Tradesman Brewing Co

I think, even if you don’t like beer, everybody loves Tradesman.
They somewhat the new kids on the block when it comes to the Charleston Craft Beer scene, but they are taking it by storm. Everything they serve is very flavourful, yet unique.
Chris, one of the owners and brewers, is a very knowledgeable and outgoing person. He’s great to talk to. If you have the opportunity to do a tour of the brewery, just do. Don’t let the size fool you. With Chris’ his knowledge, it’s definitely worth it.
The bar is always pretty well stocked with different beers upstairs and downstairs. Downstairs it’s a little cosier as upstairs is roomier for larger parties.

Great place with a friendly staff. It is small and cozy but ever time I have been there it has been a good time.

This ia a great little spot for a few unique beers. Our group had the chance to meet a very enthusiastic brewer, tour the brew house, and learn a bit about how it all comes together. Be sure to try some Welder’s Wheat and Coconuts and Bolts!

Amazing beer selection at this pet friendly two story establishment where everything is brewed here! Loving the crafty décor that is more than appropriate to the namesake. Country western music upstairs classic rock downstairs. Board games. Growler friendly!

Really enjoyed the vibe here. Everything is labor/​trade-​themed. Wrenches, pipes, an old-​school time clock, metal sculptures and even an «employee lounge» with 1960s furniture and board games. Enjoyed my beer while playing some checkers AND *bonus* — charging my phone! Ample outlets for those of us addicted to our phones.
There’s an entire upstairs bar that offers different brews on tap. The staff is very friendly and laid back. A bit cramped in certain sections of the downstairs area but overall a great place. Very solid beer offerings. Will definitely visit again.

Adominable Snowman is a great beer! Cool little local brewery with some great tastes. They offer a brewesty series where you can brew with them!

The advent of the upstairs has opened up a whole new world for my Tradesman experience— the upstairs has multiple rooms and a back area dedicated to serious board game playing: they pretty much have everything you could ask for. My boyfriend and I played Battleship and Othello for a few hours while enjoying several of Tradesman’s amazing new beers, including the Chicken & Waffles (yes it DOES taste like Chicken and Waffles!), the Elbow Grease IPA (darkest in color and highest ABV of the lot: my personal favorite), and a flight of their seasonal drafts, including their Sweet Potato Pie, Green Tea Triple, Don’t Monk with Us Tripple, and Orange You Glad It’s Chocolate. Wasn’t too impressed with the Orange Chocolate Stout or the Sweet Potato (too malty for my taste), but I loved the Monk and the Green Tea Triple, as well as the Elbow Grease IPA! Ended up taking a growler of the Elbow Grease home, in fact.
Great place to chill and drink good beer– also dog friendly if you stay outside !!

I had NO idea Tradesman existed until a friend mentioned it while we were in the area. I was skeptical once we pulled up, but it was a cool place. I’m told that because of the flooding they had to close the main area downstairs and do some other work to the building and that is why it was a little more run down than it would usually be. I’m really impressed with the variety they had on tap — we got two flights and they were all delicious (for the most part — I’m not a fan of IPAs apparently). The bartender was super knowledgeable and very helpful with suggestions. I can’t wait to go back and see what new brews they have!

Great little brewery that has a friendly atmosphere. Loved the beer here and the head brewer had a Colorado connection so that didn’t hurt. Creative choices with great character in each beer. Totally worth the drive if you are in the Charleston area.

Awesome small little brewery. Scott– the owner and his wife– are so cool and laid back. Makes you feel wanted being there. Been here too many times to count. They really try to make their customers happy. Wishing them the best and much success!

Superb family-​run brewpub. Sarah, Scott, & Chris are super nice and talkative. Always a good selection of beer and often a non-​alcoholic soda pop.
They are putting the finishing touches on an upstairs room which should double their pub space.
Be sure to tour their brewery right next door.

It’s like you’re at home… with your own BREWERY!
Tradesman has a good beer selection, and most of the beers are quite tasty. Bricklayer is yummy and the IPA is great. When you walk in the door, you feel like you’re walking into someones living room… where there happens to be a bar! It is a small space with carpet and is very brightly lit. Seriously, imagine someones living room with all the lights on… maybe your own living room!
Everybody who works there is super nice and friendly! You couldn’t ask for better people!
GREAT feature: BRING your own food with you (from home, take-​out, etc.) or ODER FOOD to be delivered to the brewery! IT’s great! mmmmmm I’m hungry now…
WARNING/​BEWARE — If you order food to the brewery, when it’s delivered… you will become the focus of all the beer-​drinking, hungry, patrons who did not REALIZE they could order food. All eyes will be on you and your food… some beer drinkers may be drooling. Hold your food closely… it’s in danger.
If you’re going out for the ambiance of a brew-​pub or restaurant, I would steer clear. BUT I would definitely stop by Tradesman before or after you do that! Manage your expectations.
I will go here again and recommend it to most. Managing expectations is important and knowing how to guard your food closely is really important!

Stopped here on our way into Charleston.
The person serving the beer was really friendly, as were the other patrons in this very cozy hole-​in-​the-​wall brewery.
I had a taster set of my choosing (as I recall it was pick any 4 off the board), but unfortunately none of the beers that I chose really resonated with my tastebuds; it seems like other patrons enjoyed them more, so maybe I just have a unique tongue.

