By Timmons Pettigrew,

North Charleston’s COAST Brewing has released yet another new seasonal beer, adding to their already impressive list of 15+ offerings so far: Event Horizon Cascadian Dark Ale.

Possibly the first of its kind to be (professionally) brewed in South Carolina, Event Horizon straddles some already blurry style lines. Cascadian Dark Ale is generally regarded as an alternate name for what is now officially called India Black Ale, also known as Black IPA. These beers have all the hops of a big India Pale Ale, or more, but are also brewed with dark and/or roasted malts, imparting a sinister opaque blackness and some of the big, burnt toffee/coffee flavor notes of a black ale. The color almost makes it an optical illusion, as you don’t expect a massive hop nose or taste from its appearance.

And that’s where Event Horizon differs. This beer is not black, nor does it have big, burnt flavor notes, hence the COAST crew going with “Cascadian Dark Ale.” It is dark, but it’s more of a muted dark brown than anything, with a slightly off-white head, again differing from distintcly tan-to-brown head you’d see on a regular IBA.

But, oh my, does it have hops. Hops out the wazoo. The beer is chock full of Cascade, Centennial, Columbus, and Citra hops. If I heard right, 31 pounds of those bad boys went into brewing this batch, which is close to 50% more than is put in their flagship HopArt IPA. The mix of varietals makes the experience of drinking this beer completely dominating. I tasted every traditionally “hoppy” note – pine, grapefruit, spice, citrus fruit, tropical fruit, you name it, it’s in there. And at 6.5% ABV, the malts don’t stand a chance. This one is all unrelenting humulus lupus, and unapologetic about it.

Event Horizon is available for tastings and growler fills ($16) at the brewery, and was sent out to stores & bars beginning this week so keep your eyes peeled. Cheers to COAST for another killer beer. I just found the name is in reference to the phenomenon, not the movie, but it probably won’t stop me from renting it so I can drink this while watching Larry Fishburne pwn things.

COAST Brewing is located at 1250 N 2nd Street in North Charleston. Tastings, tours, and direct sales are available on Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Follow them at @COASTBrewing on Twitter for updates.

April 14, 2010 Food+Drink » Restaurant Reviews
Cork brings a downtown vibe to Park Circle
Popping the Cork in North Chuck
by Robert Moss

* The ever-changing bistro menu at cork has choices like Steamed Mussels with White Wine, Garlic, Tarragon, Lemon, and Butter with Grilled Artisan Bread

Cork Neighborhood Bistro

Delis/Cafés
1067 East Montague Ave.
North Charleston
(843) 225-2675
corkbistro.com
Entrée Prices: Moderate ($7 – $22)
Serving: Lunch (Mon – Fri.), Dinner (Fri. & Sat.), Saturday Brunch
Latest in Restaurant Reviews

The flourishing little restaurant row on North Charleston’s East Montague Avenue has added a new player: Cork Neighborhood Bistro. Owner Tradd Ashley Gibbs, a third-generation North Charlestonian, is dedicated to the Park Circle area and has created a restaurant that aspires to offer “downtown appeal” that Olde Village residents can enjoy without venturing too far from home.

The restored storefront, with its narrow brick front and high, wood-beamed ceilings, definitely has the feel of a downtown restaurant. The white-clothed tables and combination of dark red and yellow walls inside continue the theme. At lunchtime, the room — with just two narrow windows flanking the front door — is dark and cool, a nice retreat from the hustle of the noontime streets.

On the menu front, Cork keeps it simple. The lunch selection is just two soups, three salads, five sandwiches, and a “daily tart,” along with a few daily specials.

The Croque Monsieur ($8) is an excellent sandwich: a stack of Black Forest ham and gruyere cheese laid between thick slices of good white bread with a layer of bechamel sauce on top. The whole thing is broiled until the top is crispy and brown and the insides warm and slightly gooey. It’s the kind of sandwich that could became a regular lunchtime favorite for folks who work nearby.

The chicken salad pita ($7) has big chunks of roasted chicken along with walnuts and celery in a creamy dressing. It’s not as striking as the Croque Monsieur, since the pita itself doesn’t stand out nearly as much as the artisanal white bread, but it’s still a good sandwich.

For side dishes, there are just a few choices: kettle chips, pasta salad, potato salad, or fresh fruit. I thought the creamy white potato salad was a bit on the bland side, but the pasta salad, with its light, tangy-but-not-too-tangy dressing, was better. In a nice touch, Cork serves RC Cola, Cheerwine, and Grape and Orange Nehi in old-school longneck bottles. Soft drinks just somehow taste better in longneck glass bottles.

