Whether you’re a local or just visiting, make sure Cooper River Brewing is on your go-to list! We caught up with co-owner, Jamie Martin, to learn more about one of our favorite spots on the peninsula.
Cooper River Brewing Co. started when Jamie and his friend, Michael Gates, both decided they were ready for a career change. “I worked for corporate America for almost 20 years and my industry was just changing dramatically – people were getting fired left and right so I decided it would be a good time for a career change. I went to my wife and said ‘Do you mind if we start a new business later in life?’ She said, ‘No, as long as it will make you happy.’ Then she found out it was a brewery about three months later. Michael was a buddy of mine. He was looking to make a career change later in life as well and I was like, ‘Hey man, wanna join me?’”
Jamie developed a passion for craft beer while traveling in his previous career and Michael had dabbled in home brew, but neither knew anything about production brewing. They spent about a year interviewing brewers all over the country before they found their Head Brewer, Mark Fesche. Mark has an impressive thirty years in the brewing industry. He started at Deschutes Brewing in Oregon and has since worked his way back to the East Coast. Jamie said, “We found Mark and felt like we had the perfect trifecta with a guy who knew what he was doing as far as production brewing, my wife and I to help finance it, and Michael to help with the labor. The three of us just went at it.”
Cooper River Brewing had a name before it had a home. Jamie explains, “Back in the day there weren’t as many breweries in South Carolina and the process to go through the FDA to get your license took a long time. Our lawyer asked us to start the submission process before we had a physical location. We had no idea where we were going to be. We knew we wanted to be downtown and we wanted to pick a name that would be synonymous with Charleston without being ‘Charleston Brewing Company.’ We all met in East Cooper and we all worked downtown and it was one of those things where, if we ended up across the bridge in Mt. Pleasant, then Cooper River fit there too. Literally a month after we got our logo, we found this location. People busted our chops in the beginning because if you look at a map, this is the skinniest point of the peninsula so we’re really close to the Ashley River too. People were like, ‘Cooper River on the Ashley?’”
There is something special about the brewery community we have here in Charleston. Everyone seems to be really supportive of each other and there’s room for everyone at the table. Jamie said, “I don’t know what it is, but everyone who owns or works in a brewery around here is just cool. We recently had a meeting with about seventeen breweries who are looking to co-op to save money on ingredients. Everybody is like, ‘Hey, you need this? I’ve got this electrician guy. Whatever you need.’ There’s a lot of talent in the beer industry down here. Literally you can throw a tennis ball to Edmunds Oast, then right down there is Fatty’s [Beer Works], then that building next store is going to be another new brewery. But we’re all doing different things.”
It seems the City of Charleston tourism division is realizing that we are turning into a bit of a beer destination as well. Jamie said the City is finally throwing some advertising dollars to our booming craft beer industry. “We have over thirty breweries in town,” said Jamie. “If you want to travel here for beer, this would be a great beer destination. If you planned it right, you could probably hit all of them over four days.”
Also, like most of the breweries in town, Cooper River Brewing Co. loves to give back to the community. Jamie said they’ve done a pint night at least once a week since they’ve opened. “We’ve done everything from Charleston Waterkeeper to Charleston Moves to Marine Mammal Institute to Charleston Pride to the Halo Organization. For us, it’s a great way to give back in an easy fashion. We get a lot of people in here that learn about the organization and at the end of the night we write them a check. Everybody wins. You get to know all the charities throughout the year and meet people who work for the organization. To me, it’s a better way than just writing a check.”
Now for the important part – the beer. According to Jamie, fresh is best. When asked about his favorite Cooper River Brewing Co. beers, he said, “I always tell people my favorite beer is the freshest beer we have on tap. Usually I love IPAs. I’m an IPA guy. But if you keg something that morning and drink it, there’s nothing better than fresh bread or fresh beer. The Inaugural IPA which is now the Charleston IPA has always been a favorite of mine. I was involved in the recipe in that one because I love Simcoe and Citra hops. For summer, I love that Watermelon Wheat and I love our Orange Infused Blonde Ale. When that comes fresh out of the keg, it’s sick. Especially now since it’s so hot, we’re getting a fresh keg every day to every two days. Our brewer’s assistant who’s been with us for two years just brewed his first beer. He made a summer time Pale Ale called G- Hop Tropical Pale Ale (pictured above). He used honey malt from Canada and Lemondrop hops, so it’s got this kinda’ fun summer feel.”
There are few better places to learn a city than a local brewery. As Jamie explains, “I used to travel a lot with my old career and, when you’re stuck in Boise, Idaho for three days, the best way to do it is to go to a local brewery. You’re gonna’ meet a lot of cool people. You’re gonna’ meet an owner nine times out of ten. You can get to know the city. I just did that for years and years and years and just fell in love with the beer, the culture, the people.” Make sure to stop in Cooper River Brewing next time you’re around. You’ll have great beer and a great conversation.
Cooper River Brewing is located at 2201 Mechanic St B, Charleston, SC 29405.
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