Seek What You Thirst At New Realm Brewing Co. On Daniel Island

Atlanta Based Co, Serves Up Awesome House Made Brews Alongside Eclectic Pub-fare

By: Jeff Walker, Restaurant Review

Founded by Carey Falcone, Bob Powers and Mitch Steele, New Realm Brewing Company (NRBC) has ‘brewed up’ quite a storm since first forming its flagship location in Atlanta in 2016. The popularity of their home-grown beers, distilled spirits, including their Alphawater Premium Hard Seltzers has helped propel the brewery, and accompanying restaurants into the food & beverage mainstream in just over six years, with the reviews nothing but stellar.

Warranted success coupled with a smart game plan lead New Realm Brewing to open three additional locations in Savannah, Virginia Beach, and more recently in Charleston at the former Dockery’s on Daniel Island. A fifth locale is slated to throw open its doors in Nashville later this year, making an ideal complement to their Tennessee-style distilled bourbon.

New Realm Brewery’s resounding message speaks for itself. Their core principles are quality, creativity, authenticity, and striving for perfection, all with a customer-centric community-focused commitment and approach. Is there any better way to brew signature beers, bourbon, vodka, gin, and seltzers, while pairing them with upscale pub-fare.

After making a few renovations and incorporating their food & drink menu, New Realm Brewery threw open their doors earlier this spring at 880 Island Park Drive in the heart of Daniel Island. Past patrons, or those familiar with the former Dockery’s may be full aware how expansive the restaurant and brewery were. With New Realm taking down a couple of walls, the interior looks even more spacious. Factor in their over-sized (I mean huge) covered patio and welcoming atrium and NRBC present a pleasant destination for lunch, dinner, weekday happy hours, or late night entertainment.

Inviting surroundings aside, New Realm would be nothing without great food & drink. Here’s where it gets captivating. Brew-master Mitch Steele’s craft beers have been perfectly partnered with the ingenious dishes prepared by Executive Chef Andy McLeod, (one of many holdovers from Dockery’s). Together Mitch and Andy combined with a team of Cicerone Certified Beer Servers (beer connoisseurs) create an dining experience like no other in greater Charleston.

The Holy City is known for its food, and NRBC further enhance what Charleston has to offer. The menu is best described as upscale pub-fare including a delightful mix of appetizers (bites), soups & salads, sandwiches, burgers, and several robust entrees, as well as a couple of signature desserts. Whether you’re coming in for a handheld snack or something that requires a fork with two napkins, you’ll discover a beer or seltzer that goes ideal with your meal. More importantly, you’ll leave fully satisfied.

Appetizers run the gamut. Whether you’re enjoying a lager, IPA or a stout, all three go great with NRBC’s Locally Made Bavarian Pretzel. A sumptuous and salty oversized pretzel, tender on the inside, with just the right amount of crunch. Enjoy your handheld morsels dipped in a beer queso (awesome), and jalapeno-sorghum mustard (spicy blend). A perfect way to jumpstart your taste buds. Ideal for one or two diners.

Looking for a little more zest, the Blistered Shishito Peppers will answer the call. An abundant array of thin-skinned small green Asian peppers (little less potent than jalapenos), cloaked in sesame seeds and served over ginger aioli (mayo blend w/ olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, egg yolks and mustard). Both will excite your taste buds, as will the Asian Style Loaded Fries, dredged in char Siu pork (Cantonese bbq), sriracha, cilantro, in a garlic-miso mayo. Have an ice cold beer or refreshing beverage on hand. Opening acts range from $9 to $14.

Closer to home, the Cheddar Crusted Mac n’ Cheese blanketed under a Belgian amber caramel beer glaze will no doubt quickly become a low country comfort food. Their Hand Pressed Cuban is a nice variation to a Miami staple, teeming with pork belly, Swiss cheese and sour pickles, and slathered in house made mustard, tucked nicely in thicker cut toasted bread. Can you say YUMMY! And although NRBC is far from a sports bar, their plump & succulent Spicy Buffalo Chicken Wings will keep your cold beer company, while you keep tabs on the game, or developing news on 10 well positioned flat screens surrounding the wrap-around bar.

While Dockery’s gave rise to the general Daniel Island location, it’s New Realm Brewery that will cement the revamped food & beverage destination on the map. According to holdover chef Andy McLeod ‘the difference is night and day’. McLeod who first honed his craft more than 15 years ago with the Indigo Road group at Oak Steakhouse under renowned Holy City chef Jeremiah Bacon, adds New Realm will holdfast to their standard menu, while each location will be able to offer regional menu items. McLeod says it will be a 75% – 25% split.

