A good Charleston meal often comes with a good drink — and increasingly, the two are being created with each other in mind.
From a beachside seafood restaurant to one barbecue joint, custom beers are being developed to complement the food, reflect the character of the business and give guests something they cannot find elsewhere.
The results are as varied as the restaurants themselves.
- Sullivan’s Fish Camp partnered with Westbrook Brewing Co. on an easy-drinking lager intended for seafood and beach days.
- Home Team BBQ worked with Commonhouse Aleworks to create a Vienna-style lager with lime that could stand up to smoked meats.
- Charles Towne Fermentory took a more literal approach to the Lowcountry with Salt Circle Oyster Lager, brewed with local oysters and fresh citrus while supporting South Carolina reef restoration.
For the businesses involved, these collaborations offer another way to create a connection between what is on the plate and what is in the glass.
Built for beach days
At Sullivan’s Fish Camp, the goal was to create a beer that felt like a natural extension of the restaurant — something crisp enough for a warm afternoon, easy enough to drink with seafood and familiar enough to become a staple.
That became Crab Claw Lager, an exclusive collaboration with Westbrook Brewing Co.
“We wanted to have a staple beer on the menu that felt right for a neighborhood seafood joint,” said Jason Stanhope, chef and partner at Sullivan’s Fish Camp. “Partnering with someone local was important to us, especially a brewery we know, respect and genuinely enjoy working with.”
The beer was meant to capture more than the restaurant’s menu. It was designed around the experience Sullivan’s wants to offer — the kind of place where a guest can come straight from the beach, order a fish sandwich and a beer and settle in.
“Sullivan’s Fish Camp is still meant to be the kind of place where you can stop in after the beach, a little sandy and sunburned, order a fish sandwich and a beer and feel completely at home,” Stanhope said.
That same sense of ease shaped the beer itself. For Jeremy Graves, a partner at Sullivan’s Fish Camp, Westbrook was a natural choice. He had long admired the Charleston brewery and reached out to co-owner and brewer Edward Westbrook with a simple question: “Hey, want to make a beer?”
Westbrook said yes, and the teams began tasting different versions until they found the right one.
“Westbrook’s reputation, their proximity and our shared appreciation for simple, well-made beer made them the perfect fit to create what became our signature, easy-drinking beach lager,” Graves said.
The development stayed true to that philosophy.
“Honestly, we didn’t overcomplicate it,” Graves said. “The goal wasn’t to create something overly conceptual — it was to make a fun, approachable beer that fits the Fish Camp experience.”
The collaboration extended beyond the beer itself. Westbrook developed the brew, Charleston design firm Stitch Design Co. created the label and visual identity and Sullivan’s made sure the finished product reflected the restaurant’s personality.
“Each partner brought some thing different to the table — Westbrook crafted the beer, Stitch created the visual identity and we focused on making sure the final product reflected the laid-back, approachable spirit of Sullivan’s Fish Camp,” Graves said.
For Stanhope, the sense of place at the restaurant is part of what makes a collaboration different from simply adding another craft beer to the menu.
“I think dining today is driven by connection as much as it is by the food itself,” he said. “Guests build relationships with their favorite restaurants, servers, bartenders and chefs, and collaborations like this extend those relationships beyond a meal and create a sense of family.”
Finding balance at Home Team BBQ
Home Team BBQ’s goal was to create a house beer that could stand alongside the restaurant’s smoky, rich flavors without weighing down the meal. The result was S.O.B., or “Standard Operating Beer,” a Vienna-style lager with lime created in collaboration with Commonhouse Aleworks. The beer is available via tap only at Home Team’s Charleston locations.
The partnership grew out of the kind of local relationships that have long shaped Home Team’s business.
“We found Commonhouse the same way many of our relationships materialize,” said Adam Rothstein, the restaurant’s director of operations. “We meet good folks making good products locally on similar trajectories and it just goes from there.”
From there, the teams focused on creating something easy to drink but distinctive enough to feel like Home Team’s own.
“We wanted something approachable, something you might have a few of over the course of a meal without overwhelming your faculties or palate, but also unique enough to carry some identity,” Rothstein said.
They landed on a Vienna lager with lime to give the beer enough body to complement barbecue while the citrus adds a bright, acidic edge.
“It’s a beer with the texture and weight to invite a refill and the freshness to stand against a delicious bite of smoked pork,” Rothstein said.
The lime also serves a practical purpose at the table, cutting through richer flavors much like a squeeze of citrus might brighten a Mexican lager or bock.
“It’s light enough to session, but has enough acid to hold its own against rich flavors,” Rothstein said.
The development was intentionally uncomplicated. “Once we knew our direction and had some styles to choose from, it was an easy path to end up with S.O.B., just stacking ideas and inspiration to reach the end result without over engineering,” Rothstein said.
That simplicity is part of what makes the beer feel like a true house beer rather than a one-off novelty. It was created around Home Team’s food and the way its guests drink.
“It’s a unique beer that’s not only unavailable outside of our shops, but a beer designed with our menu and experience in mind,” Rothstein said.
Taste of the Lowcountry
At Charles Towne Fermentory, the connection between beer, food and place is direct. The brewery partnered with Steamboat Creek Oyster Farm to create Salt Circle Oyster Lager, a coastal lager brewed with local oysters and fresh citrus. Five percent of sales supports the Toadfish Conservation Coalition for South Carolina, which restores South Carolina reefs, connecting the beer to the same coastal environment that inspired it.
“We put together a lager with fresh citrus,” said Adam Goodwin of Charles Towne Fermentory. “We wanted to do something that not only paired well with Steamboat Creek oysters, but also with the warm weather as we start to heat up here in Charleston.”
That combination gives the beer a distinctly Lowcountry character. Local oysters tie the lager to Charleston’s coastal waters, while fresh citrus brings the brightness and approachability of a beer intended for warmer weather.
The collaboration was also designed to extend beyond the drinking experience. “Crafted with locally sourced oysters and inspired by the Lowcountry’s deep connection to the water, this unique beer captures the flavors and spirit of the coast,” the Toadfish Conservation Coalition and its partners said about the beer’s release.
Salt Circle debuted at a special launch event at Charles Towne Fermentory’s James Island production taproom before moving into wider distribution. It is now available in 12-ounce six-packs and on draft at all Charles Towne Fermentory locations.
Keeping it close to home
While each collaboration is different, each reflects a broader sense of connection between local businesses. Stanhope put it simply, describing these partnerships as part of a larger local ecosystem.
“Everything is so visible today, and collaborations like this support multiple levels of business owners, whether that is Westbrook, people who buy beer or Sullivan’s Fish Camp.
“It’s really this cool, self-contained ecosystem that we’re building through these branding and collaboration opportunities.”
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