Our bill, HB 3693 is up for subcommittee hearing this Thursday. Please note that the language that is currently on the books is NOT the actual bill, it is in the process of being amended but please support HB 3693 anyways (amendment should take place at this meeting or shortly thereafter). It is in the Judiciary  General Laws Subcommittee. The House members are:

Hon. Bruce Bannister, Chairman

Hon. George Hearn

Hon. Dan Hamilton

Hon. David Weeks

Hon. Leon Stavrinakis

The Statehouse website has changed the way you contact members and no longer lists emails. You have to click on each members name and contact them from there.  Here is the link to the listing of members.

In a nutshell the amended bill will allow for 4-four ounce samples and up to a case sales per person/per day.

Aiken Brewing Company’s Olde Aiken Ale on tap Friday, February 12th.

Aiken, South Carolina – February 8, 2010 – As part of the “Celebrate Aiken” festivities taking place in Aiken throughout 2010, Brew Master Randy Doucet is brewing a Barleywine style ale which he has aptly named Olde Aiken Ale.  Deep golden in color, this beer is sweet, malty and rich with hints of caramel, dried fruit and maybe a little coffee balanced by just enough hop bitterness to offset the malt’s sweetness.  In keeping with its English origins, Doucet has dry hopped this beer with English East Kent Golding Hops to give it additional hop aroma without increasing bitterness.  At around 10% alcohol by volume, this brew, which was traditionally associated with the winter season, will make the perfect “winter warmer” for a cold late winter afternoon or evening.

Because of its high alcohol content, this beer ages beautifully, gaining in complexity and depth of flavor with the passage of time.  Given this, Doucet will keg several barrels of this brew and tap these kegs at various times throughout the year during special “Celebrate Aiken” activities.  As always, Aiken Brewing Company brews its hand crafted beers in the traditional manner using only barley malt, hops, yeast and water.

In addition to Olde Aiken Ale, Aiken Brewing Company has numerous of its other award winning, craft brewed beers on tap including: Thoroughbred Red, Blonde, West Coast Pale Ale, Strong Scotch Ale, and London Porter.  Come help us “Celebrate Aiken” throughout the year!

For information on additional upcoming activities, menu selections or directions visit us at our website:  www.aikenbrewingcompany.com or call us at (803) 502-0707.

Stone Beer Dinner w/ CEO & Co-Founder Greg Koch

Thursday – February 25, 2010 @ 06:00PM / ends @ 08:00PM

So Far…….

Southern Regional:

Foothills- Sexual Chocolate

Terrapin- Kapt’n Krunkles (Black IPA), DugOut (Oak Aged Wake n Bake)

COAST- Blackbeerd, BA Blackbeerd

Others:

New Belgium- Love, Ranger IPA

Bell’s- Batch 9,000

Rogue- John John Dead Guy Whiskey Barrel

Southern Tier- Cuvee Series Two, Mokah, Jahva

Ommegang- Rouge, Inauguration Ale

Southern Star- Buried Hatchet, Saison

Stone- 2008 Bourbon Barrel RIS

Sunday, January 24th at 6:30pm, Carolina’s will be having a “Pigskin, Pork & Beer Dinner”.  For $45 you get a 5 course pork dinner, COAST 32/50 Kolsch & Coney Island Lager draft beer and an exclusive seat to watch the NFL Playoff Game!  Make reservations by calling (843) 724-3800 or see carolinasrestaurant.com for more info.

Here’s an update on our bill for this legislative session.  Last year we had bill 3693 which was not exactly what we wanted and it ended session in the Judiciary Committee. Well, we are in the process of amending that same bill. We have worked with the South Carolina Beer Wholesalers to come up with a compromise bill. While it is not everything we had wanted, it’s  a pretty big step for the state. As amended, the bill will allow Four- 4 ounce samples of beer and a total of 288 ounces sold per person/per day (essentially a case) all in conjunction with a tour of the brewery. This allows folks to come by the brewery at designated times, get a tour, try a few samples and buy some beer to take with them.  It’s a big step for our state and we are more than ready for this bill to pass!

Definitely stay tuned for updates as they happen. In the meantime, support HB 3693 for in-state microbrewery tours and tastings. 2010 is the year for SC Beer!

More info coming next week, when we’ll be hitting the ground running. 2010 will be the year for beer in South Carolina.

Enough Said.

A firkin of our smoked porter will be served via a traditional, portable beer engine. Porter, Smoked is an American Porter brewed with 40% Briess Cherry Wood Smoked Malt. An intensely smoky but well rounded classic porter is the result. We expect the beer engine to be the perfect way to serve this porter giving it an incredible smooth and creamy character!

Wednesday, December 16 at 7pm. The Griffon is located at 18 Vendue Range, Downtown Charleston.

Rare Beer Tuesday (12/1/09)
As we do every Tuesday at 5pm, we’ll be tapping an extra special keg on the growler station for growler fills!  The feature this week comes from our own home state R.J. Rockers Brewing Co. out of Spartanburg, SC!  Rockers has concocted a brand new, highly limited line they call “Ales From The Dark Side”.  The first in this new series is Black Perle, a “90 Minute Octo-Hopped Dark IPA” weighing in at 9.5% ABV!  This big beer is a great value and should sell fast, don’t miss out!  Charleston Beer Exchange is located at 14 Exchange St, downtown.