This is an intimate and homey tasting room. You feel like you stepped into someone’s house. But the odd thing is, it’s not really friendly. The woman behind the bar, who I found out was the owner (with her husband, the brewer, who was not there the day I visited), doesn’t say hello or ask what you want. It’s like she’s hanging out with friends and you interrupted their little party when you entered. Total lack of the Southern hospitality normally found in this part of the country.
She will wait on you when you step up to the bar and ask her to. The beers are OK, although not stellar. Again, it’s like having beers at the home a friend who is a good homebrewer. They don’t quite cross the line into professional quality beers.
And when you ask questions, the owner answers in quick, un-​passionate utterances, very different from the way most craft brewers talk about their businesses and their brews. «What’s with the ‘Tradesmen’ name?» «We had to call it something.» «Interesting tap handles!» «My husband made them.» You get the idea.
I give them points for the blackboard on which you can suggest beer styles, or put checkmarks next to ones others have suggested, and they will consider making them! Have not seen that feature elsewhere. Also they get points for financing a biography of the great regional bluesman Drink Small, who apparently plays here sometimes. And it is a cozy and cute place. Maybe the beer will improve with time. And maybe the attitudes will also improve, or they could hire servers if the owners don’t have an aptitude for running the tasting room.

Great brewery on James Island! So glad to not have to go downtown. Owners are a local couple and so friendly and welcoming. They have food trucks occasionally which are fantastic! This is a place you will love!

My brother took me to this great little brewery while I was in town. They had a nice variety of beers, and a very friendly environment. I had two beers while there but the Fig Saison was just awesome! If you’re in the area, and a local beer fan, then I definitely recommend stopping in for a beer.

So thankful my favorite bar, The Pour House, keeps this on tap. Love so many of Tradesman’s beers! Their brewery is a cool, low key spot to have a beer or flight. Great spot!

Awesome place to relax having a beer on James Island, we came here on the way home and I’m glad we did. The beer and company were excellent, and the free pretzels and stickers topped off my good visit here yesterday afternoon.

Excellent brewery! I have to say that I have not had a beer here that I do not like. Anytime I’m out and see Tradesman on tap, that’s what I go for. It’s a very small brewery just down the road from home, so yeah… I’ve gotta play favorites. Bricklayer Red and the Agave Wheat are fantastic. I can’t wait to try the next batch of the coconut stout. They even have a suggestions board where you can request that they brew a beer of your choice. How cool is that! There’s also a dog friendly outdoor area to enjoy the weather on.

The greater Charleston area continues to develop into a craft beer haven with so many excellent local breweries opening their doors, and Tradesman does not disappoint in terms of keeping the standards high!
James Island’s first craft brewery (or at least the first one that this recent transplant knows of) is conveniently located just a stone’s throw (literally) off of Folly Road on Tatum Street (between Maybank Highway and Harbor View Road). The space itself is small, as the tasting room occupies two rooms on the bottom floor of a house. What the space lacks in sheer square footage, however, it makes up in a welcoming, laid back vibe. The bar itself is located on one side of the main tasting room area, while the other side features some plump, comfortable chairs and a few tables. There is a «suggestion» chalkboard on the wall where you can jot down any brew you’d like Scott (the owner and currently only brewer) to whip up.
The cool part is that Scott probably will brew up anything that is within reason and that is desired by «the people». The people in this case being local residents of the Charleston area that appreciate good people and good brews without a ton of swank or luster. Everything about this brewery speaks to a working class mentality from the Tradesman name, the logo, the most awesome tap handles, and even the names of the brews (ie, «Brick Layer’s Ale» or «Welder’s Agave Wheat»). As Scott pours you brews from behind the bar and you get to talking, it becomes apparent that this little nano brewery is a labor of love. He’ll readily offer you a «tour» of the brewery which is located in a separate mini warehouse type of building behind the actual tasting room. There you’ll get to see and hear about how he’s keeping it «old school» by using open lidded fermenters while also getting a bit tech savvy as he can utilize a phone app to control and monitor much of the brewing process remotely when need be.
Friendliness and welcoming vibes aside, what really matters when it comes to a brewery’s performance is the actual qualities of the brews, am I right? Well, I’m happy to report that the beers here hit the spot both in terms of quality and in terms of pricing (always a concern for this financially challenged guy!). Basically, $ 5 is the going rate for either a pint of golden elixir or for a flight of 4 brews of your choice. On the day that I visited, I clearly opted for a flight initially so as to sample as many brews for as little coinage as possible. Unfortunately, they had kicked both the Pipe Wrench Porter and the Circuit Breaker IPA during their opening day extravaganza a few days prior (I guess that’s the «downside» of being a small brewery that puts out good beers). So that left me with four choices of brews to fill up my four taster flight – I felt this was perfect as I tend to be indecisive as it is!
Thus, the four brews I had a chance to sample were the Welder’s Agave Wheat, the Brick Layer’s Ale (a red ale), the Mechanic’s Ale (a blonde ale), and the Journey Man’s Pale Ale. Typically an IPA guy and also someone that is trying to get more and more into the darker brews, I was somewhat disappointed by the overall «light» character of my flight. However, even with this initial disappointment, I can honestly say that I was impressed with the quality and character of these brews. All were very crisp and smooth despite their surprisingly high ABV (I was not expecting a 7.3% ABV for a wheat beer, especially since their IPA weighs in at 7.2%). In my opinion, the agave wheat stood out among the four brews I was able to sample, though I can honestly say I would (and most likely shall) drink any of these beers again.
All in all, I was pleased by my experience here at Tradesman as I definitely appreciate the combo of laid back/“hey neighbor” vibes paired with quality brews. There are apparently plans of getting food trucks to sling their tasty morsels and bands to play their tunes here on a regular basis, so that should make for an enjoyable time. With tasting room hours Tuesday through Friday afternoons/​evenings and extended hours on Saturdays, I think Tradesman should be very accessible for all and I for one am looking forward to how they evolve over time!