Charleston Beer Works

GJ40

North Carolina

3.58/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $

I stopped in while on vacation in Charleston mainly because I was in the area to visit Closed for Business. The BA rating for CBW didn't look too promising but I figured I was in the neighborhood.

The had 30 - 40 on tap but most were pretty mainstream and many were dry. But they do offer a few solid beers such as Coast Hop Art and Sweetwater IPA.

As for entertainment, they have several TVs with sports on and pool, shuffleboard and skee ball in the back. I was pleased to find that the owner is a Boston sports fan. The prices were very reasonable and the bartenders were outgoing and helpful.

I see CBW as more of a sports / college bar but it's worth a visit if you're in the area.

05-18-2011 23:36:39 | More by GJ40

Redrover

Illinois

3.81/5  rDev +10.4%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.75 | $$

This was picked as our destination by one of our customers. needless to say, I didn't protest.

This is a large square space with a bar running along two of the walls. There are lots of tables, a pool table and one of those cool old shuffleboard games. Concrete floors and lots of hard services can make this place loud. Tons of TVs, so go here for decent beers while watching the games.

Service was southern friendly and knew the tap selection. Our food came out of kind of backwards ( the wings came out last after we had our entrees. ), but that is a minor quibble.

The strength of this bar is in their rotating taps. I had no problem picking several good alternatives. Note that they serve the beers to cold. They have lots of local options and some of the expected larger craft breweries. Nothing to wild, but pretty solid.

Food is bar food, not bad and will fill you up. Note a couple of folks in our group had the tacos and gave them high praise.

03-29-2013 17:43:54 | More by Redrover

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

3.7/5  rDev +7.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

I’ve been here a couple of times now, so I finally decided to review it. The first thing that I noticed was that it’s a BOSTON bar! I’ve been here for Celtics and Bruins playoff games, and they even have Red Sox games on NESN on some of their many TVs! After that little bit of bias, the atmosphere is pretty good. It’s mostly a college/sports bar and can get pretty loud on the weekends. If you get there early, you can get a good seat at the bar and get pretty good service. Live bands usually play on Saturday nights, which is a nice treat if you like live music. Again, if you’re not into places getting loud, probably stay away weekend nights. There are also a couple of games in the back like pool tables, one of those basketball shooting games, etc. The selection of craft beer is pretty good. Nearly all of their stuff is draught, and they have an updated menu that you can ask for with all of their offerings. When I was there, they had run out of a couple of things, but if they have a replacement keg, they’re quick about tapping it. My buddy also got a beer that didn’t taste quite right. They looked into the problem, fixed it, and got him a fresh one free of charge. Prices are competitive. I know they have food here, but I’ve never had anything except for their fries. They were good, but I figured fries weren’t enough to warrant a food rating.

Charleston Beer Works is a pretty good bar. If you’re looking for a wider selection or a more chilled-out atmosphere, there are certainly better places - Closed for Business comes to mind. However, if you’re looking for a place to get some good beers, play some games, watch some sports, and listen to some live music, this is a good place. If you’re a Boston sports fan like me, you should definitely check it out.

06-21-2012 13:45:17 | More by BlackBelt5112203

thadbme

South Carolina

3.23/5  rDev -6.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Visited this place for someones going away party. While there was plenty of beer available here, they were out of the more desirable options in the craft beer. Still there was plenty of beer available for tap.

I didn't care for the feel of the place or how crowded it felt. This was not a place I would want to hang out, and I haven't been back there since then. The food was ok to not good... service was iffy.

This was one of those gatherings to where it was okay in a large group, but I would think there are other options around that are much better.

09-18-2011 12:38:24 | More by thadbme

mltobin

Connecticut

3.28/5  rDev -4.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Walking along the northern end of the popular walking blocks of King Street, you will come across Charleston Beer Works. I stopped by late one afternoon on vacation while I had some time to kill before catching the Folly Rd. bus. The atmosphere was dark, although it was bright and warm outside. Attitudes of the patrons were very upbeat, many regulars talking up the bartenders, most on each end are young. The taps included Guinness, Sierra Nevada pale ale, Stone Arrogant Bastard, Coast 32/50, Sweetwater 420, Spaten, and more. Prices during happy hour are $2 for some beers and $3 for "high gravity beers". The funny thing was, they included some beers such as Guinness on the latter list, and we know it is not a high abv beer, oh well.
If you are nearby and want a couple inexpensive pints in a relaxed setting with college kids mixed in, pop in here for a bit.

