewhouse, they go a step farther. The beer selection needs to be paired with the right glass to get the full experience of aroma and taste, which has to do with inducing a suitable foam head. Under each tap, the appropriate glassware is listed. It is all a part of the science behind the perfect pour.

On my last visit to Homegrown Brewhouse, I learned more about beer in one hour than all the previous years I have been drinking beer. My bartender gave me a quick lesson on the types of beers and the importance of a frothy head. It releases the beers aromatics and adds to the overall presentation. An ideal head should be 1" to 1-1/2", but the size of the head depends on the type of beer. The intent of my visit that day was to sample a peppermint beer I heard about in an earlier conversation with Caleb, but it was sold out. Somewhat disappointed, I surveyed the menu for an alternative. They were offering Mobius for $2. My server gave me a sample, which I tried, but I was looking for something with a higher ABV. I chose the Bell Ringer with a 8.5 ABV. It did not disappoint.

The decor was very simple-a long black bar, with a wooden bar top and swiveling seats. A few round tables were scattered about. The floors were a one-time-tiled cement black. A product shelf in the far corner displayed beer growlers and t-shirts. On the walls, chalkboards bearing pertinent information like "Famulari's pizza now offered." Hey, it is all about the beer here.

Caleb plans on installing a brewhouse of their own in the near future to brew up their own unique concoctions. They will use products from local farms in their seasonal brews to continue the theme of buying local and drinking local.

I hope you enjoy this little jingle I came up with based on a old, popular beer song(100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall) in honor of the Homegrown Brewhouse.

"40 taps of beer on the wall, 40 taps of beer. If one of those taps you should happen to pick, there will be 39 left to choose off the wall."

Not bad, huh. If you are looking for a place to relax with your beer buds and enjoy one of your favorite beer suds, this is your place. Located at 117 South Main Street, Summerville, SC.