Spartanburg’s first craft brewery, Rockers Brewing Co. has been churning out locally-made brews since 1997 and put Spartanburg on the craft beer world’s map with its signature Son of a Peach.
Rockers Brewing Co. transformed from a brewpub to a thriving brewery with an attached restaurant in Downtown Spartanburg. Nationally, Rockers is well-known for its signature Son of a Peach, a wheat ale brewed with heaps of peaches, but anyone who has visited the brewery’s Tap Room knows RJ Rockers’ bench goes much deeper. There’s Bell Ringer, a true heavyweight double pale ale loaded with hops and malt (it definitely packs a punch).
There’s the musically-named Brown Eyed Squirrel (try not singing it to the tune of “Brown Eyed Girl”) which has a smooth, chocolatey taste. And those are just the year-round beers. Seasonal favorites like the Good Boy Stout, named for dearly-departed brewery mascot Stout, the Flannel Red IPA, Witty Twister and First Snow Ale.
Rockers features a classic brewery set up with tables a-plenty and towering, metallic brewing equipment giving drinkers an up-close look at where what’s filling their glass came from. The brewery hosts live music several times a week in case the beer isn’t entertainment enough.
Holliday Brewing, now located in Inman, boasts West Coast-style IPAs. The beers crafted by Holliday Brewing are inspired by west coast experiences like off-roading on a motorcycle or trekking through a desert. Holliday opened with 20 taps with 18 of Holliday’s own creations and a rotating list of guest beers at its original location inside Drayton Mills Marketplace before moving operations to a standalone brewery space in Inman.
Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery's new location - along the Mary Black Rail Trail - offers its popular, traditionally-inspired German brews and a few proudly “absurd” offerings.
Ciclops set up shop on St. John Street in September 2015. The innovative concept, brought to life by Kolby Garrison, was designed to be the first cidery/brewery/tap-house in the state, brewing beer and cider on-site just across the street from the Chapman Cultural Center.
Taps at Ciclops vary, but their lineup of core beers have become mainstays at the bar. Downtown SpartanBrown is a nutty, brown ale. Austrinken is a traditional hefeweizenbier brewed with only wheat, barley, one hop, water and yeast. The popular One-Eyed Pterodactyl, named to hear patrons try to pronounce pterodactyl correctly (it is hard to say, in fairness), is a simple but delicious IPA painstakingly researched and taste-tested.
A quick drive north and you’ll find New Groove Artisan Brewing churning out beers inspired by spots around Spartanburg County and some of the brewer’s favorite things to eat (we’ll explain later).
New Groove was started by two homebrewers chasing their passion. Set up in a funky looking building behind a gas station on Highway 9, New Groove churns out some unique brews along with beers drinkers are more accustomed to seeing.
Sour and dark beers have taken hold at New Groove. The Weisse is Right and Groove is in the Tart guarantee a delicious, lip-puckering pint. The Cole Porter and Randall’s Brown Trout offer something a little more luxurious and dessert-like for the beer drinkers’ palette. Along with those more-standard offerings, New Groove has brewed a stout aged with donuts (yes, donut beer) and a popular beer inspired by a Monster Subs sandwich, brewed with tomato and jalapenos.
Motlow Creek Ranch and Cider Company, founded by local entrepreneur John Macomson in Campobello, is home to the Fat Ass Heifer Cidery. The business, offering mountain views from the southern edge of the Blue Ridge, makes a variety of ciders from apples grown across the state and from 1,500 apple trees planted across the farm. Their award-winning lineup features the Palmetto State Wine Competition’s Best Cider in the State and many other varieties.
Stubborn Mule Brewery is the newest to Spartanburg County's roster, with a picturesque view of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Landrum. Stubborn Mule serves up plenty of bar food classics and great pizzas, cranking out pies in under 3 minutes. Make sure to sample Rosie’s Red, an American-style red ale blending toasty caramel flavors with citrus zest and pine. Best of all, 10% of each beer sold goes to charity.