07-02-2010 00:09:05 | More by mltobin

wcudwight

North Carolina

2.42/5  rDev -29.9%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 2 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3 | food: 2 | $

A dark college sports bar. That pretty much sums up the atmosphere. They did have 2 Coast beers on-tap but nothing else really stood out to me. I started with the 32/50 and then went to the HopArt. My wife and I found a seat at the end of the bar and had to ask for our beers menus ect... It wasn't really busy and they had 2 bartenders at the time. Service wasn't bad by any means but I've certainly had better. Both bartenders tended to avoid questions about their beers. Whether that's from a lack of knowledge or a lack of interest I'm not sure. My wife and I looked at the menu and were unimpressed so we went some where else to eat shortly after. Maybe I was disappointed b/c of expectations. I was expecting something to the tune of Barleys in Asheville and it was certainly not Barleys. I don't think I'll go back. The one positive is the beers were only 2 bucks.

05-24-2010 03:35:27 | More by wcudwight

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.06/5  rDev -11.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | $$

We stopped by twice around their posted opening without success, but on the third try, we got lucky. My advice - call ahead.

A long series of plate glass windows fronted King Street with the double doorway in the center. There was a bench and some high tables along the right facing window. Standard restaurant tables and chairs lined the left facing windows. The inverse "S"-shaped wood bar was to the right with a minimal back bar consisting of shelves along the right wall and a chalkboard listing the available drafts above the bank of 30 taps along the back wall. Off to the left, entering, were a couple of rows of standard tables and chairs followed by a couple of rows of booths, plus a glass case of logo items against the left wall. Further aft, left, was the game room with a pair of black felt pool tables; shuffleboard; a Shoot the Hoop basketball machine; football; Big Buck Hunter; and electronic bowling.

Pluses, minuses, etc.: First and foremost, it was a sports bar with a good number of monitors of various types. I'm okay with that. The 13 or so BTs were dominated by BMC with a SA lager and SN Wheat as the only standouts. The drafts were so-so but it was an opportunity to drink some Coast beers. Caters to BOSOX fans. Sehr gut!

Ask for a non-frosted glass. I just realized that I got a shoddy answer when I asked about their available beers. I was told that they were all on the chalkboard, but that was not the case. Whoops. One last caution, the beers are extremely cold coming out of the lines. A frosted glass is overkill.

12-15-2009 23:41:39 | More by woodychandler

taylorhamrick

South Carolina

3.18/5  rDev -7.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$

So, I finally made it here for happy hour on a Thursday. I would never go at night - too crowded, and I would bet that the service would be much worse. The atmosphere during the day is not too bad, it's not noisy, and if you're into sports, you can watch whatever games are on TV. There's plenty of room if its not too crowded. If you're late nightin' it (I hate that phrase, but I think it will help you get the picture of who is there late at night), then its a different story. I was really not a fan of the pour on 2 of the beer I got, it made them taste much more watery and almost flat, kind of mineraly, in comparison to how I know they're supposed to taste. One bartender had a fairly decent pour, but still not great. The service was OK, I mean, the people would be friendly, but seemed to have bad memories of what we'd order or our last names. The selection is pretty much the best downtown. There were a couple of COAST taps, some other micros, some average stuff, and some macro stuff. I didn't try the food, but it's just regular bar food from what I can tell. And at happy hour, it was $3 drafts, which is $2 less than the average cost for COAST, so I was pretty happy with that, otherwise their prices are pretty average.

06-11-2009 21:33:27 | More by taylorhamrick

casemw

South Carolina

2.63/5  rDev -23.8%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | food: 2.5 | $$

Don't be fooled by the name. I realize that because I was expecting a lot more based on the name I may give this place a somewhat unfair review, but I have trouble seeing how you can call yourself "Charleston Beer Works" when you have only a handful of real craft brews on a 20 tap draft selection that is DOMINATED by the macros. Blue Moon, PBR, Bud Light, Bud, Mic Ultra, Nati Light...you've got to be kidding me. Whoever is in charge here could do a much better job. I was expecting a huge selection of good beer. Maybe they have plans to grow this selection, but I doubt it. The crowd wasn't great either (not surprising). A few pool tables and some TVs and that's about it. Maybe I went on an off night, but based on my experience I think I'll take my business elsewhere.

04-28-2009 21:14:24 | More by casemw

aracauna

Georgia

3.64/5  rDev +5.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $

This place looks a lot like your typical sports bar, perhaps a touch on the dive-bar side, but I wouldn't call it a dive bar. I hit them up at an odd hour and got good service, but it wasn't exactly busy at 4 p.m., either. It was happy hour, so it was nice getting a couple of good beers for less than $5 total. The selection was better than your typical bar, but not great. I had a couple of the Coast beers before heading out. This is a good stop if you're in the area, but not worth going out of your way to visit.

02-16-2009 19:15:16 | More by aracauna