Small scale brewing operations like River Rat and Hunter Gatherer in Columbia are representative of the growing craft beer industry in South Carolina and nationwide. For this story we spoke with Kevin Varner, founder of Hunter Gatherer Brewing, about the laws he helped pass back in 1995 that gave brewers more freedom to run their operations. We also sat down with River Rat brewmaster Drew Walker, who talked about how brewers work to stay on top of such a rapidly changing industry. Despite the challenges that are a part of their jobs – including the potential threat of higher operation prices because of recent tariffs on steel and aluminum - both men told us that the craft brewing industry is here to stay and has a bright future in South Carolina.