The Charleston Beer Exchange
- Rich Carley - co-owner
- Scott Shor - co-owner
- Brandon "Old Time" Plyler - manager, owner of timepieces
On November 15, 2008, the doors to the Charleston Beer Exchange swung open for the first time. Inside was the first dedicated growler station in South Carolina, the first dedicated beer retailer in Charleston, and two dedicated beer geeks with a dream. Scott Shor and Rich Carley, two northeastern transplants, have spent the subsequent three years changing the Charleston beer-scape for the better.
The CBX boys have hosted a plethora of beer illuminati, continue to tap rare beers each Tuesday for the aptly named Rare Beer Tuesday, organize beer dinners all over the peninsula, and collaborate with COAST Brewing each year on Brewvival, the beer fest to end all beer fests. Their efforts have earned them a sterling reputation with beerfolk all over the place, culminating in their being named the number two beer retailer in the world in 2010 by Ratebeer, and number one in the U.S both that year and in 2011.
Beyond the nine-tap growler station, the small store plays host to around 900 bottles, organized by country of origin. Their American section is nothing to sneeze at, but it's the imports that really set them apart. Years of relationship building and research have led them to a staggering collection of beers from the likes of Mikkeller, Evil Twin, Hanssens, Drie Fonteinen, Emelisse, Hitachino, Del Borgo, 8 Wired, Haandbryggeriet, and countless other obsure foreign brewers.
Beer info
Number of bottles: 900Number of taps: 9
Growler fills here are about as legit as you can get. Your 32oz, 64oz, or 128oz brown CBX glass will be fully immersed in a sanitizing sink before being bottom-filled, capped while foaming, and even sealed with a ring of plastic that gets a hit with a heat gun. Every employee knows the drill, so you are guaranteed a good fill at all times. The draft lines are professionally cleaned every two week as well. Prices range wildly due to the variety of styles offered, but the average prices seems to sit around $14 for a 64oz fill. Rack up enough points in the Exchange Club and you'll get a custom club growler and 10% off of fills for the rest of the year.
