The Blue Ridge Brewing Company, Greer, South Carolina

“Beer culture is a part of the world of food and drink. It’s not just a commodity in cans and bottles, but has a value as an agricultural product with good ingredients.”

Michael Jackson

Greer is a lovely town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in South Carolina with a population of just over 30,000. They are doing a massive renovation on Trade Street by redoing the street so it is a little messy now but will be something grand to see in a few months. I can’t wait to see what it looks like when it is finished. We wandered down Trade Street looking at all shops and then came upon this Brew Pub. It was still early but we were parched so it was a great place to stop. Our friends, Bob and Dana joined us today and it was great being with wonderful friends and having time to catch up.

Nick, Kelsey, and Valerie

When we walked into The Blue Ridge Brewing Company, we fell in love with the welcoming and open atmosphere of this bar/restaurant. As soon as we sat down, our waiter, Nick greeted us and asked what we would like to drink. Joe, Bob, and Dana ordered their signature beers and it was then decided we would stay for awhile. They really enjoyed the flavors of the beers they ordered. I am not a beer drinker so I had a nice ice cold soda. The staff was amazing and catered to our every need and we enjoyed our conversations with them all. Nick was a lot of fun and joked around with us and made us feel like we were his main priority. Kelsey and Valarie, the other wait staff came up and introduced themselves to us as well and they were all lovely and very hospitable. It truly added to our experience of being there.

Bob Hiller

Bob Hiller's adorable dog

How lucky were we that Bob Hiller, the owner came in with his adorable dog and we got to hear a little about him and this place. His brewpub is the oldest in the state of South Carolina. He opened in 1995 in Greenville, South Carolina right after the law was passed where a brewpub could be located in a place that served food. He helped to get that law passed and what a blessing that has been to many brewpubs that have opened throughout the state since then. His brew master is Johannes Baddorf who makes quite the variety of beer. His four main beers are Colonel Paris Pale Ale, XXX Total Eclipse Stout, Rainbow Trout Amber ESB, and Kurli Blonde Ale. Bob has owned this building for years but about four years ago converted it into this amazing pub. We are glad we got to meet and spend a little time with the nice man.

Some of the Ugly mugs

Ugly mug with Bob's dog

The restaurant has a lovely open floor plan with exposed brick side walls giving it a wonderful ambiance and very nice pub feel. I noticed above the bar there were a lot of ceramic mugs with funny faces crafted on them and Kelsey was nice enough to explain what their story was. You can join the Blue Ridge Brewing Mug Club (Ugly Mug Club) and when you do, you can choose a mug that holds more than a pint to have as your own to use here (so you get more beer for your money), and a T-shirt, and 10% off any future merchandise purchases. They sell their barbecue sauces. homemade condiments, pickles, and T-shirts just to name a few of the things you can purchase. There was quite the collection of mugs and I hear the Potter, Greg Patton is from the town, Travelers Rest and will make one to order if you like. Bob had one done with the image of his dog.

Bar with floating Deck above it. 

Floating Deck area and my little friend

View from floating deck area 

Unique map art

Above the bar is a floating deck area that has a large table where people can sit and look over the dinning room. Then we looked up to the ceiling from where we were sitting. We noticed a unique map of South Carolina made from gel filled jars hung from the ceiling and showed where Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville were located by having larger jars jutting out further that the rest. That is when we noticed the beautiful tin ceiling. Just amazing.

Beef brisket smoked sandwich with garlic mashed potatoes.

Yes, there is a bit out of this burger.  I was hungry and it was wonderful.

Steak Bomb and Gyro.  Yummy.

We ordered lunch and it was terrific. I ordered their Blue Ridge Burger and it was heavenly. The flavors were fantastic and was so juicy. Joe got the brisket sandwich that was recommended to him from their Smokery and he loved. I tasted it and what a wonderful smokey taste and was wonderful. The garlic mashed potatoes that came with it were amazing and they gave Joe a huge helping. Bob got the Steak Bomb and Dana the Gyro and they raved about their food as well. We all very much enjoyed our meals and were thrilled we got hungry enough to eat while we were here.

Roof top bar

The bar on the roof top

View from the roof top bar.

After finishing our meals we walked up to the Rooftop bar. What a great spot. The bar was lovely and the bartender was very friendly. The views are mainly of the railroad track but it is nice and cozy and I could see us spending time up there. This a dog friendly restaurant and they make sure the pups have water. What a great set up.










We were told they have a delicious Sunday brunch here but we were not going to be in town long enough to try that. This is a great place to come, take a load off, relax with a good cold brew, or drinks, get a bite to eat, and chill with friends. This is a restaurant that can be enjoyed with the family We highly recommend this place and thought the staff was superb. Thanks for making our time here so enjoyable.

downstairs bar

unique wall art

Their hours are Tuesday through Friday 4PM to 2AM and Sunday 11 AM to 2 AM. They are planning on opening on Mondays for lunch soon. They also have live music on Saturday nights. Check them out at: http://www.BlueRidgeBrewing.com.

“Life and beer are very similar; chill for the best results.”

Anonymous