[F&BT] What is the difference in your style of the brewery process?

[Jaime] Keep it simple with 4 ingredients (barley, water, yeast and hops) but make exceptional beers with them.

[F&BT] What extra steps do you take in the brewery process?

[Jaime] Just being hands on from start to finish and monitoring every step along the way. Since there are only 2 of us, you’re forced to do everything but I think that’s a good thing and it shows in the beer. We hope to have some extra help one day though.

[F&BT] Describe the process in coming up with a new beer?

[Jaime] That’s easy! We take a style we are currently in love with (like a Double IPA) and decide the night before that it will be the next seasonal…or something like that. Pilot brewing would be a great idea, we just never do, and so far so good.

[F&BT] Describe the beers you offer now?

[Jaime] Our HopArt IPA and the 32/50 Kolsch are year round. All other beers are seasonal. In 17 months we’ve made: Chocolate Rye Brown, Blackbeerd Imperial Stout, Jack Daniels Barrel Aged Blackbeerd, Honey Wheat Pale, ALTerior Motive altbier, an English Pale (ESB), Red Legs Scotch Ale, and a Dry Irish Stout. Next up is our Double IPA as well as the Scotch ale again, some of which will be barrel aged as well.

[F&BT] Plans for the future?

[Jaime] Well, we’re on the fence right now. We always thought we’d like to stay the size we are and just be local to Charleston. Given the tremendous feedback we’ve gotten across the entire southeast (and the fact that with current three tier distribution laws, it is hard to make money off of craft beer if your not making a significant quantity) we’re thinking of going much bigger, if we can do it sustainably.

[F&BT] What is your favorite?

[Jaime] Oh, that’s tough. It changes daily. Many times it’s a seasonal because it’s new and usually goes with how your feeling at that time of the year. But then again, the IPA and Kolsch are nice all the time. That’s like picking your favorite child, you just can’t!

[F&BT] How and what steps do you take to ensure the quality of your ingredients start to finish? Start with the best ingredients and care about the beer at every step in the brewery process. We keep our beer cold and load to refrigerated trucks. Since our beer is unfiltered (except for the kolsch), un-pasteurized it’s important for the beer to be handled properly by our distributor and by the bar or restaurant. That perhaps is the hardest part since it is out of our control at that point.

Ready for a More on Brewing Process?