Opening a Brewery

So, you want to open a brewery in South Carolina? Welcome to the club! The Guild wants to be a resource for you as you go through the rigorous process of opening your brewery. The bottom outline will only cover your licensing journey. There are many other areas that you will need to think about from financing, to legal, to equipment, to suppliers. We’d encourage you to go to our affiliate member page to check out some of the great companies that support South Carolina craft beer who can help you!

Step One: Join the South Carolina Brewers Guild and the Brewers Association!

We offer a brewery-in-planning membership as well as membership for licensed breweries and brewpubs, and so does BA. Becoming a member gets you plugged into what is going on in the South Carolina brewing world. You can join BA by going here and the Guild by going here.

Step Two: READ!

You’re going to be inundated with a lot of material, but the best places to begin for reviewing licensing requirements are with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (“TTB”) and the South Carolina Department of Revenue (“SCDOR”). You’ll need to have the approval of both licensing bodies as well as your local municipality, and both the TTB and SCDOR have great guidelines and FAQs to help you understand what will be needed. You can also contact the Guild and we will help if we can.

Step Three: Zoning

Remember when we said that you will need the approval of your local municipality? Here is where much of that starts. Different cities and counties classify breweries and brewpubs differently. It is important to check with your local government to make sure that any property where you want to open allows you to do so.

Step Four: Apply for a Federal Brewer’s Notice from the TTB

Please use the following links for more information about this process:

Step Five: Apply for Licensing from SCDOR

South Carolina has several licensing options for your brewery or brewpub. You’ll need to procure a state sales tax permit regardless of which option you pick. Please use the following links for more information about this process: