Bartenders of Brewers Row — Tyler James

“There’s a really satisfying feeling when someone doesn’t know what kind of beer they want and they talk to you, and you can figure it out just based on what flavors they describe. You get them the right thing, and you see the satisfaction. It’s instant gratification for the job.”

That’s the thoughts of one Tyler James, who bartends at the downtown Charleston taproom of Short Story Brewing. He loves his occupation.

There’s not much Tyler enjoys more than conversing with customers. “I like when they’re curious about the town and I like being able to give them answers. It makes me feel like a tourism guide. Oh yeah, and I can tell you a lot about all of these beers too.”

Tyler’s earlier days

Tyler got his start in the food service industry beginning in his college years. Along the way, he received his foundational experience in the industry through stints with both local spots and national restaurant chains such as Olive Garden. From the chains he picked up the American corporate values of being very precise about attending to the details of your job. He thinks that was good experience and he has carried it with him to the craft beer scene. 

Born in Long Beach, California, Tyler was raised in the Charleston, WV, area from age six onward. First in the West Side neighborhood, where he went through Glenwood Elementary and Stonewall Middle School, and then to Nitro High School following the family’s move to Cross Lanes. Next came college days in Huntington at Marshall University.

During his time in Huntington, he worked as a restaurant server, but he’d always viewed the bartender’s position with an eye of envy.

“It was like a prestigious thing, like they were essentially almost managers in the hierarchy system,” he says. “They had an aura of confidence about them.” So he developed an goal to include bartending in his career path.

Then while working at Olive Garden, he got the chance to work behind the bar.

“I liked the concept of someone coming to me to grab a drink, instead of me going up to them and asking what they want.”

Then following several years gaining experience among jobs in Massachusetts, West Virginia, and New York, Tyler returned to Charleston in mid-2021.

“It’s a rollercoaster of trying options presented to me,” he says, “with all roads leading back here.” Back in Charleston, first working in restaurant kitchens, it wasn’t long until he joined the staff at Bad Shepherd Beer Co.

It was there that he took the deep dive into craft beer. “Honestly, I gotta throw some praise to Bad Shepherd brewery because [head brewer] Ross Williams got me,” says Tyler. ” He loves teaching, and he got me interested in craft beer. So yeah, I’ve got to put that on Ross.” 

Following a couple years bartending at Bad Shepherd, Tyler moved on to become beer buyer and bartender at a popular downtown Charleston pizza restaurant—one that featured lots of craft brews.

Arriving at Short Story Brewing

Tyler says he knew Short Story Charleston was a good place long before ever going to work there, because he had become a pretty regular Short Story customer.

“Like on like a chill evening, I’d go sit in the back room. I love the vibe of this place. It’s comforting and cozy, and the beers are some of the best in the state.” 

At the time he was buying beers for another local restaurant, but he couldn’t get Short Story’s products. Unlike many breweries, Short Story was very selective in who they sold their beer to.

Soon, he was telling Heather Dunkin, SSB’s Charleston taproom manager, to let him know if they had an opening for a bartender. In September 2025, he got hired.

At the Short Story bar, his favorite kind of customer is a talkative, curious customer.

A new customer walks into the taproom and Tyler goes to work. He’s like, “What kind of flavors do you like?” He gets a dialogue going to narrow it down so he can recommend. “It feels like I’m solving a puzzle, and that’s satisfying.”

There’s so much to learn in the craft beer world. There’s so many beer styles, You have some beers that are pretty much standard and regular, and then their are the rotating seasonals. There’s often something new coming on tap. Maybe you don’t know that much about them, but you have to learn. We asked Tyler if that is an aspect of the job that he enjoys.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he says. “It’s like a muscle you’ve got to keep sharp.”

And at Short Story he’s found a person who helps him stay in craft beer shape and advance his beer knowledge.

“Yes, Heather knows every hop in every beer, I’m pretty sure. She’s on top of that stuff. Every once in a while, I’ll just use some Google and brush up. Make sure I am not mixing up two things, because again, you’ve got to keep it sharp and work it out.” 

