Who is Palmetto Brewing Company?
Billed as the first licensed brewery to open its doors in South Carolina since Prohibition, Palmetto Brewing Co. has an interesting history.
The name originally comes from a 19th century brewery that brewed beer in Charleston, SC. After shuttering in the early 20th century, the Palmetto name was resurrected in the 90’s and helped shape the craft beer scene in South Carolina.
A few years ago, the North Carolina-based Catawba Brewing Company finalized a deal to acquire Palmetto. Visitors to Palmetto’s Charleston taproom on Huger Street will still find the beers they have come to love on tap right next to Catawba’s taps. Similarly, Catawba’s taprooms feature Palmetto brews alongside their own.
It seems that the two breweries will continue to market their respective beers under the original brands. I have to say that I am a fan of their arrangement. We got to sample this Ghost Rider Pale Ale alongside some Catawba beers at Catawba’s South Slope taproom in Asheville, which made for a great stop along our AVL brewery-hopping tour.
What’s so special about Palmetto Brewing’s Ghost Rider Pale Ale?
I am a huge fan of dark beers (nothing gets me more excited than a good imperial stout or boozy Belgian quad), but I will defend American pale ales to the death. While often overshadowed by its hoppier/juicier/sexier cousin the IPA, a tried & true APA is what I will reach for when I want to enjoy a beer with my meal.
APAs give you more body & flavor than pilsners, more balance than ambers/reds, and more complementary food pairing options than wheat beers. What’s not to like?
The Ghost Rider Pale Ale (6.2% ABV, 55 IBU) is a different beast though. In an attempt to spice things up, Palmetto remixed a classic APA recipe with sweet cherries & ghost peppers to produce this beer.
Yes, you read that right. Real ghost peppers.
Our team is normally a fan of spiced beers, but this badboy was divisive. Some of our group loved this beer; some of us really didn’t.
Personally, I couldn’t get enough of it. I would love to see more breweries try stuff like this knowing full well that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
How does Palmetto Brewing’s Ghost Rider Pale Ale taste?
The Ghost Rider pours with a light amber color, a persistent head of foam, and some interesting lacing.
The aroma is a confusing mix of citrus notes and chile pepper (the kind of smell that almost ticks the back of your nose when you get a whiff of a hot pepper). Give it a second pass and you will begin to pick out the sweeter notes that reminded me of maraschino cherries.
The first sip lets you know that you are in for a ride. The body of this beer is light, but the carbonation combined with the heat of the peppers jolts your tastebuds awake with a gentle tingle.
It doesn’t take long after tasting the classic pale ale flavor for the heat to arrive. Palmetto says that ghost peppers are used to give this beer its heat and, while it won’t knock your socks off, the heat makes itself known early & often. The slight burn persists as you continue to drink the beer.
I found myself willingly falling into the cycle of chasing the peppers’ heat with the temporary relief of the beer’s sweeter notes and repeating it constantly; this continued until I had downed my pint quicker than I expected.
Final Thoughts
As a fan of spicy beers & experimental flavors, Palmetto’s Ghost Rider Pale Ale is exactly what I look for when I visit a taproom.
I can pick up a great example of a classic APA from my local grocery store. I visit breweries in search of their crazy science projects & funky recipes. This thirst for the unusual can result in tasting the occasional dud, but Palmetto hit it out of the park with this one in my book.What spiced beers should we check out next? Let us know in the comments below or engage with us on Instagram where we document the breweries & beers we sample!
