There’s an adage out there, muddled along the way among too many late nights and early mornings, but the gist is this: The best beer is a cold one.
In the spirit of good times and hot, hot days, we’ve rounded up some of the coldest beers in town. Keep in mind, this list is not exclusive and it’s created all in good fun. (Years ago, the Charleston City Paper featured a frosty beer mug on its cover and was lambasted relentlessly. We get it — proper glassware is important to beer nerds!)
As always, we encourage you to drink your way (responsibly) through all of the area’s breweries to find your favorite cold beer. You’ll find that most of these beers feature a low ABV (alcohol by volume), a testament to their summer drinkability, and the nature of many lighter-bodied beers.
Paradise
Holy City Brewing
Voted by City Paper readers as Charleston’s best place to drink a cold beer, Holy City always has a wide array of refreshing beverages on tap. On hot days, we’re partial to Paradise, a 4.7% ABV session IPA.
Something Cold
Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co.
Another aptly titled beer, Something Cold is a 5% ABV blonde ale. It’s described as being “built for the fridge and destined for your hand.” We’ll take two!
Sommerbier
Bevi Bene Brewing Co.
This “rustic German lager with summery hops” is a great 5.3% ABV sipper. You can’t go wrong with any of the refreshing beers and hard kombuchas at Bevi Bene, though, where lagers and other light beers reign supreme.
2024 El Rayo
Charles Towne Fermentory
This 4.5% ABV barrel-aged gose is a special summer release at CTF. It’s aged in tequila barrels (fun!) and conditioned on lime, agave, orange and sea salt.
32°/50° Kölsch
Coast Brewing
You know it, you love it. Coast’s take on a kolsch style ale is “soft on the palate with a delicate malt flavor. … Dry and wine-like with a flowery hop finish.”
The Air Is Salty
Commonhouse Aleworks
Commonhouse’s take on a traditional gose-style beer is an easy drinking 5.2% ABV tart beer. The beer features notes of coriander and utilizes Bull’s Bay Sea Salt.
Salty Dog
Estuary Beans & Barley
Estuary describes this 4.9% American pilsner as a “summer crusher” that is “incredibly accessible for all beer drinkers.”
Folly’s Pride Blonde Ale
Freehouse Brewery
Named after a local beach, this “crisp golden session ale” sits at 4.8% ABV and is, according to Freehouse, “perfect for the porch, the beach or every day.”
Beer To Drink When It’s Hot Outside
Westbrook Brewing Co.
The name says it all, right? Described as a “warm weather lager brewed with flaked corn, key lime puree and lightly dry-hopped with Motueka,” BTDWIHO sits at a crushable 4.5% ABV.
When in Cologne
Hobcaw Brewing
Described as a “summertime sipper,” Hobcaw’s take on a kolsch-style beer is a 4.7% ABV brew with “subtle citrus notes and a clean finish.”
Bella’s Helles
Indigo Reef Brewing Company
This Munich Helles-style beer is named after Indigo Reef Brewing’s owners’ late husky, Bella. The “crisp, smooth lager” is 5.5% ABV and is “perfect for a hot Charleston summer day.”
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