Since Tyler is still working on getting through his first year at Short Story, he’s still learning more about the beer every day. Getting to know Short Story’s changing line-up takes focus as seasonal beers come and go and guest favorite styles occasionally recur from past years

He says he feels he’s pretty much got their full-time core beers down. “Chasing Daylight IPA and Argonaut Lager are always going to be fan favorites. And if we have a sour, especially in warm weather, the sours just go so fast.”

When it comes to comparing the work at a craft brewery taproom versus his past work at a general bar or restaurant, Tyler finds it quite different. “I think it’s more personal here.”

“There’s something about a brewery taproom bar that’s like, oh, there’s a little more air of, not exactly decorum, but you can get a little more detailed at one of these bars, talking to a bartender, talking to the people beside you, because we see a lot of the same people around here. It’s good.”

When it comes to selecting a favorite aspect his job, he says it’s hard to put his finger on one thing, but if he had to choose, he’d say, “It’s refreshing. I don’t feel like a rain cloud’s over my head when I walk through the door here. I’m just like, Hey, let’s get this done.”

He also enjoys the good working relations with management at SSB. “It’s such a small team that the communication is pretty clear and straight. There’s no way to mince words or anything like that.”

Brewer’s Row impact

Tyler feels the addition of Brewers Row has produced a vast improvement to the street since he came back to Charleston. He says the vibe on Summers Street is a “stark contrast” to the past.

“Thinking in the last three years, it’s seen a rapid increase in quality, and there’s tons of events going on all the time. It’s really like Slack Plaza has become a third space that people don’t have to spend money to enjoy. Kids can actually go hang out and stuff like that.”

When it comes to impact on the local brewers, Tyler says, “Usually people come grab their PODA (to-go) cups from Fife, Bad Shepherd, and us, and it’s nice.

Tyler says everything on the block is up to par and besting par in some ways. 

“Brewers Row kind of makes me feel a camaraderie with my friends over at Fife, and my friends at Bad Shepherd. There’s a couple of beers I can tell you from each brewery that I just love unabashedly. That’s nice. And Ursus Beer Co., which is new (and just a couple blocks away from Brewer’s Row), they’ve got some good stuff coming out also.” 

He likes the promotions that the breweries are doing, things like pub crawls and glassware give-aways.

“The Brewers Row glass you get, travelers are really excited about that.” He explains, if they’ve got some time to kill, they can visit the three breweries, have some beers, and get a glass for it.

“It’s something to remember about Charleston and get a souvenir to take home.”

One thing that stands out to Tyler about the breweries of Brewers Row is the close working relationship they have. “A lot of people, if their first stop was Fife, they’ll tell them about Short Story and Bad Shepherd. If their first stop was here, I tell them about them.”

His favorite beer

We asked Tyler about any particular beer styles he’s a big fan of.

“I’ve actually thought about this question a lot, because there’s been beers I’ve had that are named after people, and I was like, that’s interesting. What beer would I be named after? What would a Tyler beer be? And I think it lands on a Hefeweizen. I love them so much. That banana note is really good.

“Or a porter. It’s so tough. American porter in particular. I want that kind of bite with it.”

And, as a bartender, his beverage preferences also extend beyond beer.

“I absolutely love making cocktails, and a French 75 is probably my favorite.”

When asked what he would you say to people who haven’t yet been to Short Story about why they should stop in and have a beer, he answers:

“You should come to Short Story because it’s some of the best beer in the state. You come in here and everyone’s super nice and friendly and talkative. If it’s earlier in the day and you want to get some work done, there’s a little back room that’s pretty quiet and you can bust out your laptop and finish the things you need to do for the day.

“There’s kind of two sides of the coin here. Like it’s cozy and quiet most times, but then Friday nights and Saturday nights, you can expect like a little bit of rowdiness, yeah, with live bands.

Good times and lots of beer.

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You can stop in and see Tyler at the bar, normally five days a week, at Short Story Brewing’s Charleston taproom.

Bartenders of Brewers Row
is a three-part series honoring the folks who keep the suds pouring at brewery taprooms in downtown Charleston, WV. The Tyler James feature is the second in the series.
Link to Part One–Tristin Lusk