Upstate Ale Trail 2023

The Big Idea

What’s the Ale Trail and How Do I Get on It? What’s the Ale Trail and How Do I Get on It?

Welcome to the Upstate Ale Trail, South Carolina’s #1 resource for discovering all things #UpstateBeer. The Field Guide and our social channels are the best ways to help you discover the best of the Upstate. Online or on the street, the Upstate Ale Trail has the tools you need to make the most of your visit. We’ll introduce you to everything from small, hard to find nano-breweries to some of the biggest and best craft beer producers in the world!

You’ve already taken the first step on the Ale Trail by picking up our Field Guide to Breweries – check our Facebook page for the freshest info!

Editor’s Note: Upstate Ale Trail includes hours of operation for local breweries and businesses. Please check directly with each establishment before visiting to confirm current hours and safety protocols.

Head Brewer and owner of FireForge Crafted Beer, Brian Cendrowski, checks on beer in the fermenters.

What’s Brewing

Greenville is the brewing hub of the Upstate region of South Carolina with the burgeoning craft beer scene in Spartanburg and Anderson making up a strong trifecta for the craft beer community. With over thirty breweries, eight distilleries and seven wineries, this beautiful region offers a variety of crafted beverages from classic styles to funky and flavorful. Flavorful porters and stouts, distinctive sours, complex saisons and lagers, a wide range of IPAs – our breweries brew them all. Beyond brewing excellent beer, the brewing community provides jobs and has become an integral part of the local economy. We welcome you to the area and hope the field guide helps you navigate this amazing craft beer scene. Be sure to check out our Facebook page to keep current on events, tastings and more!

Your Beer. Your Town. Your Shirt.

Fireforge Crafted Beer

Fire Forge is a family-owned, small-batch craft brewery and kitchen with a cozy warehouse taproom and biergarden in downtown Greenville. Driven to create with passion and serve with enthusiasm, they’re on a quest to deliver the greatest beer-centered experience to each guest. Their brewery’s range of ales, lagers and cocktail-inspired hard seltzers are inspired by the people, places and culinary palates we love.

Fireforge also offers family-owned vineyard wines, cider and mead, plus non-alcoholic drinks, shareable snacks and sandwiches. Their menu is seasonally-inspired and locallysourced. On Friday evenings, enjoy a talented and eclectic mix of live music. Check the calendar for special event weekends throughout the year, like Gasparilla and Oktoberfest, as well as pop-ups, game nights and other community-focused gatherings.

Signature Brew

John Hopcock

Hazy IPA

Hours: T-Th 4-9, F-Sat 12-10, Sun 12-8

Fireforge.beer

Seasonal Favorite Pool Honeys Peach

Milkshake IPA

Map ID: 13

Voted Best:

Brewery/Brewpub Craft Beer

Chef Eli Biggs

The Southern Growl Beer Company

The Southern Growl Beer Company is an independent, family owned and operated brewery serving the wonderful Greer, SC community. Established in 2014 with a laid-back atmosphere, TSG has become a place that the local community gathers to enjoy delicious beer and food.

The Southern Growl team is proud to be knowledgeable when it comes to beer, food, and pairing the two. The taproom serves from 70 taps featuring a wide-range of in-house brewed craft beers, plus ciders, wine, and house cocktails.

The craft kitchen offers a seasonal, rotating food menu designed specifically to pair with beer, with a focus on sandwiches, shareables, breads, and desserts all made from scratch. The brewery has a space for every gathering including an indoor dining room, a covered patio with an outdoor bar, and a large lawn.

Signature Brew

Bury Me in Strata

Southern IPA

Hours: W-Th 4-10, F-Sat 11:30-11, Sun 11:30-10

Seasonal Favorite Tropical Sauce

Fruited Sour

Map ID: TheSouthernGrowl.com

It’s music to your beers.

Whether it’s drinkin’ and honkeytonkin’, hours of jam, or songs to soothe your soul, we have the music to drink by.

Hand-crafted, roots-oriented music, eclectically brewed in house.

We’re like the craft beer of public radio.

Photo: Vicki Dameron

Tasting Notes:

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Find your beer

The world of beer is filled with unique flavors. Use this handy guide to find the Upstate’s craft beer styles that fit your taste.

FUNKY

Wild Ale

Yeast or bacteria are added to any style to create unique flavors

BALANCED

Pilsner

Mediumbodied lager typically brewed with German hops

INTENSE

Barley Wine

Lively and fruity, sweet or bittersweet, always strong

DECADENT

Imperial Stout

These ʻPastry Stouts’ taste like a boozy dessert

START HERE

Mexican Lager

A lightbodied ale with some malt

LIGHT HOPS

Pale Ale

Balanced ale, light color, medium ABV

LIGHT FLAVOR

Schwarzbier Dark, malty and refreshing

SOUR

Berliner Weisse

A tart beer with low ABV and often made with fruit

TRENDING

Hazy IPA

A fruity, sometime hoppy with a pillowy mouth feel

MEDIUM HOPS

India Pale Ale (IPA)

Flavorful, hop-forward with a malt balance

LEMONY

Wheat Beers

Brewed with wheat barley, golden with a silky rich head

HOP BOMB

West Coast IPA

A very hoppy take on a classic hoppy style

CARAMEL

Brown Ale Smooth ale with nutty flavor accents

REFRESHING

Gose

ʻGoes-uh’

A light, tart and slightly salty beer

FILLING

Porter More fullbodied than stouts with rich roasty notes

MUSTY

Saison

Ales with fruity, barnyard-like notes

BREAKFAST

Milk Stout

Stouts are brewed to have residual sugar & lactose for a creamy mouth feel

OLD WORLD

TRIPEL

A Belgianstyle with multi-layer flavor and heft

Crisp

Wild Card Complex Malty Sour Hoppy

Tasting Notes:

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Brewery:

Beer Name:

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Color: ABV: IBU:

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Serving Type: Draught Cask Bottle Can

Serving Type: Draught Cask Bottle Can

Serving Type: Draught Cask Bottle Can

Tasting Notes:

Brewery:

Beer Name:

Beer Style:

Color: ABV: IBU:

Notes:

Serving Type:

Draught Cask Bottle Can

Brewery:

Beer Name:

Beer Style:

Color: ABV: IBU:

Notes:

Serving Type:

Draught Cask Bottle Can

Brewery:

Beer Name:

Beer Style:

Color: ABV: IBU:

Notes:

Serving Type:

Draught Cask Bottle Can

of the Vine... Fruit of the Vine...

wineriesFruit

A tasting tour of Upstate South Carolina goes beyond beer. The foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains create fertile ground for the growing list of local wineries in the region. From high-quality batches of local, innovative wines to French-American hybrids, the area has a distinctive collection of wineries that tastefully express both the history and nature of the Upstate region’s climate and soil. Located in both urban settings and countryside experiences, wine lovers have a variety of options to taste and take home.

Against the Grain... Against the Grain... distilleries

In 2009 South Carolina passed the state’s microdistillery law, which heralded a new age for distillers in the region. Combining local flavors and traditional methods rooted in the history of the area, the foothills have fostered a culture of distilled spirits enthusiasts. Whether you’re looking to sip on a small batch whiskey or enjoy a hand-crafted moonshine cocktail, our local distilleries offer an option for every craft spirit aficionado.