48 CHARLOTTEMAGAZINE.COM // JULY 2019
DO WINDY HILL ORCHARD
CIDERY
For a break from beer, head 35 minutes
west and look for the windmill to get
to York’s Windy Hill Orchard & Cidery.
Pick-your-own-apples season isn’t until
September, but in the meantime, try
some hard cider. One of the rst cideries
in the area, Windy Hill is open for tastings
on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in the
summer. Check their website for exact
dates and times.
1860 Black Hwy., York; 803-684-0690;
windyhillorchard.comYOCO BREW TRAIL
Drive 30 minutes south of uptown to
start your beer adventure in York County.
Download the Visit York County app, and
see if you can check in at ve breweries
to win a T-shirt. Breweries include Amor
Artis in Fort Mill and Dust O, Legal
Remedy, and Slow Play in Rock Hill,
among others. 130 E. Main St., Rock Hill;
visityorkcounty.comBLUE RIDGE JUNCTION AT CAROWINDS
The newest area of Carowinds, across
the South Carolina line, includes the
Copperhead Strike roller coaster, which
whips riders through a double launch
and travels from zero to 42 miles per
hour in 2.5 seconds. The seven-acre Blue
Ridge Junction, which opened in March,
is the largest single-year investment at
the amusement park since its opening in- 300 Carowinds Blvd., carowinds.com
EAT THE IMPROPER PIG
This barbecue restaurant opened a few
months ago in downtown Fort Mill, next
door to Amor Artis. Have a beer, then a
barbecue sandwich, then more beer. 204
Main St., Ste. 102, Fort Mill; 803-547-2345;
theimproperpig.comTHE PUMP HOUSE
Look out over the Catawba River as you
dine on crab cakes, shrimp and grits, or
a fried sweet tea chicken sandwich.
575 Herrons Ferry Rd., Rock Hill;
803-329-8888; rockhillpumphouse.comSTAY
The York County area is so close to
Charlotte, it’s easy to make it a day trip.
If you choose to stay the night, you’ll
nd a handful of options in Rock Hill.
visityorkcounty.comBEER TRAVEL FORT MILL, SOUTH CAROLINA
From
York County,
with Beer
Along the ale trail, a Fort Mill family brews with loveWHILE OTHERS SIP ON PINTS of IPAs and
sours, I lock eyes with a tiny plastic baby
doll lodged in the mouth of a six-inch
Tyrannosaurus rex gurine that stands roar-
ing on the counter at Amor Artis Brewing in
Fort Mill.
When Travis Tolson opened the brewery on
Main Street with his wife, Khara, and his broth-
er, Steve, his son, Carter, was only 3. Carter
has grown up around the
bar along with his little
sister, Stevie, playing with
his dinosaurs and leav-
ing them out. Eventually,
Travis tired of picking up
the toys, so now the dino-
saurs are a trademark for
Amor Artis, and a reminder
of the brewery’s commit-
ment to family.
Among the options
on Amor Artis’ beer list, I notice one named
“Carter Vol. V.” Travis tells me it’s for his son. He
creates a new version every year, but always
with the same ABV: 6.1 percent, for Carter’s
birth weight of six pounds, one ounce.
Amor Artis’ 2018 opening marked the
beginning of downtown Fort Mill’s cra¥ beer
scene, and showcases York County’s growing
brewery culture. In the past year and a half,
four breweries—Amor Artis, Dust O, Rock Hill,
and Slow Play—have opened in the county.
Before he opened Amor Artis, Travis was a
brewer at Wicked Weed in Asheville, a large,
established brewery that taught him to create
high-quality beers in a variety of styles. Lovers
of hoppy IPAs have plenty of options herebetween the Majestic Session IPA and Cruisin’
Down the Street in my 6.4%, but the real pull
of Amor Artis’ beer list is its selection of non-
traditional brews, dra¥s that even a non-beer
drinker can enjoy.
In November, the brewery launched its
Like a Fine Wine series and released two
Belgian tripels aged in wine barrels—one
chardonnay, one cabernet sauvignon. The
nal products are 500-mil-
liliter bottles of beer that
taste more like wine. The
10.5 percent ABV is dan-
gerous, considering how
crisp each sip is.
Use of local ingredients
is another Amor Artis signa-
ture. For the South Carolina
Strawberry Festival, the
staff destemmed 1,600
pounds of strawberries
from Springs Farm by hand to create the brew-
ery’s Strawberry Pale Ale. Earlier this year, Amor
Artis created a sour beer with peaches from
the same farm.
This focus on community reªects the
Tolsons’ roots in Fort Mill—both founders,
Travis and Steve, are natives of the small
suburb 19 miles south of uptown. In a town
of less than 18,000 people, community
becomes family, and Amor Artis welcomes
all. Even dinosaurs.
“As always, our taproom is dino-friendly,”
the team posted in March with a picture of
a Brachiosaurus and T. rex peering out a win-
dow, “just please keep an eye on them as they
tend to get rowdy as the day goes on.” —E.W.CRUISIN’
DOWN THE STREET
IN MY 6.4%
AMOR ARTIS BREWERY
STYLE: A tropical IPA that’s fruity,
floral, and a little bitter
ABV: 6.4 PERCENT TRY
THIS!