Mortgage Broker in Johns Island, SC

(NEXSTAR) – Who’s in the mood for an expensive beer?

These days, it feels like you can’t throw a rock without hitting a craft brewery, or at least hitting someone who has a very strong opinion on craft beer. The number of U.S. microbreweries, taprooms and brewpubs has exploded over the last decade, from roughly 2,000 in 2010 to more than 9,000 in 2021, according to the Brewers Association.

Despite a slight dip in production during the pandemic (and current supply-chain snags), most of these breweries on track to keep pre-pandemic levels of beer flowing, too.

“While the boom in breweries of a few years before has certainly slowed, the continued growth in small breweries shows the solid foundation of demand for their businesses and beers,” Bart Watson, the chief economist of the Brewers Association, said in an April press release.

With so much craft beer to consider, and so many brewpubs to choose from, it’s undoubtedly daunting to settle on a destination for a draft or two. But luckily, the analysts at Yelp have sorted through thousands of user-generated reviews to determine which breweries are best-rated in your neck of the woods.

One quick note: The following list is based on reviews that not only considered the taste of each brewery’s beer, but also the ambiance or service at each establishment’s taproom, if they indeed serve beer on the premises.

Good? Alright, let’s hop to it, then: The top craft brewery* in each state, based on Yelp reviews, can be found below:

More information, and links to each brewery’s Yelp page, can be found at Yelp.com.

While the above breweries are certainly most popular with Yelp users, the sales figures of America’s top-producing craft breweries tell a different story. The most popular craft brewery in the U.S., in terms of sales volume, is Pennsylvania-based D. G. Yuengling & Son, followed by the Boston Beer Company of Massachusetts and the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, according to the Brewers Association.

*Craft breweries, as defined by the Brewers Association, must produce less than 6 million barrels per year. To qualify for the category, no more than 25% of the company can be owned or controlled by a larger, non-craft brewer. The brewery itself must also hold a TBB Brewer’s Notice and be actively producing beer.

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Charleston County is working to improve traffic along Main Road on Johns Island.

Leaders hosted a meeting Thursday night to receive public input on the proposed six alternatives that would reduce congestion.

Lowering traffic congestion was a shared concern at the meeting. However, residents of Johns Island said they do not want to lose the integrity of the island, whether that means the gran oak trees or the longstanding businesses along Main Road.

Jackie Baer owns Angel Oak Family Medicine, the first rural health clinic on Johns Island.

She attended the Main Road Corridor public input meeting, not just because her business may face relocation depending on the alternative plan selected, but because the people she serves will be impacted.

"It is a walk-in clinic, people walk to my clinic. They come in wheelchairs, and I am available to them, and by taking that away, it creates a huge gap in primary care, and that is what I do," she explained.

At Angel Oak Family Medicine, Baer serves the working poor, meaning if she loses her business, thousands will lack the care she provides.

Others also shared Baer’s apprehension.

"I am afraid that some of these plans will take away some of those things that we hold dear here. That is why I think it is important for everyone to come out here and get their input in of what they think is important," said Peter Rubino.

"I love the character of the island. I want to maintain that as much as possible. I think four lanes would destroy that. It would be like driving down Folly Road," added Fred Neuvill.

But Charleston County construction project manager Herbert Mims wants to put concerned citizens at ease as much as possible.

"I will personally read every comment that we get, as well as our consulting team. It is a factor that will lead us to a place where this is the alternative the public wants," he exlained.

And there’s still time for the public to weigh in. Charleston County will be taking comments online until May 27.

In 2005, one of the biggest news stories in town was an epic battle over the city of North Charleston’s move to annex across the upper Ashley River and absorb the Watson Hill tract.

This newspaper wrote an editorial decrying the move before it was even proposed: “The historical value of Ashley River Road is something that residents of Charleston and Dorchester counties can generally agree on. So is the importance of preserving its character, and preventing inappropriate development along the state’s most historic corridor. Any suggestion that North Charleston would be willing to annex Watson Hill to accommodate its development should be quickly quashed by city officials.”

Of course, it wasn’t quashed. Just the opposite. The city ultimately annexed it, but the waters eventually calmed after the scope of its development was reduced from about 4,500 new homes to more like 1,000.

The waters calmed further as North Charleston officials indicated they appreciated the scenic and historical value of the Ashley River corridor and would work to ensure new development fit in.

They adopted a special overlay district for the approximately 9,000 acres the city annexed west of the river, and this overlay calls for clustering development to secure more open space, as well as a 200-foot-wide buffer, trails and limited curb cuts onto S.C. Highway 61.

But now that those 1,000 homes are being built, some neighbors are voicing concerns about how they were right all along — and some in the city acknowledge things are off to a bad start.

First, there was a so-called “tragedy of errors” that led to the unnecessary cutting of more than 100 mature trees along Highway 61 as part of work to extend utility lines to Watson Hill, unnecessarily marring the aesthetics of the scenic road because the city didn’t require the lines to be installed with directional drilling like Dorchester County did.

And today, there is a new entrance way with prominent white brick posts and more clear-cutting that makes little to no reference to the historic, tree-lined corridor. Nearby residents are understandably upset, with almost two dozen writing a letter to Mayor Keith Summey.

