Sunday 20th of November 2016 07:43:31 PM

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South Carolina is the Palmetto State...so it is logical that someone would create a Palmetto Brewing Company.

Someone did. It is the oldest brewery in South Carolina, beginning in 1993 (after a trip to Washington State -- my home state, I might add) when the brewers decided that South Carolina needed to join the craft beer "rebellion."

South Carolina, for all those who are not history buffs, was the first state to secede from the Union in 1861...the place where the first shots of the Civil War were fired (Fort Sumter) and the first to ratify the Articles of Confederation in 1777.

And today....Palmetto Brewing....is not the first in beer quality.

Yes, they have some good beers but nothing to "write home to Mother about."

Wife Persimmon and I, during our year-long odyssey across the good ol' USofA, stopped to sample their wares and discovered a lovely porter that wasn't the same old chocolate, coffee concoction that every other porter, everywhere, pretends to be. This beer had a slight sweet taste in the back that did not detract form its requisite small bitterness and dark color, scent and roastiness quality.

Easy to miss, the brewery sits about a mile and a half from the main area of downtown, historic shopping Charleston district. Make sure your GPS is fully charged...you could drive right by.

Look for the full parking lot on your right...the Palmetto signs are small.

But this place is not. A huge beer garden protected by plants and walls from the streets...a spacious inside tasting room complete with a few snacks enable you to while away a good weekend or weekday afternoon with a few of your favorite, soon-to-be-best-friends.

Southern charm at its finest.