Hunter-Gatherer Brewery and Alehouse

2/3/2008 5:38:33 PM, sunday, february 03, 2008
Overall, excellent. Plusesgood, hoppy beers. My favoritethe ESB, nicely balanced while also heavy without going into the heavy gravity realm great food with a diverse menu, and priced nicely great service from a friendly, courteous, and attentive staff. Minusesthey kept the doors open on a mild day, which made the place a little chilly only about 4 or 5 beers ever seem to be on tap it’s smoker friendly, because South Carolina apparently hasn’t caught up with the modern world about the very real threats of second hand smoke. Yuck.

8/7/2007 8:45:15 PM, tuesday, august 07, 2007
Neo-industrial look to an old building, with the brewing equipment right out in front of you. Sat at the bar, had a couple beers, then ate an excellent blackened chicken sandwich that came with hash browns (?!?!). Good beers, although I wish they had more. Took a growler and glass back to my room and the festivities really began then. Smoker-friendly, an interesting mix of preppy college-types, professionals, and grungy wannabe Goths.

7/19/2007 11:40:20 PM, thursday, july 19, 2007
Stopped by here briefly a few years back. Accessible enough off the main highways, though I recall it being a bit dicey in the parking department. Liked the atmosphere - an old building that they’d done that industrial/neuvogrunge thing to. Clean. Didn’t eat. Beer was a bit off the beaten path and decent.

7/5/2007 11:45:52 PM, thursday, july 05, 2007 [ Updated saturday, july 07, 2007 ]
Excellent little eclectic brewpub on the outskirts of downtown. Have at least four of thier own on tap with a guest tap or two for those so inclined. Excellent atmpshpere - two stories - plenty of room in an old restored building on the outskirts of downtown. They should promote thier own beers more -but no big deal. Great menu - lots of game-type selections. Enjoyed the quail. Stop by!

6/7/2007 1:20:39 PM, thursday, june 07, 2007
THE place to go for great craft beer in Columbia. Actually, the ONLY place to go for great craft beer. Four beers - Wheat, Pale Ale, ESB, and a rotating brew which changes every few months. This is usually a dark beer like a stout or porter, but lately they have been brewing organic beers. Now I see that there wil be a XXX IPA next, the first high-gravity offering from HG. Can’t wait to try it! The beers are all very good, but I prefer the ESB and the seasonal brew, whatever that happens to be at the time, because I haven’t ever had a bad seasonal brew here. The food is also top notch, with everything from burgers, pizzas and gyros to regional sausage dogs, seared duck breast, and seafood specials. When you see the place you really wouldn’t expect the menu to be so diversified or the food to be so delicious. There is nothing upscale at all about HG except some of the menu items. Just a great brewpub in a city that is sorely lacking places such as this. I love the atmosphere, the people, and the beer here, as do all my friends. If you can’t tell I am a frequent regular here. Hunter Gatherer is truly a treasure to the city of Columbia.

1/19/2007 5:01:52 PM, friday, january 19, 2007
One of our favorite places in town just to grab a bite and a brew. Smallish selection but good beer and really good food. Contrary to an earlier post HG is not fancy and I don’t think you could call the food elegant -- but we love going there. Very casual & right on the edge of USC -- on the same block as the Nickelodeon, an indie film theater.

1/3/2007 5:04:36 PM, wednesday, january 03, 2007
So we approach this worn, tattered brick building which is off on some side street. I never would’ve guessed that it was a brewpub with duck and lamb on the menu (though I didn’t eat this time). The inside has a rustic, minimalist feel. I like the bewing setup directly behind the bar. I only had the stout on my visit, but it was solid. This is one of the few places to get some regionally indigenous beers in Columbia.

12/21/2006 3:20:51 PM, thursday, december 21, 2006 [ Updated monday, january 15, 2007 ]
Only 4 beers on draught all being very boring. But I believe it’s the only brewpub around there for quite a ways. Seemed like more of an upscale place I was kinda out of place with shorts and a t-shirt. More wine and macro drinkers than people drinking the brewed beers. Pretty small only holds 100. Food looked very elegant some very fancy dishes on the menu. Real cool atmoshpere with all old brick and wood decor and the tanks right behind the bar is a great idea. Nice place wish the beer was better, but I probably won’t be back to Columbia,SC anytime soon anyways. Not far from I-77 I stopped on my way driving through.