The 12 Best Breweries in Charleston (2026)
From the NoMo rooftop to the Park Circle cluster to the island taprooms — Charleston's craft beer scene, ranked by the people drinking in it.
Charleston's beer scene grew up in the industrial corridors the tourist economy ignored — upper Meeting Street, Park Circle, the Dorchester Road stretch — which is why brewery-hopping here still feels like a locals' activity. The city now supports two dozen breweries across every format: destination brewpubs, production floors with taprooms bolted on, and neighborhood garage operations pouring for the block.
The flagship tier is settled: Edmund's Oast runs the most ambitious brewing-and-dining program in the state, Westbrook's sours and stouts (Gose, Mexican Cake) put Charleston on national trade boards, Holy City's Pluff Mud Porter is the beer most locals learned craft on, and Revelry pairs its lagers with the best brewery rooftop in the city.
North Charleston's Park Circle cluster — Commonhouse Aleworks, COAST, Rusty Bull, Freehouse — makes the best walking beer crawl in the Lowcountry, and the island taprooms (Low Tide on Johns Island, Two Blokes in Mount Pleasant) are worth planning a beach day around. Order within sections moves with community votes and Google ratings. Last reviewed May 2026.
The Flagships
The breweries that built the scene's reputation. Edmund's Oast Brewing Co. pairs an ambitious brewhouse with a full kitchen on King Street Extension. Westbrook in Mount Pleasant is the trade-board name — its Gose and Mexican Cake travel farther than any beer made in the state. Holy City on Dorchester Road brews Pluff Mud Porter, the de facto city beer, and Revelry's NoMo rooftop is where the scene actually hangs out.
Revelry Brewing Co
Downtown4.6★822 reviewsRevelry holds a strong claim to the best real estate of any Charleston brewery — the rooftop deck on Conroy Street, with its sightlines over the peninsula, is the genuine draw and earns near-universal praise.
Westbrook Brewing Company
Daniel Island4.5★336 reviewsWestbrook's Gose is the brewery's true calling card — a tart, lightly salted, 4% traditional sour that earned a 99/100 from national critics and well over 65,000 logged tastings from enthusiasts, putting it on the short list of definitive American goses.
Holy City Brewing
North Charleston4.5★1,833 reviewsHoly City Brewing started in 2011 as a four-man operation in a pedicab garage, and the scrappy origin story still matters here — it's a genuine community anchor in Park Circle rather than a branded beer hall.
The Park Circle Cluster
North Charleston's brewery district — four taprooms within a short ride of each other, which makes Park Circle the best beer crawl in the Lowcountry. Commonhouse Aleworks anchors the neighborhood; COAST, one of Charleston's original craft operations, still brews a benchmark IPA; Rusty Bull runs the busiest tap list; Freehouse pours organic ales by the Ashley.
COAST Brewing Company
North Charleston4.7★267 reviewsCOAST Brewing is one of Charleston's most respected independent craft breweries, operating out of the old Navy base in North Charleston since 2007.
Commonhouse Aleworks
North Charleston4.6★570 reviewsCommonhouse Aleworks has earned its status as the beating heart of Park Circle since opening in 2018 — a brewery that takes the 'community' pitch seriously enough to actually back it with weekly beer runs, poetry nights, Pride block parties, and charity fundraisers baked into every pint sold.
Freehouse Brewery
North Charleston4.6★334 reviewsFreehouse earns its devoted local following less through sheer beer volume than through setting and conviction: an Ashley River perch tucked behind railroad tracks in a former Army medical supply depot, with marsh views and a sliver of downtown Charleston on the horizon.
Rusty Bull Brewing Co. (North Charleston)
North Charleston4.4★724 reviewsRusty Bull's North Charleston production taproom at W.
The Neighborhood Taprooms
The breweries you plan an afternoon around. Low Tide on Johns Island is the beach-day stop, with a yard built for dogs and kids. Two Blokes covers Mount Pleasant. Munkle brews Belgian styles on the upper peninsula, and Charles Towne Fermentory in Avondale made its name on hazy IPAs and a West Ashley porch scene.
Low Tide Brewing
Johns Island4.8★827 reviewsLow Tide Brewing is regarded as a Johns Island institution — the area's first brewery — and locals consistently praise its rotating craft taps, especially sours and fruited ales, along with a friendly, knowledgeable staff.
Two Blokes Brewing
Mount Pleasant4.7★368 reviewsTwo Blokes Brewing is widely regarded as a dependable, unpretentious neighborhood taproom in Mt.
Charles Towne Fermentory - Avondale
West Ashley4.7★316 reviewsCharles Towne Fermentory is a beloved West Ashley anchor that locals treat as a true neighborhood spot — established in 2016 in Avondale, the village-like 'downtown' of West Ashley — and consistently praised for standout NE-style IPAs and fruited sours with a relaxed, garage-aesthetic taproom.
How this ranking is built
Inclusion requires beer brewed on premises or by the operator's own brand at a dedicated Charleston-area taproom — beer bars and self-pour walls are excluded. Order within sections is community votes blended with aggregated Google ratings, Bayesian-smoothed. Read the full methodology →
Charleston itself has been ranked the #1 small city in the U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler readers for four consecutive years, and the #1 city in the South by Southern Living readers for ten. See every external award Charleston holds on Charleston Ranked.
Frequently asked
- What is the best brewery in Charleston?
- Edmund's Oast Brewing Co. for the full package (ambitious beer plus a real kitchen), Westbrook for the nationally traded sours and stouts, Revelry for the rooftop, and Holy City for the local standard — Pluff Mud Porter is the closest thing Charleston has to a city beer.
- Where is Charleston's brewery district?
- Park Circle in North Charleston — Commonhouse Aleworks, COAST, Rusty Bull, and Freehouse sit within a short ride of each other. The upper peninsula's NoMo corridor (Revelry, Edmund's Oast, Munkle) is the peninsula's own cluster.
- Which Charleston breweries are good with kids or dogs?
- Low Tide on Johns Island is the family default — a big yard, food trucks, dogs everywhere. Two Blokes in Mount Pleasant, Commonhouse in Park Circle, and Freehouse's riverside lawn all run family-friendly taprooms. Rooftops (Revelry) skew adult after 6 p.m.
- What beer is Charleston known for?
- Westbrook Gose — the beer that helped revive the style in America — and Mexican Cake, its cult imperial stout. Holy City's Pluff Mud Porter is the everyday local answer, and COAST's HopArt was one of the state's first craft IPAs.
- Do Charleston breweries serve food?
- Edmund's Oast Brewing Co. runs a full kitchen; most of the rest rotate food trucks daily (Revelry, Low Tide, Holy City, the Park Circle rooms). Check the truck schedule before you go — it's usually posted on the brewery's Instagram.