The new Charleston Nano-Brewery has opened its doors on the West Side as the city’s first such business of its kind.
A concept popular in larger cities, nano-breweries focus on making only super-small batches of beer at a time, so they can constantly experiment with different styles to offer an ever-changing lineup of craft brews.
Owners Jennifer and Kenny Graley, an avid home-brewer himself, loved that concept so much that they opened Charleston’s fist nano-brewery just a few months ago, where the short-lived Bowls & Spoons Cereal Bar briefly set up shop along West Washington Street.
And since it’s a family-owned business, the Graleys also want to make it a family-friendly spot with board games and non-alcoholic root beers served in a fun space.
The beer lineup here is ever-changing, but recent offerings include 1788 Pils, Country Roads Mango and Country Roads Mango Coconut Belgian Wit, Mosaic Freedom IPA and a Wheat for What Philly Sour. Coffee Pils is in the fermenter for an upcoming release, and the Graleys say customers can expect to find everything from pale ales, IPAs, brown ales and Kolsch beers to bitters, sours, stouts and more moving forward.
Located at 320 West Washington St. near Books and Brews, Charleston Nano-Brewery is generally open from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, 5-9 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
But true to the “nano” concept, not a lot of beer is brewed at a time, so the place does occasionally close early or for an entire day.
For more information or to sign up for updates on what’s tapped each week and what hours Charleston Nano-Brewery will be open, visit www.charlestonnano.com.
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In other local food news, classic dishes from two popular local cookbooks will be transformed into elegant bites during a special one-night-only dinner at Charleston’s 1010 Bridge Restaurant on Sunday, Nov. 13.
The restaurant and Chef Paul Smith are partnering with the Junior League of Charleston that night to host a three-course prix fixe fundraising dinner offering his culinary twists on traditional recipes featured in the Junior League’s cookbooks “Mountain Measures” and “Mountain Measures, A Second Serving.”
The evening will begin with winter sangria and a trio of hors d’oeuvres: pickled shrimp, cheese-stuffed mushrooms, and bacon-wrapped dates served with house-made cheese and a pomegranate-balsamic glaze.
Next comes a Caesar salad with baby Romaine, charred tomatoes and garlic croutons, followed by the evening’s entrée, a Braciola (an Italian-inspired beef roll filled with savory goodness and baked in stock and wine) served with Burgundy sauce, a potato souffle and roasted fall vegetables.
The meal ends with a sweet-and-tart Shaker lemon pie.
The dinner starts at 5 p.m. and tickets are $100 per person if pre-purchased by this Saturday at https://bit.ly/3Ca5d1F. After Oct. 1, the cost increases to $115.
Established in 1923, the Junior League of Charleston is a group of professional women dedicated to building a better community through volunteer service and leadership development. For more information, visit www.jlcharlestonwv.org.
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Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national culinary publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.