Brewery Visits

CRAFTY BASTARD BREWERY – WEST – KNOXVILLE, TN

Hoppy’s travels next took him to the Crafty Bastard Brewery – West in Knoxville. This location in West Knoxville, their second, opened in 2021. The night that Hoppy was there was an away game for the Tennessee Vols, and it was packed with their fans. He did not have time for a beer, but he was happy to see his sticker in place on the cooler sticker door. His visit to the original Crafty Bastard Brewery can be found here.

Pictures of the visit follow:

MAKAI BREWING – OCEAN ISLE BEACH, NC

About ten miles north of the South Carolina border sits Makai Brewing, in Ocean Isle Beach, Hoppy’s next visit. It opened in 2017. Their taproom has a laid-back coastal vibe, and the name Makai is a Hawaiian directional term for “toward the sea” which emphasizes the owner’s love of Hawaii and the beach. It is next door to the Butcher of Brunswick where you can purchase delicious deli sandwiches to bring in the brewery.

Hoppy enjoyed the following beers during his stay:

Fire Knife Imperial IPA – Named for the Fire Knife Dance in Hawaii. Described as a bright, aromatic DIPA which gets its tropical fruity notes from copious amounts of Warrior, Mosaic, Citra, Centennial, and Amarillo hops. It is 8.7% ABV, 97 IBU.

Key Lime Gose – Sour, Traditional Gose – Described as a just a little tart, crushable summertime beer. 4.3% ABV, 11 IBU.

Pictures from the visit follow:

Makai is also one of the breweries participating in the Kokua Project, by brewing a beer to benefit those impacted by the Maui wildfires. There are now eight Indiana breweries participating in the project as 3 Floyds Brewing has joined the group of participants.

GRAND STRAND BREWING – MYRTLE BEACH, SC

Heading down the coast, Hoppy stopped at Grand Strand Brewing (GSB) in Myrtle Beach. It opened in 2021 in the heart of the city’s downtown Arts & Innovation District. They have 16 taps on rotation.

While there, Hoppy enjoyed a Sandy Cheeks West Coast IPA described as using modern hops and having a citrus aroma with a solid malt backbone. It clocks in at 6.9% ABV.

Pictures follow:

CROOKED HAMMOCK BREWERY – NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC

Hoppy’s next visit was at Crooked Hammock Brewery in North Myrtle Beach. They opened their first two locations in Delaware beginning in 2015. This location, which is their largest, has a thirty-barrel system that opened in 2021.

Hoppy imbibed a Crooked Hammock Marshberry a sour-fruited ale described as brimming with red berry flavors and creamy as a melted marshmallow, this sour ale accomplishes a mission impossible. A decadent treat in beer form that you can’t stop sipping. It is 6.5% ABV, 5 IBU.

Images follow:

The remaining pictures are from their taproom at the same location.

MUNKLE BREWING – CHARLESTON, SC

Following the Charleston Beer Fest, Hoppy visited Munkle Brewing and enjoyed tasting some of their Belgian-style ales. They opened their doors in October 2017. There motto is “do a few beers and do them better”.

There is an interesting story regarding their formation and name, which can be found here.

Pictures from the visit follow:

BIRDS FLY SOUTH ALE PROJECT- GREENVILLE, SC

On September 8th, Hoppy visited Birds Fly South Ale Project in Greenville. They recently celebrated their 7th anniversary and refer to their beer as “progressively old school.” They are primarily known for farmhouse ales and sours. While there, Hoppy sampled some beers before choosing to imbibe a Love.Birds 7, a farmhouse sour, that was brewed for their anniversary celebration. This was made blending several years of their solera program projects with the addition of a hefty dose of mango. The tart, funky base is balanced by the sweet tropical flavor of mango with a beautiful dry finish for a well-rounded beer. It is 5.2% ABV.

Photos follow: