Saturday, April 13, 2019

3 New Breweries in Columbia, SC

Columbia was the site of some critical research yesterday as I try to keep pace with the number of breweries opening up here in the Upstate and Midstate (?). A GvlBrewcrew event as well, so the limit was three new breweries for first time visits.

First was Twisted Spur, chosen partly cause we started with lunch and their menu looked good. Pleased to report that they ranked high in both categories: food and beer. Among us we sampled at least 10 beers on tap. One group favorite was the Great White Buffalo, a white IPA, well hopped with notes of orange peel and coriander. Refreshing! 

Being a fan of the style, I liked their Boysenberry Gose; good fruit, slight tartness and crisp finish. This style rotates the fruit so who knows what will be available next time.


Oh, we enjoyed our lunch too. I can recommend the Twisted Rueben but make sure you're hungry, it's huge.

Next stop was Columbia Craft, a brewery just beginning to be known in the Upstate. Having already had their Acid Hop, a sour Pale, at Sidewall Pizza, I was anxious to try their other brews. One good beer followed another: the Famously Hop IPA lived up to its name, full of hoppy wonderfulness. I could have stopped here, but research demanded that I continue. So, I did, with their Vom Fass, a Helles Lager, which was classic in flavor, aroma and sessionability. Another group favorite. And the Hop Acid was just as good as I remembered. Yay!

On a recommendation from Jess, beer slinger extraordinaire, we headed across the river to Cayce and Steel Hand Brewing. Open only since early December 2018, this venue screams "winner" from the moment you enter. Spacious, modern, bright with windows galore and a huge patio and yard with a stage at the end. Beers were across the board well made and plenty of styles to like. I went to their IPAs right away (duh!); a Tropical and a New England. Both hazy and fruity and equally satisfying. The Irish Red was a good choice too, plenty of malt structure but not overbearing. A balanced dry finish would keep someone having a second one. A highlight, thanks to #RetiredBob's recommendation was the Lime Golden Ale, a session brew that would make any hot Summer day quite tolerable. Following copious amounts of water, time to hit the road back to GVegas.










A very rewarding day (rarely do I get to own the Untappd board like today!) and further proof that good beer can be had just about anywhere these days, you only have to go find it.
Thanks, Columbia.

I'm posting links to the breweries so you can check out their menus completely.


https://www.facebook.com/twistedspurbrewing/
https://www.columbiacraft.com/the-beer/
https://www.facebook.com/steelhandsbrewing/

Cheers!