Cork was originally open just for lunch. They toyed with a short-lived breakfast service a few months ago, then shifted gears and started opening for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights instead. The evening menu keeps it basic, too: a repeat of a few of the soups, salads, and sandwiches from the lunch selection along with four appetizers and four entrées.

Chef Sean Wren’s menu changes regularly, with a focus on whatever’s fresh and local, and the additional dinner items get you a little closer to downtown fare — and downtown prices, too. The appetizers include an “artisan cheese board” ($10) with a rotating array of cheeses, steamed mussels in a wine, garlic, and lemon butter sauce ($12), and a pickled shrimp cocktail ($9). The oyster mushroom ricotta ravioli appetizer ($8) has four squares of firm, toothy pasta filled with creamy ricotta and dark, rich mushrooms from Mepkin Abbey. These are topped with a slightly spicy tomato basil cream sauce laced with a little white truffle oil. It’s a well-balanced combination: just enough ricotta inside to make things creamy, and a sauce that’s delicate and light and doesn’t overwhelm the earthy mushrooms.

Recent entrées have included braised short ribs with mashed potatoes and collards ($17.50) and a big hand-cut ribeye with roasted fingerlings and asparagus ($22). More keeping with the neighborhood-restaurant feel is a comfort food dish like lobster pot pie ($14).

The pan-seared Atlantic salmon ($19) is served atop what the menu terms a white bean succotash, but it’s really more of a vegetable medley with chunks of zucchini, yellow squash, red peppers, limas, yellow corn kernels, and some white beans, too. The salmon filet is broad and fairly thin, nicely browned on top but properly medium in middle. The best part is the heirloom tomato vinaigrette that decorates the vegetables — a sharp, bright addition that leaves you wanting more.

The long, heavy wooden bar that lines the left half of the narrow dining room is just one of the many interior features of Cork that was “repurposed” from another location, which helps give the room an older, more established feel. It offers a full line of beer, wine, and liquor. The beer line-up is one of the more unusual in town. There’s a rotating list of specialty brews grouped by theme, such as upscale Canadian beers like Unibroue’s Apple-Ephemere and Maudite. At the same time there’s the Beer of our Fathers menu (“Enjoy the beer your dad used to love”), which offers up baseball-watching classics like Old Milwaukee, Ballantine Ale, Dixie Lager, and Genessee Cream Ale and suggests we may be on the brink of a serious anti-craft beer backlash.

Cork’s “eclectic bistro” format fits nicely on the funky three blocks of Montague Avenue that have become the center of dining in North Charleston. Owner Gibbs has announced plans for extending dinner service to more nights as well as some intriguing ideas like an outdoor patio with a grilling section for the warmer spring weather. Cork is still experimenting with its full format and offerings, but as a lunchtime spot it seems to have settled into a good rhythm, and its dinner menu follows through on the promise of good bistro fare. Cork seems well on its way to becoming a neighborhood fixture.

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by Susan Cohen

The Greater Park Circle Film Society has released its film schedule, ranging from documentaries to an animated feature to absolute movie weirdness, for the month of August. The films play at 7 p.m. (unless otherwise noted) at the Olde North Charleston Picture House (4820 Jenkins Ave.). They typically cost $2 for members and $5 for non-members.

There will be two showings of Everything is Terrible on Aug. 3, at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The movie is described in the Society’s press release as “a mix of The Holy Mountain, The Neverending Story, and that weird cult sex scene from Eyes Wide Shut.” The collective behind the film will make a live appearance in North Charleston. (This show is $8 in advance, $10 at the door, and $2 for members.) On Aug. 7 is the South Carolina premiere of Desert of Forbidden Art, a documentary about the Nukus Museum of Art, created by Igor Savitsky, who saved thousands of works of art during the rule of the Soviet Union.

Here and There, playing Aug. 14, features two interconnected stories about a New Yorker who travels to Serbia and a Serbian who travels to New York. The Cove, 2010’s Academy Award winner for best documentary, will play Aug. 21 in a collaboration with Drinking Liberally. The screening, which details the barbaric Taiji dolphin hunting drive, will be followed by a discussion with a to-be-announced guest speaker. Finally, Aug. 28 will feature two movies: Persepolis (based on a graphic novel about an Iranian girl growing up during the country’s revolution) at 4 p.m. and Lorna’s Silence (about a young Albanian woman that gets caught up in an evil plan) later that night.

For more information, visit the Film Society’s website.

Tour and taste

Breweries now can show off their skills — in moderation
By Glenn Smith
The Post and Courier
Sunday, June 20, 2010

With glasses in hand, craft beer fans milled around the fermentation tanks and pallets of malt at Coast Brewing Co. in North Charleston, waiting to finally sample their favorite suds from the source.

