A Murrells Inlet bar combining wine, craft beer, coffee and bottles celebrates opening
Mary and Joseph Albanese used to frequent a bar called Carolina Beer Temple in Matthews, N.C., where they lived before moving to the Myrtle Beach area.
Inspired by its concept, they are holding a grand opening celebration of Cap’n Cork in Murrells Inlet Wednesday, which is a craft beer tap room, wine bar, coffee shop and bottle shop, with bottles of wine and bottled craft beer for sale.
“They have this kind of idea with the craft beer, the wine bar and then bottle shop, and we didn’t see anything like that down here so we thought there was an opportunity,” Mary said.
Cap’n Cork is located in the Woodside Village shopping plaza behind a Chick-fil-A off U.S. 17 Bypass South. The location was formerly a Vienna’s Pizzeria and Sports Bar and has been heavily renovated.
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The grand opening will be celebrated for the rest of the week. A ribbon cutting is today at 10:30 a.m., an open house is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Wine Down Wednesday Specials include $2 off glasses and flight and no corking fee.
The restaurant is holding a private wine tasting event at 5 p.m. Thursday. A Grand Strand Brewing Co. Tap Takeover is Friday, and a Cork Fest Battle of the Breweries featuring three Carolinas breweries begins at 2 p.m. Saturday, when the Benitos Rolling Oven pizza truck will be on site.
Changing careers
Mary has been an information technologies (IT) director and Joseph is a former six-year Army medic who has been involved in wine sales for several years, including at Total Wine in Myrtle Beach.
“My husband wanted to retire but he didn’t want to be idle,” Mary said.
Their son, Joey, has been a beer den master at Lowes Foods and a bartender, and will oversee the craft beer selections with the moniker “The Ale Man.”
Their daughters are helping with website development and social media and may someday join in the business’ operations.
The bar has 24 craft beer taps.
Mary said the family plans to feature craft brews from the Carolinas including Myrtle Beach area breweries Grand Strand Brewing Co., New South Brewing Co., and Tidal Creek Brewhouse, as well as Legal Remedy Brewing in Rock Hill and several breweries in Asheville, N.C. Three Grand Strand brewery flavors are currently available.
Unique furniture
Cap’n Cork has a palette of fruit crates serving as display cases for craft beer and wine bottles, and four wine barrels serving as tables and another two being used as display stands.
Two Brothers Woodworks in Market Common built a live edge primary bar top from a large slice of a maple tree that is protected with epoxy.
The brothers also made a 10-inch-wide lean bar along an adjacent wall for bar overflow, and a 10-person community table from a local pecan tree featuring copper U-shaped leg supports. The coffee bar is granite.
The menu has about 10 items that are mostly light appetizers such as charcuterie, meat and cheese boards, hummus, soft pretzels with beer cheese and other dips, a Utica tomato pie that is similar to pizza, flatbreads, spinach and artichoke dip, and Lowcountry Kettle Potato Chips from Charleston. There are four additional desserts.
Salads and sandwiches may be added, Mary said, but Cap’n Cork does not offer fried foods.
Daily drink specials will include Wine Down Wednesdays, Thirsty Thursday beer specials, Friday Night Flights and Prosecco Sundays, and there will be a monthly flavored mimosa special.
Cap’n Cork has preliminary hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and from 12-6 p.m. Sunday, and will be closed Monday and Tuesday.
This story was originally published October 14, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