“No other entrance pillars within the historic district are of white brick joined by white brick lattice and walls and no entrance has anywhere near 30 brick pillars, the Watson Hill design hardly meets the contextually appropriate qualification,” the letter says. “I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone who finds this structure either attractive or appropriate for the area. Residents detrimentally relied on preservation of the historic character of the district and were assured by the developers of Watson Hill that the character would be preserved. As one observer noted, ‘It screams Cane Bay, not the historic district.’”

Meanwhile, a second similar entrance, which the letter writers call an “architectural abomination,” is under way. North Charleston City Councilman Ron Brinson has defended the city’s ability to oversee contextually appropriate development, but even he diplomatically notes that’s not what’s going on at the moment: “Already the aesthetics out there are not what we anticipated.”

To their credit, city zoning officials stopped work on the entrance, and City Council’s Public Safety Committee hashed out the situation Thursday.

The developer defended the entrance design, and Summey noted the city has remained committed to keeping the development less dense.

That’s all good, but it’s unclear what if any changes may be made.

The notion that North Charleston needed to grow by crossing the Ashley River always was a complicated and controversial one. Supporters of North Charleston would note that Mayor Summey is only doing what former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley did by annexing Daniel Island, the Cainhoy peninsula and part of Johns Island.

Those partial to Charleston would note that all those areas were more suitable places for this growing region to build; most are within the region’s urban growth boundary.

Crossing the river and attempting to regulate and serve smaller, historically sensitive development is something else.

Only time will tell whether Watson Hill ultimately is viewed as proof of North Charleston’s ability to permit building in sensitive areas or as the kind of big mistake many feared. But first impressions count, too.

Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings.

The following students were recognized as candidates for associate degrees, certificates or letters of recognition at the College of Southern Maryland’s (CSM) 63rd Spring Commencement ceremony held Friday, May 13, 2022, at the La Plata Campus.

Abington

Accokeek

Annapolis

Avenue

Bel Alton

Benedict

Brandywine

Bryans Road

Bryantown

Bushwood

California

Callaway

Chaptico

Charlotte Hall

Chesapeake Beach

Clements

Clinton

Deale

Drayden

Dunkirk

Fort Washington

Great Mills

Hollywood

Hughesville

Huntingtown

Indian Head

La Plata

Largo

Laurel

Leonardtown

Lexington Park

Loveville

Lusby

Marbury

Mechanicsville

Mt Rainer

Nanjemoy

Newburg

North Beach

Owings

Oxon Hill

Park Hall

Piney Point

Pomfret

Port Republic

Prince Frederick

Ridge

Saint Inigoes

Saint Leonard

Solomons

Swan Point

Temple Hills

Upper Marlboro

Valley Lee

Waldorf

Welcome

White Plains

Out of state

Blythewood, S.C.

Bronxville, N.Y.

Gardena, Calif.

Hyde Park, Mass.

Johns Island, S.C.

Littlestown, Pa.

Santee, Calif.

Seoul, South Korea

Virginia Beach, Va.

West Lawn, Pa.

West Warwick, R.I.

Woodbridge, Va.

Yuba City, Calif.

Charleston remains a popular destination, and the city’s expanding luxury hotel scene reflects that trend.

California-based Auberge Resorts Collection plans to debut its first planned luxury hotel in South Carolina come 2024 in the form of The Dunlin, located within the Kiawah River master-planned community on Johns Island.

In partnership with real estate developer The Beach Co. and private investment and management company McNair Interests, the project is set to have a January groundbreaking.

“The Dunlin will offer an unforgettable escape where guests can immerse themselves in the pristine natural setting of Johns Island and the culturally rich attractions of Charleston,” Auberge Chairman Dan Friedkin said in a statement.

The Dunlin property will include 72 cottage-style guest rooms and suites and 19 villas, as well as a main lodge and porch, great rooms and a library lounge. Amenities encompass a pool with cabanas, full-service spa, community farmstead, and access to the community’s Spring House riverfront swim and fitness facilities.

A riverfront restaurant with outdoor deck will also be available, as will two event spaces, including a 10,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor event hall.

“We are pleased to partner with Auberge Resorts Collection to create The Dunlin, which will be one of the most remarkable new resorts in the country,” Beach Co. CEO John Darby said. “Auberge has a terrific track record of creating the most unique hospitality experiences in the world, and this endeavor’s intimate setting will bring highly personalized service with a coastal experience inspired by the local environment.”

Built into the Kiawah River community, which puts emphasis in natural surrounding elements, The Dunlin will consist of 2,000 acres of land with 20 miles of riverfront nature trails and marshlands. Guests will be able to participate in nature excursions on the property, including fly fishing, crabbing and boating, as well as paddle boarding, hiking and biking.

Architect Robert Glazier was chosen to design the resort, and Amanda Lindroth of Lindroth Design will lead the interior design of the property.

Construction financing was provided by United Bank’s Charleston offices.

Auberge Resorts Collection has 22 other hotels and resorts across the globe, recently winning accolades from Travel & Leisure’s 2021 World’s Best and Conde Nast’s 2021 Readers’ Choice awards.