COAST tries their best to do things locally and sustainably
Jaime is the other half of COAST. She runs the much less glamorous but just as important side of the brewery: paperwork! She has also gotten pretty good at kegging and not very good at mopping. She is also President of Pop the Cap SC, a grass-roots craft beer advocacy group. When there is time for other things besides the mountain of paper, she runs the lab and tries to make COAST as environmentally friendly and efficient as possible. Her background is varied and colorful, and she would have it no other way. She is originally from NJ, graduated from C of C, married David and had 2 beautiful boys, and not necessarily in that order. She has managed a health food store, taught yoga, was a research specialist in immunology, and a jack of all trades at a biodiesel facility. She believes in living life fully, simply and sustainably. A good beer always helps with that.
David and Jaime think the best way to advocate is by doing- the best you can. Alternative energy is a priority for them at COAST. Their beloved 87 Mercedes TD and 05 VW TDI are run on waste (no food for fuel!) biodiesel. And that’s just the beginning.
We wanted to find out a little more about the operation at COAST so we sat down to get the lowdown with them:
[F&BT] Describe the style you utilize at COAST
[Jaime]Hmmm, thats tough. Id say organic eclectic. We make what we like to drink, everything from session ales to extreme beers. We like it all. Were really laid back and David lives to surf so youll see a surfy/nautical theme with some pirate thrown in for fun.
[F&BT]What is your mission?
[Jaime]Our mission is to make South Carolina a beer appreciation and destination state. Weve been the Bud state for too long and folks here are yearning for a good locally made craft beer as well as supporting a local business and economy. We want to be on the same playing field as the big craft beer guys (Founders, Avery, Great Divide etc ) but made locally by true beer people. We also support organic agriculture, use local when we can and hope to eventually be able to sponsor like-minded organizations and businesses as we grow. Id like to see the sometimes-bad connation for organic beer completely disappear. We dont market our beer as organic for that reason. Love our beer for craft first and then find out its organic and theres the icing on the cake.