As they tasted HopArt, Kolsch and a seasonal Belgian ale, they listened to brewmaster David Merritt explain how the beers they were sipping came to be. Others, having taken the tour, lined up to buy a few bottles to take home with them.

The owners of Coast Brewing Co., David Merritt and wife Jaime Tenny, display the beer they are currently brewing while offering tours of their brewery. A change to state laws now allows beer tastings and sales directly from breweries.

Coast Brewing Company currently has the capacity to brew three varieties of beer at a time.
Tours

Coast Brewing Co. holds tours Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m. at 1250 2nd St. North in North Charleston. Call 343-4727 or check coastbrewing.com.

Palmetto Brewing Co., 289 Huger St. in Charleston, has no formal tour schedule, but welcomes visitors on weekdays during normal business hours. Call 937-0903 for more information.

“I really like the product,” said Mike Donnollen of West Ashley. “So I’m excited to buy it here and give my money directly to them to support their operation.”

For years, this scene would have been forbidden in South Carolina, which barred breweries and specialty retail stores from hosting beer tastings.

A recent change to state law, however, has opened the door to limited tastings and allows breweries to sell their creations directly to customers for the first time, in conjunction with tours. This puts beer on the same footing as wine and liquor, which have enjoyed tastings rights for years.

It wasn’t everything beer lovers were after, and the measure has spurred some confusion. Many customers assumed they could now wander in and sample anything off the taps in beer stores before buying a growler, or half-gallon jug of beer. Not so. Stores are limited to 24 tastings per quarter, and the events must be registered with the state 10 days in advance.

“They didn’t want stores turning into bars, and we don’t have a problem with that position,” said Scott Shor, co-owner of Charleston Beer Exchange. “This is still a huge and necessary step toward treating beer culture with the same esteem given to wine and distilled spirits.”

Supporters hope the measure also will boost beer tourism, help small breweries like Coast grow and lure prospective brewers to the Palmetto State.

Micro breweries have popped up all over the country in recent years, and beer connoisseurs travel far and wide to partake of regional tours and tastes, much like wine lovers flock to Napa Valley.

“Beer tourism is big,” said Jaime Tenny, co-owner of Coast and president of the South Carolina Brewers Association. “It’s like people who visit farms to see where their vegetables come from. People want to see how their beer is made.”

Tenny was a leading figure in the Pop the Cap campaign that brought high-gravity beer to South Carolina in 2007. The state’s taste for stronger, more challenging brews has steadily grown since that time, and craft beer now makes up an estimated 5 percent to 7 percent of the market. The state is now home to five breweries, with a sixth expected to open this fall in Mount Pleasant.

That East Cooper operation, the 18,500-square-foot, two-story Westbrook Brewing Co., will have a circular bar in a huge lobby that owner Edward Westbrook decided to build in anticipation of the tasting law passing.

The proposal initially encountered strong opposition in 2009 from wholesalers, some of whom saw the measure as a threat to revenues.

Julie Cox, executive director of the S.C. Beer Wholesalers Association, said wholesalers were mainly concerned about “social responsibility” provisions to keep these tastings from becoming “happy hours for college campuses.” Wholesalers were supportive of the final bill, which tied brewery tasting to tours, limited the number of tastings and limited brewery retail sales to about a case of beer per person.

“It’s a good piece of legislation, and it will be a big help, especially for the new brewers,” she said.

Merritt said it’s been difficult for his family-run brewery to get loans to expand, and the change holds the promise of more foot traffic, attention and revenue. At the very least, it gives brewers, who take great pride in their craft, an opportunity to share their stories and beer philosophies with customers, he said.

Ed Falkenstein, who co-founded Palmetto Brewing Co. in 1994, said he and partner Louis Bruce want to study the law and its requirements before venturing into retail sales from their Charleston brewery. But he sees great promise in offering tours and tastings to show off the products.

“It shows people we are more than just a beer on the shelf,” he said. “We are a local operation and we want people to come in and see what we are about, including tasting the beer. That’s an important part of it.”

