USA, SC: Holy City Brewing almost ready to open new location

Holy City Brewing's production manager Chris Brown says the Park Circle-area location (1021 Aragon Ave.) is almost ready to open. After a final fire inspection, he's hoping for a soft opening mid to late this week. The new and improved HCB will be open daily 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. and Fri.- Sun. 11 a.m. until "well, we're going to play it by ear”, the Charleston City Paper reported on December 5.

After eight years on Dorchester Road, HCB is moving on up with its 10,000 square foot tap room, views of Noisette Creek, gargantuan kitchen, smokehouse, and adjacent event venue. Brown says they've been brewing on Aragon Avenue since March, doubling their production capabilities. In addition to new tanks (some 120-barrel tanks joining the crew), HCB has a large, separate room that houses its canning line; a sour beer area with wooden foudres; and a coolship room with a huge glass window customers can peer through as funky beers ferment in a stainless tub.

Brown says they'll start with the same kitchen menu in the new location, but with more space and a separate prep kitchen. Brown says the chef will definitely have some room to grow once they get settled. They've already hired 20 new people, and the new HCB will have table service, Brown says. Trust us, we got lost a couple of times on our visit — a host will be a godsend. One end of the space upstairs will be devoted to a staff hangout (think couches, pool tables, TVs), and a rentable space with a 45-person capacity on the other end. "People can have meetings here, there's a hook-up for a projector or TV."

Longtime HCB friend and artist partner Sean Williams painted various Lowcountry scenes — rivers, marshes, sunsets — on the outside of the metal building. "We wanted the same atmosphere," says Brown — garage doors, metal building, rustic vibes. They're even bringing the original HCB shipping container painted by Williams to the new location.

But they wanted to evolve, too. "At Dorchester we were renting. We own this and we wanted to have little things, amenities you know like air conditioning, bathrooms," laughs Brown. With 40 brews on tap, a liquor license, five big-screen TVs, a 100-foot bar, wireless internet (and outlets!), and a full kitchen and takeout window, we think they've got the amenities on lock.

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