A taste of what local breweries have on tap for the summer

Summer is here, and several of Beaufort County’s microbreweries are coming out with seasonal brews designed to take the edge off the heat and humidity.

The local brewing scene has proved to be very innovative, creating a wide range of beers, from industrial strength IPAs to oyster stouts. Some are experimenting with barrel aging in wine and whiskey casks, different yeast types, and on making more experimental small batch brews — but one characteristic that most of the local summer seasonals share is that lighter, more refreshing beers predominate.

Here are some of the summer brews being offered by four select local microbreweries: Hilton Head Brewing Co., Bluffton’s Southern Barrel Brewing Co. and Salt Marsh Brewing, and Okatie’s River Dog Brewing Co.

In short, this summer looks to be a good one for local aficionados, as well as the casual beer drinker.

So get tasting!

Salt Marsh Brewing

Nick Borreggine of Salt Marsh Brewing

The new kid on the block of area microbreweries is Salt Marsh Brewing in Old Town Bluffton, with its brewery located in a loft-like balcony above the dining room of the Fat Patties restaurant — which opened late last year on Bluffton Road near the four-way stop.

The brewery is owned by Fat Patties’ Nick Borreggine, with 20-year brewing veteran James Brown as head brewer. For now, Salt Marsh brews can only be found at Fat Patties Bluffton restaurant.

The first Salt Marsh summer seasonal is called River Wise, a German Berlinerweisse sour wheat beer. It features tart lemonade qualities and lots of effervescence. Borreggine describes River Wise as light and refreshing and, at 4 percent alcohol “perfect for a day out on the river, where you can still stay wise.”

A big part of Salt Marsh’s summer plan is a series of beers called Summer Jams: beer brewed with locally produced fruit such as strawberries or watermelon, and then blended with River Wise. Coming up are Summer Jams featuring peaches, blackberries, blueberries and, possibly, muscadine grapes.

Alright Alright Alright is the name of a new summer blonde ale, and Slo-country, a smooth, low-alcohol session IPA, is Salt Marsh’s most recent release.

Southern Barrel Brewing Co.

Walter Trifari of Southern Barrel Brewing Co.

Across town at Buckwalter Place, Southern Barrel Brewing Co. brewmaster Walter Trifari is rolling out his summer brews. Trifari, who began brewing professionally in 1997 in Connecticut and came to Bluffton to open Southern Barrel in May 2015, has created a loggerhead turtle-inspired maibock called Turtle Patrol. “It’s a golden-colored bock beer, which is a little different than the normal,” he said.

After the Turtle Patrol runs its course, there will come a raspberry sour ale. “It’s going to be that light, low alcohol slightly tart sour beer with some real raspberries on the back end,” he said.

Southern Barrel also plans to begin frequently producing seasonal beers on its small-batch system. “We’ll be throwing out styles of beer left and right,” he said.

River Dog Brewing Co.

John Federal of River Dog Brewing Company

River Dog Brewing has been operating since 2013. Its brewery and taproom are located at River Walk Business Park off of S.C. 170 in Okatie. River Dog will also have a summer seasonal, said head brewer John Federal. Made with a pinch of honey malt as well as real honey, Lowcountry Amrosia Honey Wheat beer is light and easily drinkable, Federal said.

Lowcountry Ambrosia will be River Dog’s main summer offering, but Federal said he plans to produce more summery beers on River Dog’s 10-gallon pilot system. Those small-batch beers will be appearing weekly at the tasting room as part of the brewery’s “Fresh Beer Fridays.”

Recent Friday offerings have included Carolina Gold, a session ale made with Carolina Gold rice, and Obey Your Wit, a traditional witbier. Also planned is a lemon-lime flavored beer and a peach lemon ginger wheat beer, Federal said.

Hilton Head Brewing Co.

John Rybicki of Hilton Head Brewing Co.

Hilton Head Brewing Co. — which opened in 1994 — is the godfather of local breweries, but it isn’t resting on its laurels, says head brewer and co-owner John Rybicki.

For summer, Rybicki is bringing out the Break Series. Each beer in the IPA-based series is named after surfing locations along the beaches of Hilton Head. The rapid-fire releases have thus far included J Street, Jointer, Dunes, The Folly, and Mosaic. The most recent Break Series beer and the one currently available is called Schoals.

Rybicki is most excited by a new ale yeast he has begun using that produces a more cloudy beer. It’s featured in the Break Series as well as the brewery’s regular Session IPA. “With that cloudiness, you get attributes of juiciness,” he said. “You get flavors that stick around and you get lots of tropical flavors ... versus the normal bitter-style IPA.”

“We’re really excited to see how the public takes it,” Rybicki said.

Hilton Head Brewing has two island locations, the original brew-pub and restaurant on Greenwood Drive, and a production facility and tasting room at 1 Cardinal Road.

This story was originally published July 3, 2016 at 8:00 AM with the headline "A taste of what local breweries have on tap for the summer."