With an eclectic menu, NRBC has something for everyone in your party. But if you choose to play it safe and still want something with a bit more pizzazz, than any of the four wood fired signature pizzas could satisfy your hunger. The Margherita (San Marzano tomatoes) or the Buffalo Chicken topped with mozzarella, parmesan, spicy chicken and ranch will arouse the taste buds, and can hold their own with a beer flight (four of your choosing). Mixing and matching pizza and beer, there’s nothing wrong about that.

Sandwiches, burgers, and main entrees including Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl, Beer Battered Fish & Chips, and the Half BBQ Chicken complete with a Fox beer glaze aside seasonal vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes range anywhere from $12-$19. Keep in mind New Realm Brewing Company serve upscale pub-fare and light eaters can easily share many dishes.

Speaking of beers, if your neon sign hoisted high above the building outside has the word brewery on it, than you sure as hell better serve up some damn good beer. Fear not, New Realm Brewery do just that. But much like you don’t walk into Baskin Robbins and expect to get your favorite Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, you don’t sit down at NRBC and order up a Bud, Miller, or Coors Lite. Not gonna happen. New Realm pride themselves on brewing up some of the best beers that reflect ingredients from around the globe, and they make no excuses for only serving up their brews.

From IPA’s lagers, pilsners, stouts, and amber ales, New Realm keep a half dozen core favorites as their nucleus flowing through more than two dozen taps, with the remainder on a weekly rotation. With that many offerings even the most discriminating beer lover will find brews to their liking.

If you prefer full flavored beers that go down smooth, I recommend the Pilot Baltic Porter (7.5%). A cold fermented dark brew with similar amounts of sweet and dark chocolate. Equally invigorating is the BBA Imperial Brown Ale (10.9% ABV). A chestnut brown ale exuding extracts of vanilla and oak with a malty caramel blend.

Furthermore, the Wooded Reserve Rum Barrel Aged Reserve (12.5% ABV) is a Belgian Quad beer aged nine months in 1st generation Barbados Rum barrels. It is ultra-refreshing with lots of character, teeming with hints of dark fruit, burnt sugar and crème brûleé. New Realm’s Bourbon Barrel Aged from their Wooded Reserve series is another comforting beer aged in bourbon kegs for nine months. A warm and robust beer derived from flambéed cherry and dark fruit flavor, couples with whispers of vanilla. In both the rum and bourbon saturated brews, you can taste the root alcohol with the very first sip. Goes great with several appetizers and dessert.

If you prefer your beers somewhere between hearty and light, than the Bavarian Prince (6.3% ABV) will satisfy. A full bodied Marzenbier (originated in Bavaria) beer with a golden amber hue. Crafted with European hops with a tinge of floral, this brew is an ideal drinking beer, and complements just about everything on the menu.

IPA’s (Indian Pale Ales) are all the rage and at New Realm they brew up a storm, catering to discerning palates. The Tyrannosaurus Flex (8.5% ABV) is a double IPA crafted from Motueka, Rakau & Motuere hops all the way from Australia. If you’re craving something light with just another crisp, the T-Flex with its blend of tropical fruits carries a thirst quenching bite.

Quite frankly New Realm is a beer lovers paradise. The Jacked Squatch is an aromatic blend of citrus, peach, pine, and tropical fruit. Likewise the 5.8 % ABV Munich Dunkel (MD) is a bready and roasted lager carrying a tawny brown appearance. MD is rich and crisp to the taste. A perfectly suited sipping beer if you’re just hanging at the bar during happy hour.

If you’re a fan of the non-alcoholic drink Arnold Palmer, than the Southern Tee is worth an order, simply a Berliner Weisse (a cloudy & sour beer) with equal pats iced tea and lemonade. Hell yes it goes with everything on the menu. All their brewed beers start around $7 (14 oz). You can purchase a half growler for $13, and full half gallon growler of your choice for an even $26. New Realm only serve and sell their own awarding winning brews.

Another IPA, the Hazy Like a Fox is a golden amber tropical fruit (tangerine & pineapple) medley, complete with pale malt, oats, wheat, flaked barley and lactose (sugar). HLAF leaves a refreshingly clean orange after taste, and the doubly hopped fermentation brewing process is meant to extract as much of the bitterness possible.

New Realm Brewery Co. have a host of brew masters introducing an eclectic mix of beer, like Hoptopolis (pear, pineapple & peach) and Below (4.0% ABV) a hazy hued beer low in carbs and only half the calories. The Mas Macho (9.3% ABV) with its intense pineapple, tropical fruit, and citrus blend, and Lime of the Party with its distinctive key lime pie after taste reflect beers from south of the border. Domestic beer lovers would no doubt enjoy United, a easy drinking American light lager.

