The craft beer scene in Charleston continues to grow. At Edmund’s Oast, a brewpub that pays tribute to Charleston’s first brewer, Edmund Egan, and the kiln used to dry hops, they deploy a 48-tap attack on knowing customers. Sure, some of those taps dispense craft soda, mead, Pinot Gris, and a pair of spirited punches, but 42 handles still pour craft beer, many local, and four brewed in-house. I enjoyed Edmund’s Oast Faust, a pucker-worthy sour, and their Gilded “table beer,” which captured the characteristics of a honey biscuit. Still, my favorite beer came from Coast Brewing, which has a production facility and tasting room at the former Charleston Navy base. In their Carolina Gold Rice Saison (13 oz. for $7), their saison clocks 8% ABV and incorporates Anson Mills Carolina Gold rice. Anson Mills is one of South Carolina’s agricultural stars, where Glenn Roberts preserves and showcases organic heirloom grains. Nobody would dare to call his premium rice an “adjunct.” Instead, the rice lends the beer body and helps to round out the smooth sipping flavor of this golden ale.

On the grey, smooth coat wall opposite the picnic tables, we even found some wisdom from Robert Farrar Capon, with his featured quote: “A Good time occurs precisely when we lose track of what time it is.” Unfortunately, we had a reservation at The Ordinary, so my family was clock-watching, but it was easy to imagine a luxurious session with this Coast beer, some house brews, and Andy Henderson’s food, on the Edmund’s Oast patio.