MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA
In a glass-fronted red brick ‘contemporary cottage’ with white soffits and shutters, GRAND STRAND BREWING COMPANY opened its doors in March 2021. Located on Myrtle Beach’s busy Kings Highway in the revitalized Arts & Innovation district, Grand Strand came to fruition less than one year after Tidal Creek Brewhouse (a few miles South) began operations.
An interesting multi-faceted brewery with loft apartment rentals, turf grass lawn with Adirondack chairs, multi-TV sportsbar appeal and good pub food, Grand Strand covers all bases from family friendly neighborhood tavern to destination brewpub.
Its elongated 15-seat wood bar services several black plastic 4-seat tables and a loungey blue couched area with fish tank (next to hovered stainless steel brewtanks) plus the 4 awning-covered deck tables and umbrella picnic tables out front. The interior’s ceramic floor, low hanging ceiling pipes and red brick walls add a certain Industrial flare.
Alongside a well-rounded assortment of homemade beers, Grand Strand also offers fine spirits, wines and specialty cocktails.
On my sunny Tuesday afternoon voyage, April ’23, my wife and I enjoyed ten sturdy draughts.
Easygoing Wingtip Pilsner let brisk Seltzer-like lemon zest serenade slight herbal musk above flighty white breading.
A slightly bitter pale ale with experimental HBC586 hop strain, Flip Flop Hop unfurled mellow lemony white grapefruit bittering, mildly perfume-spiced orange peel sweetness and grassy hop astringency for subtle oated wheat creaming.
Milk-sugared coffee embraced lactic Conway Coffee Blonde Ale, a pale malted moderation with mild creme brulee and caramel latte sweetness.
Toasted amber grains and dewy dried fruiting approached the sugary caramelized malts securing Jolene Red Ale.
Mildly vanilla-creamed banana, clove and coriander plus pastry dough sugaring paced Rainy Day Hefeweizen, leaving slight herbal musk on the tail end.
Buttery caramel dripped into soft-toned Doof Dunkelweizen, picking up distant lemon meringue and fried banana tartness.
Tropical orange-peeled grapefruit, pineapple and mango tanginess gained light phenol hop bittering to contrast the dainty rum sugaring of dry pale malted Sandy Cheeks West Coast IPA.
Lemony yellow grapefruit bittering contrasted sugary tangerine-peach tang of Airbrush Hazy IPA, reaching its delicate oats base.
As for the two sour ales, First Rodeo Smoothie Sour let its lightly acidic lemon-soured plum and pomegranate adjuncts gain briny cranberry and crabapple tartness over sugary pastry dough.
Just as salty, Pavillion Pie Wheel Key Lime Sour stayed dry as mildly acidic key-limed lemon rind bittering countered cinnamon-toasted brown sugaring as distant cologne perfuming splattered sugary lemonade tartness.