Brewery replaces shrimp processing in old Port Royal facility. Here’s what’s coming next

A brewery has replaced shrimp processing in a refurbished building on Port Royal’s waterfront, with its name paying homage to ancient peoples who harvested seafood and created communal areas with the leftover shells.

Shellring Ale Works on 11th Street, located on Battery Creek, is the only brewery in Beaufort County located north of the Broad River. It features barrel-aged brews with unique flavors and decidedly local names.

The opening of the new brewery, which will eventually include a restaurant and at least a $4.5 million investment, comes as the town that bills itself as “cool, coastal and and far from ordinary” prepares for an influx of activity on its Port of Port Royal waterfront.

Last fall, worldwide marina operator Safe Harbor Marinas acquired the former South Carolina State Ports Authority terminal and adjacent property for $20 million, setting the stage for development of a marina, businesses and housing.

And the town is preparing to redevelop its crumbling shrimp dock with the help of $900,000 in state funding OK’d last year.

“With what’s going on in Port Royal,” says Shellring Ale Works’ Nick Borreggine of Beaufort, “this is the right place to be for us.”

The brewery is located next to Fish Camp on 11th Street.

Borreggine co-owns the business with his father, Nick Borreggine Sr. and investor Lynn Jersild.

About a dozen “cutting edge” brews are available at the taproom including mainstays such as Nautical Lite (Nauti Lite), a crisp ale with a hint of citrus and lower alcohol content; Aria’s, an amber lager named after a mermaid character; Hop Dr., a Hazy IPA, and even sour selections such as Jelly, a fruited sour Ale.

A variety of seasonal brews are always in the works as well.

“We make beer,” Borreggine says simply, but his goal is for Shellring to become a community gathering place for Port Royal and Beaufort, just as shellrings of oysters, clams and mussels were once communal gathering places for Native Americans. The brewery’s logo is a shellring and its planning beers that will be named after notable area shellring sites.

Brewing beer has been a passion of Borreggine, a Philadelphia native who moved to the Lowcountry more than two decades ago, since his college days, when he home brewed.

He also owns the Fat Patties burger restaurant in Port Royal.

Shellring Ale Works also cans and distributes brews that can be found in about 100 locations including restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores. The aim, Borreggine says, is to have distribution revenue eventually outpace tap room sales, “but we’re not there yet.”

The brewery opened Feb. 24 in the remodeled shrimp processing facility built by the South Carolina Ports Authority in the 1930s or 40s.

“You could see the sky in multiple areas,” Borreggine said of the state of the building’s roof when work began.

A clogged up supply chain caused by COVID-19 made finding materials difficult and turned what was expected to be a three-month build into a 10-month project. But the owners have incorporated shrimp processing infrastructure from the area in the revamped building including railroad tracks repurposed as front porch railings.

An outdoor patio space, called Riverfront at Shellring, was added Sept. 16. An old ice house and fuel tank were removed to make way for the addition. Now, patrons, as they sip beer, can watch shorebirds wading in the shallows stabbing shrimp for dinner. Occasionally, dolphins cruise in to feed near shore.

“We wanted property on the water — it had to be on the water,” Borreggine said.

Eventually, a bar will be added to the outside space, Borreggine said.

And a 4,000-square-foot restaurant also is planned on the site. Borreggine is waiting for the economy to improve, he says, before proceeding with the restaurant, even though it’s already been designed. In the meantime, a small menu from a food truck is available now.

Two brewers oversee operations at the Port Royal brewery, a 15-barrel system that’s a “dual-purpose” space, with brewing occurring up to 3 p.m. when the doors open to the public.

Mixed-culture ales ferment for over a year in 51-gallon oak barrels and larger oak tanks called foeders. These beers have yet to be released. They will be named after significant South Carolina shell ring sites including “Dataw,” “Chesterfield” and “Fig Island.”

“We like to make a lot of beers, not just one type,” Borreggine says. “A well-rounded beer list is our goal. And they change all the time.”

Shellring Ale Works received tax incentives called Special Source Revenue Credits and Fees in Lieu of Taxes from Beaufort County to assist in the project. Those incentives go to businesses to reduce property taxes if they promise to invest a certain amount of money.

Shellring Ale Works promised to invest $4.5 million and create 43 jobs. As a result of inflation and supply chain issues, Borreggine says, $3 million already has been invested in the project and “we still have a restaurant to build.”

“We still have every intention to build the restaurant,” Borreggine says, “we’re just not sure when.”

He is confident, he says, that the businesses will reach the 43-job goal.