Wish you were Beer: A semi-regular posting on charlestonās hoppinā craft brewery scene
This weekās feature: Low Tide Brewing on Johnās Island.
20 years ago, Johnās Island had one stop light. It was the way to get to Kiawah but was overlooked as a destination in its own rite. Now, Johnās Island is on the up and up with real estate development through the roof, and a restaurant scene that draws crowds away from the famous eateries of downtown Charleston. This rural island is quickly becoming home to many must-do attractions. Recently, we went to one of our favorite craft breweries, Low Tide, for a lowcountry oyster roast and the opportunity to talk to the owner, Mike, about what makes this destination so special.
Charlestonās love for oysters is as deep rooted as our live oaks and southern hospitality. Anyone lucky enough to visit our lovely city during the āoff seasonā is in fact visiting during peak oyster season. Low Tide Brewery takes advantage of this, hosting a monthly, all-you-can-eat oyster roast with live music and unique beer pairings at an unbeatable price of $15 ā $20 per ticket. The time tested rule with oysters: theyāre best to eat during months that contain the letter ār.ā This means September through April, youād be hard pressed to visit during a weekend when there isnāt a lowcountry oyster roast somewhere. While Low Tide is not the sole venue to catch a great oyster roast, it stands out from the crowd as a guaranteed good time with great drinks.
Lowtide is unique in how their beer connects and exemplifies the things that make Charleston great: the people, the food and the environment. From the conception of the breweryās name (which came to Mike while kayaking in Charleston's tidal rivers), to the everybodyās-a-local atmosphere in the taproom, to the packed events and sought-after food trucks, the connection to this great city is enhanced by their beer. Itās a canāt miss destination for locals and newcomers alike.
Reflecting the mix between classic styles and fusions of flavors that the Charleston culinary scene is known for, Low Tide has produced over 120 distinct beers since opening. Mike gives a lot of credit to the āliquid engineerā of the operation, his partner, Andy. After accepting resumes from across the globe, Andy stood out from the crowd. Receiving a 4 year degree in fermentation, brewing was never a hobby to him but a profession. Because of Andyās expertise, he is no one beer pony and a key ingredient in Low Tideās success.
While other breweries might have one or two experimental beers that are good or focus all their attention on one variety of beer, Low Tide strives to provide a range in styles and ace every one. They are constantly rotating and releasing new brews with names like āGingerly Squeeze My Lemonsā, āCoconut Peteās Chai Aleā, and āHush Your Mouth Triple IPAā, but typically only 12 or so are on draught in the taproom at a time. This keeps things fresh in the tap room, there is always something new to try.
Andyās prowess allows Mikeās vision for Low Tide to become a reality through their beer. The āCoastal Harvest Goseā was a great example of the ingenuity going on behind the scenes. A gose is a sour beer originating in Gosland, Germany dating back 1000 years. While the original gose historically owes its unique flavor profile to the River Goseās high saline content, Low Tide used āsea picklesā harvested by Mike from some of Charlestonās salt marshes to emulate the salty element of the classic. The beer was a unique twist on the classic and emphasized Low Tideās ties to Charlestonās environment.
While there has been talk about future plans for bottling, currently, you can only get their beer at the brewery itself or at restaurants lucky enough to have it on tap. It isnāt particularly rare to find them on tap at restaurants featuring craft brew selections because they ship kegs statewide. If youāre looking for a restaurant in Charleston that has them on tap we would recommend trying Bohemian Bull, Bay Street Biergarten, or Loggerheads. There are even some restaurants around Charleston that are lucky enough to have their exclusive, signature brew created by Lowtide as a compliment to their menu and atmosphere. So, only at Triangle Char & Bar can you find the delectable āTriangle Char & Bar Welcome Wheatā and out on Kiawah, the infamous Ocean Course Clubhouse features its very own āOcean Course Aleā.
Mikeās original concept was to create a brewery to cater to Charlestonās rich restaurant scene focusing on creating those signature brews and the taproom was meant to be more of a bonus. Less than two years after opening the doors of the large converted warehouse that calls home, there are times when Mike wishes that there was more space. As the brewery evolved, it gained a dedicated following of both locals and visitors alike. The extent of their popularity is most astounding during their events, like their Oyster Roasts, when the whole front lot is closed off to allow for the crowds overflowing out of the taproom.
Apart from great beer and great times, the crowds grow because everyone is welcome here. No matter where youāre from you are treated like a local. Mike mentioned how important it is to him to make everyone feel comfortable, and it shows. When scanning the crowd at the oyster roast there wasnāt an obvious archetype for the typical low tide patron. Young, old, a number of families with their kids, people who have lived on Johnās Island their whole life, others visiting for the first time, and (in the Charleston way) everyone brings their dogs. While Mike admits that he never thought that he would be so happy to have dogs and kids running around his brewery, it means a lot to him to see that there is such a sense of community that has developed around the taproom and their brews.
While we're sailling over seas, no one's there to scream at me
No one's here to prevent me, from getting drunk and free
Fighting naked while we pee, throwing bitches in the sea
Cheering, laughing endlessly, that's a life for me.
But when I come home to breathe, you say that i reek of mead
I wish I'd be out of here... oh I wish you were beer! Hey!
photo
Everybody get on board we will crash the shore
We're gonna rock it loud and so will scream the whores!
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Scream and chug your horns!
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Don't puke it on the floor!
