[embed-1]Have you been to Pour? I’m going to guess that, most likely, you have no idea what I’m talking about. Until last night, we weren’t entirely sure we hadn’t dreamed the King Street bar up, having written briefly about it over six months ago, only to have it fade away in the torrent of new downtown restaurant and bar openings.

Turns out, it does exist.

Pour, which also has locations in Greenville, Asheville, and Santa Cruz, is a self-serve taproom located at 560 King St. in the same building complex as the Hyatt Hotel. But if you blink, you’ll likely miss it. There’s kind of a reason for that. Owner Nate Tomforde says that, quite simply, the bar is still working out its kinks. There will be more signage for the bar soon, but for now, enter the building, walk through a cavernous hallway past whatever Sterling Hall is, and take an elevator to the rooftop. There you’ll find a hidden bevy of taps.

The thing about self-serve taprooms (see: Bay Street Biergarten’s tables and self-serve wall) is that there’s a bit of technology involved. At Pour you get a wristband, load it with money, and pour yourself beer, wine, or cocktails and charged for a tenth of an ounce. Prices vary depending on what you’re pouring but most pints of beer average out to $7. Computer screens show the details on each drink: name, ABV, logo, city of origin, etc. But many aren’t fully operational yet, only listing the name of the beverage instead of the full list of information. Rest assured, though, a lot of the beers on tap are locally-brewed.  Last night I tried a killer IPA from Charlestowne Fermentory called Infinite Yawn. I’d recommend you go snag a pint for yourself, if you can get there fast. That’s the thing about Pour, beers are always changing. Tomforde says that once a keg kicks, a new beer replaces it. The menu of beers will be updated on Pour’s Facebook, and printed out for guests to peruse. Or you can ogle beers the old-fashioned way, walking around the taps, which are divided into categories like Sours, IPAs, Dark, etc., to see what you want. While I assume beer will be the draw of this place (maybe that’s just me, though), you can also try wine and cocktails. Tomforde says that there are currently four cocktails on tap, and by tap we do mean tap — there are special kegs just for mixed drinks. Draft cocktails are the latest craze, after all.

I did mention that this bar is on a roof, right? The view is spectacular, especially at 5:30 p.m. on a rainy Wednesday when brake lights on the Ravenel let you know you’re not getting home to Mt. P anytime soon. When the threat of being struck by lightning passes you can even step outside to a rooftop deck that has 50+ seats. I’ve been told the sunsets are top-notch.

Pour is currently contracting Tristan Catering in their kitchen, with the tried and true company serving up fare like Mexican street corn soup ($8), South Carolina peach salad ($13), wings ($8), nachos ($10), and fresh sides like cucumber watermelon salad or kale slaw ($3 each).

Pour promises a grand opening soon, but until then, the bar is open 4 p.m.-11 p.m. Mon.-Wed., 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Thurs., 12 p.m.-2 a.m. Fri.-Sat., and 12 p.m.-11 p.m. on Sunday. The friendly staffers can explain how the whole thing works (last night they were offering tastes and charging for half or full pours while all the technological details get worked out). If tonight’s rush hour is anything like last night’s Don Halt fiasco, you’ll want to post up at Pour rather than sitting in standstill traffic. See ya there.
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