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    Charles Towne Fermentory

    4.4 (91 reviews)
    InexpensiveBreweries, Beer Bar
    Open 4:00 pm - 9:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Charles Towne Fermentory Photos

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    CHARLES TOWNE FERMENTORY ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Trendy
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Enjoyed the Extra Hellos Lager!
    Alden C.

    Charles Towne Fermentory was a brewery that Steve and I tried in the not too distant past. The Extra Hellos Lager was a beer that we had with this particular brewery outing and it was a fairly good experience. With this lager it was very refreshing, hoppy, crisp and an added zing (or so it felt) to add a little spring to your step. A perfect beer to enjoy in warm weather as it's nice and light and very persuasive in the idea of having more than one. Good brewery experience from a state I don't frequently delve into for craft beer.

    Amanda W.

    Stopped in one evening after work to try it out before our dinner plans. Staff wasn't the most friendly I've ever encountered, but we sampled a couple of different beers. I enjoyed the size options so you weren't required to get a full pint if you wanted to try a few. I'd come back to try some more!

    Taylor B.

    Great atmosphere--very laid back and welcoming. Parking is a little tricky, since it's street parking. Nice selection of light and dark beers. Beertender was nice, 3 different sizes of beers available, and to-go options.

    Beer my husband got- four pack.
    Amy Lauren S.

    After hearing friends rave about Charles Towne Fermentory, I finally tried it during the COVID-19 quarantine. CTF was open for pick up orders, and online ordering made it easy to pick out beers. My husband got the Yacht Party 4-pack, and I had the El Rayo 2020 beer. The El Rayo is 4.5% ABV and a tequila barrel aged sour. The Fermentory only has this beer for about a week each year- the week of Cinco de Mayo. I usually prefer cocktails, and this beer tasted just like a margarita, with hints of lime, orange, and agave. It's the best sour beer I've had. The Fermentory hosts pop-ups with food from vendors like Big Boned BBQ, Holey City Bagels, and Bok Choy Boy. You could order food online and pick it up with your beer. You can see which food vendors and beers are available on their website or social media (both updated regularly). I wish I'd visited the Fermentory sooner, and I hope to enjoy a drink and some food inside the taproom as soon as we're allowed to.

    The sign
    Matthew L.

    Charles Towne Fermentory is a craft brewery that opened in Charleston, South Carolina in December 2016. It was founded by head brewer Adam Goodwin. He began home-brewing at the age of 16 and eventually started helping out at Cisco Brewers in his hometown of Nantucket, MA. After graduating from college, Goodwin was hired by Tired Hands Brewing Company in Philadelphia, PA. He helped to renovate their location and built on his own foundation of brewing knowledge. Goodwin would later move back to Massachusetts and was hired as the original head brewer of Trillium Brewing Company in Boston. After a couple of years, he and Trillium employee Justin Slotnick decided to embark on a new quest. The duo relocated to Charleston with a dream to open their own brewery. They renovated an old laundromat in the West Ashley neighborhood and built a 15 BBL brewing system. Charles Towne Fermentory was met with much success. Slotnick serves as the Assistant Brewer and manages day-to-day operations at the brewhouse. In May 2022, CTF opened The Garden: a new taproom and beer garden that offers more space for customers to enjoy. My family and I recently visited Charles Towne Fermentory while we were on an East Coast Road Trip. We were visiting our cousins who live in Summerville (right outside of Charleston). Out of all the breweries that I visited during my stay, I was most excited to visit CTF due to their connection to Trillium Brewing: one of my favorite breweries. CTF has a small but cozy taproom. We arrived on a Saturday night and it wasn't too crowded. CTF doesn't offer traditional flights but they do offer short pours. I tried samples of "The Yellow Brick Commute IPA", "Telstar XIX" (Double IPA), and "Extra Sunny" (Hazy Double New England IPA). All three were fantastic, but the latter was my favorite. I later had a short pour of "Maser" (Hazy New England IPA) before leaving. For people like me who love hazy IPAs, CTF is the go-to Charleston brewery. It's easy to see why they stand out in an already impressive craft beer scene!

    William S.

    Older and original review below. After visiting 19 of Charleston's breweries, Charles Towne is in my top 3. Open space with view of barrels and stainless steel. Video games, board games, and foosball in a wood covered and exposed setting. This brewery covers the gamut of beers, sour, beetus, and IPA. Great beers that are launching into the upper echelons of breweries. Close, real close. NO DOGS ALLOWED. For someone who travels with their dog, I had to leave. A shame too, because there was a bottle release. On to the other many Charleston area breweries that are accomodatin

    Inside looking out, sort of a garage door vibe, but fits this place.
    Max M.