You can enjoy their iconic brews on site, or grab some from the cooler on the way home, and even order your favorite online. An IPA Special Edition 12 pack can be yours for $18.99, with most six packs running $10.49. Shop their online brew store at https://shop.newrealmbrewing.com/

While New Realm is first and foremost a brewery, unlike most breweries they distill many of their own hard seltzers and cocktails in a can. The Orange Crush is a balanced and zesty blend of vodka and the sweet juices from the orange, whereas the Moscow Mule is combination of spicy ginger beer, real vodka, and lime juice. The Lemon Drop, Lime Margarita, and Cranberry Vodka blends are equally exhilarating, with all their blends crafted from New Realm Distilling Co. Vodka carrying 7.5% ABV. For a complete list of their amazing beers visit https://newrealmbrewing.com/chs-taplist/

Awesome beers, and refreshing vodkas aside, New Realm Brewery sell and or serve up just as many seltzers. Their AlphaWater Premium series (4.5% ABV) include four signature seltzers that deliver just the right amount of fruity zest to your taste buds. Among the quartet are a dual Black Cherry blend, a mildly tart Acai & Blueberry mix, a super infused yet extra tangy Citrus Punch (grapefruit, lime, & blood orange), and the ever reviving Lime & Cucumber which might be the coolest of the all the seltzers.

With most of their beverages brewed in house or through the companies several brewery locations, the lone alcoholic adult beverage they don’t produce is fruit of the vine. But don’t despair. Surprisingly the New Realm Brewery on Daniel Island is the only locale where they serve up wine. Sometimes in life you want a cold brew, other times a refreshing seltzer, and there are those special occasions when a chilled glass of wine just fits the mood.

Sure as hell you can bring the little ones out to New Realm Brewing. Their kids menu offers seven different selections that have mass appeal to the under 12 crowd. You can get the kids a burger with or without cheese for the same $8 price. The pepperoni or plain cheese pizza, or the go-to chicken fingers all come with your choice of a side item (fried or mashed potatoes, a few smaller salads, or seasonal veggies). Again just $8.

If you’re among the small percentage that like to wrap up a sumptuous meal with something sweet, NRBC call on locally owned Cirsea ‘surcee’ Ice Cream to provide the cold scoops or milkshake concoctions they serve up. But if you’re looking for something unique, the Chocolate Stout Bread Pudding is the way to top off your meal. Imagine a stout and cinnamon spiced delight that goes down smooth, yet sticks to your ribs. Sweets range from $4 to $8.

The breweries rustic interior provides a comforting atmosphere, with tables and booths appropriately distanced from one another. The larger event room has proven quite favorable for private parties, singer songwriters, and stand up comics. During warmer weather the adjacent covered patio is even more ideal for entertainers and outdoor fun.

Watching the sun set or the moon rise up, with one of an endless array of adult beverages, seems to be the perfect way to chill out after a tough day at work. NRBC can easily host up to 300 guests on the patio.

Chucktown Cornhole have found a new partner with cornhole tournaments occurring at New Realm on a regular basis. NRBC’s fourth Sunday Ale & Octane co-hosted by Charleston Car Rally Group and Palmetto Rally Group has quickly become a must attend car show. The event which revs up at noon is free to everyone with plenty of parking, and is open to all makes, builds, and models. Classic auto lovers unite around great rides, good food, and great drink.

Re-capping, New Realm Brewery Company is definitely not a sports bar, even though games often play in the background. They have an eclectic menu with appetizers, soups, salads, entrees and desserts that go well with a wide variety of refreshing house brewed beers, seltzers, and vodka selections. Your bill might end up being a few dollars more than the run of the mill or chain restaurants, however your taste buds will thank you and you’ll leave fully content.

Discover an adult beverage you prefer, take home a growler or any of their pre-packaged beers, seltzers, or vodka combinations from their refrigerated cooler. Sure you can call ahead and order take out. Want to entertain 50 or 60 quests, make arrangements to book their event room for your special outing. Maybe you’re a singer and musician looking for another place to play, give them a call.

Simply put New Realm Brewing Co. are a welcome addition to Charleston’s diverse food and beverage scene. Come seeking what you thirst and enjoy over the top pub-fare with your quest.  Located at 880 Island Park Drive on Daniel Island New Realm is less than 10 minutes from North Charleston or Mt. Pleasant, and only 15 minutes from downtown Charleston and West Ashley. For food, drink, and occasional entertainment they check all the right boxes. Want to know more, visit their website at https://newrealmbrewing.com/

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us