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So we have a pretty great group of practitioners that have been coming to the community yOga class here in Park Circle for almost 2 years. I have been committed to taking an hour out of my week to stretch, breathe and practice yoga. Just recently things have begun to click and be more connected for me on the mat.
I have to tell you, folks, last night’s class was epic! We have been in a new space (the Armory Park Building at Mixson Ave and Lakawana Blvd.) for a few weeks and the difference didn’t become apparent until recently. The temperature was comfortable, but our body heat and breath really kicked it up and soon I was enjoying a hot yoga session while really feeling my body lengthen and energy circulate through my whole body. Our instructor Lyn Tally led us through poses that induced flow and focus.
In the final pose I worked through some breathing exercises and fell deep into a relaxed state that I have never felt from a nap on the beach. I left class feeling gratitude for my ability to take the time out of my day to strengthen myself.
All levels are welcome! We meet every week. A $5-$10 donation is appreciated. 10% goes to WINGS for Kids – an non profit after school program for local elementary school children. Check out www.yogainthecircle.wordpress.com for more information.
Namaste

COAST BREWERY
1250 2nd St North
North Charleston, SC 29405
(843) 343-4727

From the COAST blog: http://coastbrewing.com/blog/
Tours, Tastings and Hours
June 8, 2010

Will begin this Saturday, June 12th. 11-2. I am aiming for tours at every half hour (11, 1130, 12, 1230 etc.) Beer will be available for purchase in growler and bottle form depending on the beer. If it goes well, I will expand hours and if it doesn’t, I’ll cut the hours some.

Follow me on twitter for what’s on tap @COASTbrewing

A few points to remember (again):

*We are a working brewery (=messy!). We currently don’t have any employees so are stretched a bit thin.

*Please stick to scheduled times (as changing as they may be). We are usually unable to stop what we are doing to give a tour.

*It’s H.O.T. in the brewery. There’s no way around it, so be prepared for that. If this works out we’ll look at adding an air-conditioned/ or otherwise cooled area but for now, expect heat. Beer is always cold though.

* We can sell up to one case (288 oz.)/per person/per day. This includes:

12-22 ounce bottles

24-12 ounce bottles

4- Growlers

*CASH only, we are unable to accept credit cards at this time.

* It is law that we price our beer approximate to prices at retail stores.

*Valid ID required.

* Did I mention it’s hot in the brewery?

The Olde North Charleston Picture House, located at 4820 Jenkins Avenue (near the corner at East Montague in the Olde Village), will be showing four films in June. Two of the films, Bass Ackwards and The Taqwacores, are currently on the indie film circuit and another, Peleda, is in post-production. NONE of these can be seen in local theater or obtained commercially (e.g., NetFlix).

Unless otherwise noted, films are shown on Saturday at 7 pm. $2 members; $5 non-members. The Olde North Charleston Picture House is one of only two not-for-profit theaters in South Carolina. Complete film details are available at http://parkcirclefilms.org or phone 843.628.5534.

June 5. Bass Ackwards. When humble Linas, kicked off of his friend’s couch and spurned by his lover, finds a forgotten van on a llama farm outside Seattle, he begins lurching east with nothing to lose. Slowly, the road eases him out of his relentless longing and into the moment. As his encounters with enigmatic characters take on subtly transcendent qualities, his shame and discomfort at being alone gradually give way to self-acceptance and connection. 2010. Drama. 103 mins. Not Rated

June 12. Stagecoach. John Ford’s smash hit and enduring masterpiece Stagecoach revolutionized the western. The quintessential tale of a group of strangers thrown together into extraordinary circumstances, Stagecoach features outstanding performances from Hollywood stalwarts Claire Trevor, John Carradine, and Thomas Mitchell. As the daredevil outlaw, the Ringo Kid, this was John Wayne’s first starring role for Ford. Superbly shot and tightly edited, this film is a newly released and restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Suggested donation at door. 1939. Western. 96 mins. Silver Screen Classics Series. Not Rated

June 19. Peleda. People around the world will tune in to the biggest sporting event on the planet, the World Cup. But far away from the bright lights and manicured fields, there is another side of soccer. From prisoners in Bolivia to moonshine brewers in Kenya, from freestylers in China to women who play in hijab in Iran, Pelada is the story of the people who play. This is a premier South Carolina screening at 7 and 9 pm with all ticket proceeds ($2/$7) helping the filmmakers finish post-production work. Documentary. 91 mins. Not Rated

June 26. The Taqwacores. Adapted from the novel of the same title by Michael Muhammad Knight, Director Eyad Zahra tells the story of Yusef, a first-generation Pakistani engineering student, who moves off-campus with a group of Muslim punks in Buffalo. His new “un-orthodox” house mates (including skaters, gays, and a riot grrrl in a burqa) soon introduce him to Taqwacore- a hardcore, Muslim punk rock scene that only exists out west. As the seasons change, Taqwacore influences the house more and more. The living room becomes a mosque during the day, while it continues to host punk parties at night. Ultimately, Yusef is influenced by Taqwacore too, as he begins to challenge his own faith and ideologies. Interlaced with music from the real life Taqwacore scene, the film deals with the complexities of being young and Muslim in modern-day America. Film debut at 2010 Sundance and SXSW film festivals. This will be the first screening in South Carolina. Drama. 76 mins. Not Rated