Beer flows at Charleston’s new Brewers Row

When I first heard that the City of Charleston was going to sponsor a Brewers Row, my offbeat brain immediately pictured a group of beer swilling guys and gals in a rowboat on the Kanawha River. 

But when, ace WV Beer Roads reporter, Erin McCoy, forwarded me the news release late Thursday afternoon, I realized that no rowboats were involved. However, three Summers Street breweries are…

Local beer lovers won’t need a rowboat, a dinghy, or a group swim to reach Charleston’s new Brewers Row. It is literally taking over the 100 block of Quarrier Street.

Picture this: Bad Shepherd Beer Co., Fife Street Brewing, and Short Story Brewing — all working together to highlight the magnificent offering of West Virginia-made beer in downtown Charleston. Oh happy day! We have the making of a real brewery district. 

Brewers Row will hopefully teach the beer drinking public and other prospective brewery owners that Charleston, WV, is a welcoming and happy place to drink beer and to brew beer. Hopefully Brewers Row communicates that Charlestonians love their brewers and their beer. Hopefully, it will lead to the establishment of even more breweries in our fair city and its environs. 

Erin McCoy said folks at the Brewers Row news conference were very upbeat and positive about what this concept offers to downtown Charleston. She said she felt the excitement.

“I think that it’s a great idea to highlight WV craft beer, and I love the support it’s receiving,” Erin said. “To see the community and city support local beer to this degree is impressive. This kind of support is what it takes to be successful in terms of tourism. I think it’s a solid plan for Charleston.”

Kudos to Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin and the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau for supporting this project and for recognizing that craft beer tourism is a potent and growing force. Support from the three breweries and the CVB includes printing up a Brewers Row Passport, which challenges patrons to drink three beers at each of the three establishments in order to earn a commemorative Brewers Row pint glass award. Passports can be picked up at the breweries, local hotels, and the CVB office.

The program was announced at a news conference Thursday (March 2) in Charleston. For more information on the Passport program, go to https://brewersrow.charlestonwv.com/

Photos in this article by Erin McCoy