    A brew pub atmosphere with a number of brews on tap (see the photo), with my wife and I trying four different ones, most in 5 ounce glasses until we decided on the one that each of us wanted. Of those my favorite was the Yacht Party (American Lager with 4.2% ABV) and second place went to Pelican Splash (IPA with pineapple, 7.5% ABV). Food is available from the separate business of Matzo y Masa, LLC. I had the Bagel Burger in the photo which had Chihuahua cheese which was thick, melted and quite tasty. The meat was Chorizo Verde (Green Chorizo) a specially prepared pork patty which was somewhat green in color, making you think that it is a veggie, but that color comes from the cilantro in the pork sausage. Quite, quite delicious on the onion bagel. Yes, it is something for me to order again, when I return and yes, I will. This is a former dry cleaner location, immediately behind/next to the fire station in Avondale area on Savannah Highway. There is one door to enter, although there is another which directs you on. In the middle of these standard size doors is a garage style door with glass inserts (see my photo). Laid back, bare bones feel.

    James D.

    So we did a mini self-guided Chucktown brewery tour/crawl...13 breweries in 3 days. Charles Towne Fermentory on the west side of the city was my favorite. The owner strives for, and achieves, a neighborhood style bar/brewery crankin' out rock star brews. Super friendly beertenders that chatted us up for almost two hours, and they host visiting chefs that rotate through to use their in house kitchen, and the best beers I tasted on our mini tour! No doubt I love this place because their owner focuses some of his attention on making New England style IPA's, which are my favorite. They are definitely in his wheelhouse; he was the founding and head brewer at Trillium in Boston (if you're familiar) for a number of years and he moved down to Chucktown to open his own neighborhood spot. He has a great rep in brewing circles for good reason. Go try some of his beers and judge for yourself. Ten beers on tap at CTF. My favorite was the Pallet Rider DIPA weighing in at 8.2% abv. They do have cans you can take home too, though I'm not sure they actually produce enough beer in their batches to allow for 64 ounce growler fills. I do know they'll do crowler fills to take home though. Pints in house will run you from like 5 to 8 bucks depending...they don't do flights, but they do 5 oz. tasters that range from 2 to 3 bucks per. The place has a totally laid back, non-pretentious feel and is rustic without being sketchy. The bartop itself is nice and they actually serve craft ice cream sammiches for 4 smackers. They are really small, but also really good. Try the salted caramel. Good lovin' right there. Of course, they also have some typical brewery snacks, but they don't do a full food menu. Only 2 downers about CTF right now...no WiFi and street parking that SUCKS...can be near impossible to find a spot. Plan ahead that you'll likely need to circle the block. It's probably a good thing that there are these two downers, otherwise I'd be driving down here from the Dirty Myrtle every single chance I could. Outside of that CTF takes the cake for me and I will most definitely be back!

    SunGazer, Just Ok?!?
    Christin N.

    Mmmmmmmm Well only came for one beer Totally not impressed with the unfriendly bartenders. They seem annoyed answering questions about their beers and no type of conversation. The seating was very stiff no where to lounge and just drink a beer at a non hard seat and table.

    Noodle bowl with chicken shrimp and egg roll
    Kurt P.

    Stopped in for beers tonight and stayed for dinner. Not a huge range of beers but what they offer is really well done. The marzen is one of the best I've had in years, well balanced and clean tasting. The pale ale was very cloudy, but the flavor was great. The Slipstream has the perfect amount of bitterness from the Ethiopian beans. Expect a very high noise level in here, it can be hard to carry on a conversation some times. They had the big windows/doors open to the street and.when the trucks rolled by... They have a great little kitchen that serves Asian/Vietnamese food. We all had the noodle bowls with chicken shrimp and egg roll. It was perfect - filled us up without being heavy. The flavors were perfect with the cilantro really coming through. It took a little while to get our food after we ordered, I think they had a crush of orders when they first opened up, so heads up on that. What a great little spot. Parking can be tough, we managed to find a spot in the alley behind the place, but if they fills up you could be goofing it a ways.

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    1 year ago

    Food was outstanding. The cider on draft is nice to see as well. Drinks and vibes are super chill and cozy.

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    3 years ago

    I love sours- and these are hard to beat. The 2023 El Rayo Sour ale was my favorite- followed closely by the La Vida Gose.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Charles Towne Fermentory

    Are you able to buy six packs from this location?

    Hi! Thanks for the question. We do occasional can releases, the best way to keep up to date on when those happen would be to follow us on social media. We always have 32 oz Crowler cans available for beer to go. Thanks again!

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    Frothy Beard Brewing Company

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    Just a portion of the liquor wall.

    House of Brews West Ashley - Canned beverages

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    I really like House of Brews. We came out for the Big Tent pop-up to grab some pizza and had drinks…read moreinside while we were eating, and it was a really good experience. Everyone working there was very friendly and welcoming. I loved the vibe and energy inside, and they also have a really nice outdoor area that's perfect for hanging out. The drink selection is huge, so it's easy for everyone to find something they'll enjoy. Definitely a spot I'd go back to.

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    Charles Towne Fermentory - breweries - Updated May 2026

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