Charleston gets 2nd brewery, at last

We at Brilliant Stream couldn’t be happier that Fife Street Brewing has now opened. Charleston WV finally got its second brewery. No doubt, this is a game changer.

Erin McCoy and I checked it out and can report to you that it is solid. Now it’s your turn to visit the new brewery and have a beer. We think you’re going to love it.

Our home city of Charleston has been slow breaking into the local brewing scene, but now, we have two fine downtown brewpubs only a half block apart. This makes a huge difference.

The other one, of course, is Bad Shepherd Beer Company, and Bad Shepherd is no longer on an island by itself. Now, having two solid breweries nearly next to each other will help both attract the kind of clientele they need to be successful.

Fife Street opens with a good initial line-up of core brews, including Charleston Beer, an easy-drinking light golden ale; Charlie West Coast IPA, a more hoppy brew with good balancing malt; Summers Street Wheat, a true-to-style German Weissbier; and Chuck’s P-51 Porter, a rich, chocolatey dark ale.

Also out now are two small batch beers you won’t want to miss. Blarney Fife Irish Red Ale and Sternwheeler Imperial Stout both show off the brewmaster’s talents. Expect a few more to follow soon.

The food menu at Fife is loaded with creative sandwiches, small plates, and salads that would seem to satisfy a wide range of tastes. Our eyes immediately went to the gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. Yum.

Access to Charleston’s two malt palaces is made easy by free parking every day after 5:00 PM in the city parking building which sits between Fife Street and Bad Shepherd. Both brewpubs offer outdoor sidewalk table seating in addition to air-conditioned indoor bar and table seating.

Come on out and join us for a beer. Fife Street Brewing is located at 180 Summers Street in Charleston. Open from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily.

Fife Foto Gallery

Click on picture to enlarge.

Photos in the article were taken by Erin McCoy and Charles Bockway.