The Ultimate Beer Tour Of Charleston, South Carolina

We will be the first to admit, our knowledge and background in the beer offerings of Charleston, S.C., was pretty limited. So what better way to become more versed than to spend a day with someone like Scott Shor? Shor is one of the owners of The Charleston Beer Exchange and soon-to-open brew pub Edmund's Oast (www.edmundsoast.com) and an all-around beer expert in the city. Shor and his business partner Rich Carley have been two of the leading forces behind the beer movement in the South. When you ask them about the renaissance in the area, they give a lot of credit to friends and brewers David Merritt and Jamie Tenny from Coast Brewing Company. Merritt and Tenny led the effort for the passing of the Pop the Cap SC law, which allowed alcohol content by volume to be raised in beer from 6 to 17.5 percent. After that passed, craft, higher-gravity beer became more of a focus in the area, and places like the Charleston Beer Exchange opened their doors.

Click here for the Ultimate Beer Tour of Charleston, South Carolina (Slideshow)

Even though beer is now on the forefront and more places are opening daily with a beer focus, Shor still says there is a long way to go. In an ideal world, craft beer would not be a niche market but a standard, and places on every corner would have a solid beer and food program, something that is hard to find.

During a recent tour of Charleston, Shor shared with The Daily Meal his ultimate beer guide to the city. So move over Bud Light, here is the ultimate beer tour of Charleston. These are mostly all restaurants or places that serve some sort of food. They are not breweries; that is another story. At each stop, Shor picks a recommended beer to taste, but believe us, with all of the incredible options at these places, picking just one was hard to do. Click here to find Shor's picks to beer in Charleston.