The bottle shop came first. It was called The Charleston Beer Exchange, and Cofounder Scott Shor saw an opportunity to get new and exciting beers into the hands of eager customers following the expansion of South Carolina laws in 2007. Shor and Cofounder Rich Carley were early fans of craft, and the chance to bring their knowledge, expertise, and vision to reality served as the training ground for drinkers, writers, and eventually brewers who lived in the state’s oldest city. Today, the Exchange is housed in a sprawling two-story space and goes by the name Edmund’s Oast Exchange. It’s just one of a three-pronged business that continues to explore beer.
Edmund’s Oast, a restaurant and brewery followed, where they served not only their own small-batch beer made in-house but also a wide selection of specially curated beers that synced up with the seasonal kitchen and often served as a complement to the inventive and daring cocktail program.
It made sense to add Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. to the mix, a large production facility that will get draft and packaged beer to accounts outside the existing company footprint, serving as ambassadors to consumers well outside the city limits, urging them to come for a proper visit. The three locations are a stone’s throw from each other.