Neighbours, they will hate!
While their daughters spread their legs!
Lyrics was added by DevilDan
San Diegans love beer. Itās a fact. Itās science. Itās irrefutable. Yes, we realize weāre already spoiled by the weather, and the beaches, and the laid-back vibe San Diego offers, but when you think about it, what goes better with all three of those things than a cold one?? Luckily for us, we happen to live in a city where the beer flows as surely as the sun shines, and thereās plenty of both for everyone to go around.
Sun, sand, surf, & suds
In San Diego County alone, there are over 100 fully-functional breweries cranking out their craft goodness every day. Sure, youāve probably already heard of some of the big boys in town that have achieved national (and in some cases international) notoriety for their groundbreaking brews such as Stone, Ballast Point, Karl Strauss, Green Flash, and AleSmith, but donāt sleep on the smaller operations or up-and-comers like Amplified Ale Works, Modern Times, Belching Beaver, Kilowatt, and Bagby Beer Company. With so many options, you never really have to go too far to find your next new favorite IPA, sour, or stout.
But if for some reason you canāt make it to one of the many brewery-run tasting rooms, there are also countless taverns, gastropubs, festivals, and specialty shops offering a plethora of sudsy selections from both local and other-regional beer artisans. Given the ready availability of so many great beers in this city, it comes as no surprise that San Diego was named the second-best beer town in the US (behind only Portland, ahem) just a couple years back. Which also brings me back to my original point; San Diegans love beer. After all, this level of supply and demand doesnāt happen by accident.
Foam is where the heart is
Alright stop what youāre doinā, cuz Iām about the brewināā¦
So in observance of the recent National Beer Day holiday (yes, it is a thing), what did us gappers do to celebrate, you ask? Well, I can tell you that we didnāt just go out somewhere to drink beers. I mean, it happened, but thatās not all we did. No, we also went out somewhere to make beers. Thatās right, in honor of the holiday, a group of gappers headed to San Diegoās own Citizen Brewers, which is essentially a warehouse-sized laboratory dedicated to brewing oneās own beer. CB provides all of the equipment, ingredients, and expertise necessary to guide both casual fans and full-blown beer enthusiasts alike through the brewing process.
We reserved two kettles (one for each pre-determined team) in which we brewed two distinct beer types, an India Pale Ale and an Irish Stout. For many of us, it was our first time dabbling in the art of brewing, but Judd, the mad scientist behind the lab that is Citizen Brewers, walked us through the entire process. From measuring and milling grains to steeping ingredients to adding hops to the boil and, finally, reducing and extracting the resulting mixture, we were guided through each step of the way, and without ever once feeling like we werenāt actually brewing our own beer.
Once the mixtures were moved from their kettles to barrels, the final (and most ceremonial) step before sealing them up was the addition of yeast to each barrel to get the fermentation process going and, eventually, turn the batches into actual beer. The entire process took several hours, and it will be about a month until the finished products are ready for bottling. For the IPA team, the end result they are hoping for is a citrus-heavy flavor profile with well-balanced hoppiness, while team Irish Stout is going for a roasted finish with equal notes of chocolate and caramel. Only time will tell.
All in all, the experience was a ton of fun, and a great way to celebrate National Beer Day. Although things did end up getting a little competitive between teams IPA and Irish Stout (and will probably continue to be until itās tasting time), it was actually really great to spend the day with other gappers who have an affinity for beer, and collaborate with them to make our very own. We already work together towards common goals on a daily basis anyway, so that part came easy. The only difference is that weāll get to drink these results. Needless to say, weāre all really excited to host our own little āgappyā hour in a month from now and sample the finished products, so stay tuned for the final results! I would extend you a personal invitation to swing by and try them for yourself, but I donāt think there will be enough to go around. Like I said before, we love beer.
She was shaking that ponytail
Raising all kinds of hell
Hanging with the bachelorette
And I was standing by the DJ
Asking will you please play
A slow song into your set
I knew that was my chance
I said, baby would you like to dance
She said, I wish you were beer
I wish I could drink you up
And toss you away
You wanna be my bud
But I ain't looking for love
I just need a good chase
She said, I'd drink you alive
Then I'd make you to drive
Slam you down and rock this place
Let's make it rocky mountain clear
It's all I'm needing in here
Man I wish you were beer
Now if I was alone
And kiss her damn sure
Bet she'd have her lips on me
She'd be chugging me down
Like a blue ribbon round
I'll be the lime in her tecate
She said, boy I bet you go down smooth
Then light me up like a big blue moon
She said, I wish you were beer
I wish I could drink you up
And toss you away
You wanna be my bud
But I ain't looking for love
I just need a good chase
She said, I'd drink you alive
Then I'd make you to drive
Slam you down and rock this place
Let's make it rocky mountain clear
It's all I'm needing in here
Man I wish you were beer
She said, now if you were a stella
I'd be calling you fella
And we'd be having us a hell of a time
She said, I wish you were beer
I wish I could drink you up
And toss you away
You wanna be my bud
But I ain't looking for love
I just need a good chase
She said, I'd drink you alive
Then I'd make you to drive
Slam you down and rock this place
Let's make it rocky mountain clear
It's all I'm needing in here
Man I wish you were beer
Let's make it rocky mountain clear
All I'm needing in here
I wish you were beer
Yeah I wish you were beer
Oh I wish you were beer
Yeah