July 21, 2011
I do not get the love for this place. Good bottle selection for sure but the service and snotty crowd leave much to be desired.

March 2, 2011
I got some great values on imports as Laura Alberts is transforming to All-American craft beers in 2011. They seem keenly interested in offering uncommon craft beers and wines. I pretty much agree with the previous write-ups so I won’t repeat them. Be sure to ask about their special beer events. I plan to attend most of them.

September 6, 2010
This is a classy little cafe/boutique that serves lunch to a business crowd. It’s strange they serve beer at all, let alone a respectable selection as this. There is a reasonably good variety of craft beer on shelves, though I saw many old bottles. A more attractive draw is the tap offerings which are available by the pint or in a bomber or growler to take home. Special attention is paid to rotating the offerings. I noticed a few beer dinners on their calendar. The owner is very enthusiastic about beer appreciation and education. I had a superbly delicious lunch before finishing off my shopping. This is a great stop to add variety into a Charleston beer crawl.

July 7, 2010
I am in the Charleston area staying with a friend on Isle of Palms and stopped into this little place. A restaurant/wine/beer-store/gift shop fusion of sorts. I didn’t realize they served food and as I acclimated myself with the setup, I was convinced to stay for an appetizer. I was looking in their beverage cooler at some bottles of Souther Tier, Cascade, and The Bruery when I was approached by a lady asking if I’d like to taste anything off the draft system. They had a 6-tap True cooler facing the room upon which they served growler fills and 22oz bomber fills. A back hallway had shelves devoted to craft beer as well as counter space on the kegerator. I tasted Weyerbacher Insanity, North Coast Rasputin, and New Holland Imperial Hatter - no charge. Must’ve been a 2 oz pour! I grabbed a few bottles of Sculpin IPA and a bottle of Coast Blackbeerd and asked the lady to hold them for me at the counter. I sat down and drank a pint of Rasputin served in a large Dogfish Head snifter! I sat inside and enjoyed the vibe. Oil paintings of marsh grass, birds and sunsets covered the walls. I ordered the shrimp and conch fritters. They came with several sauces for dipping. Simply amazing! My waitress told me they were made in house from fresh caught local seafood. I didn’t mind dropping $9 on them because of the quality and freshness - I never get that good of seafood where I’m from! I left with a mixed 6-pack including Weyerbacher Verboten, Stone Saison du Buff, Black Albert, Avery Maharaja, Tilburgs Dutch Brown, and Victory Yakima and several other rarities like Coast Blackbeerd. I’m going to stop back by this place on my way out of town for sure. A great place to stop in if you are in the vicinity of Charleston.

July 7, 2010 [ Updated July 20, 2010 ]
My wife & I live in Western PA and visited the Carolinas this summer. We stopped by Laura Alberts on our trip through Charleston after reading reviews on BeerAdvocate. We stopped for lunch (served Mon-Sat 11:30-3pm) & sat in the courtyard - a brick patio out back w/ a fountain, outdoor furniture w/ umbrellas, & palmetto trees - quite the Southern setting. On tap: New Hollland Imperial Hatter IPA, North Coast brews 2010 Old Rasputin, Le Merle & Stoudt’s American Pale. I found a cold Ballast Point Sculpin IPA in their beverage cooler & my wife chose an Avery 17th Anniversary. I noticed they offer growler & 22oz bomber fills off their 6-tap growler bar. The growler bar stands in front of an antique wooden cabinet that stands 12 feet. The cabinet shelves are lined with various growler shells from breweries, bars & brewpubs around America. In the center of this shrine to growlers is a picture of an old man named "Mack", the owner’s grandfather. They chose the mans face as the emblem on their growler shell the: "Daniel Island Growler". The hallway out to the patio was full of shelves lined w/ craft beer. 2008 Breakfast Stout, 2006 Stone Double Bastard, Stone 12th Anniversary, Stone 14th Anniversary, COAST Blackbeerd Stout, & Black Alberts Royal Stout. This place is full of quality beer! The owner showed me the back beer room they call the "Cellar" - part of the dining area equipt w/ a table that seats 10 people surrounded by wooden wine case shelves full of craft beer. Stone Imperial Russian Stout, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Ommegang Zuur Belgica & many others. I went crazy like a kid in a candy store & left w/ a growler of Dogfish Head Aprihop signed by Sam Calagione (they recently had a dinner w/ Sam Calagione & had him sign a bunch of growlers!), a bomber of Coronado Idiot IPA, SmuttyNose Gravitation, a four back of 2008 Founders Breakfast Stout, a six pack of Stone/Dogfish/Victory Saison du BUFF, & Stone Vertical Epic 09-09-09! The food was great. My wife had the Daniel Island salad with a piece of almond crusted mahi-mahi & I had fried green tomato, pesto ham, mozzarella & pesto pimento cheese sandwich. So good. I highly recommend! A must if you are in the Charleston area.

June 20, 2010
Laura Alberts has become a serious beer store in the past year and a half. They now carry vintage Stone, Founders, De Struise, the list goes on. The place screams quality for your buck. They have six taps always flowing with something different week to week. One tap is always something you can’t find anywhere else in the area! Wednesday night is Growler Hour - happy hour but for growlers, bombers and pints. They serve dinner now on Wednesdays, serving up a menu including Double IPA battered bratwurst, steak and tons of Southern style food. They have corn-hole out back and from time to time they have musicians play live music. Since Farringdon’s went down the drain, the trek to this place from North Charleston is a walk in the park. It’s tough to make it down to the beer exchange because of parking - so I usually stop in and always find something comparable at Laura Alberts. They’ve had monthly beer dinners with the craft beer industry’s royalty: Sam Calagione & Steve Hindy with brewery’s like Stone, Sierra Nevada, Victory, North Coast to name a few. Laura Alberts is a must if you are in the Charleston area - staying on Sullivan’s Island, Isle of Palms, North Charleston or Mt. Pleasant. A serious place for stellar beer and Southern style cuisine with a touch of class.