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Drama’s not the only thing Southern Charm star Austen Kroll has been brewing during Season 6 of the show. While Kroll is still seemingly dealing with the fallout of his breakup with Madison LeCroy, it seems it couldn’t keep him from doing what he loves — brewing beer. The Charleston socialite just finished brewing his first batch of Trop Hop, a tropical IPA, and held its launch party in Charleston. Luckily, there are several places where you can grab a taste. And for non-locals, you might have an option in the future.

A challenging start

At first, things seemed a little rocky for Southern Charm’s Austen Kroll as he tried to get his beer off the ground. However, Kroll says that seeing his friend Craig Conover launch his pillow line really helped motivate him. According to Kroll, the expense was the biggest hurdle. 

“My costs were very high. So the fact that I used another brewery and I don’t own the equipment means I have to pay them to brew it, and then I sell it to my distributor at X amount of dollars, and then when they sell it I only make that little margin,” Kroll told PageSix

Kroll went on to add, “I legit was not making any money. So I was like, ‘I could launch this beer a year ago or six months ago, but I would legit just not be making any money.’ And I won’t be making that much money, but the next step is now a brick and mortar spot where you can actually walk into, sit down at the bar and have a beer.”

A successful launch party

Luckily for Kroll, his launch party was an absolute success. In an Instagram post, the Southern Charm star wrote about his success.

“To say this was a successful @kingscallingbrewing launch weekend would be an understatement. So humbled by all the support and positive response by all my family and friends that came and showed support! I met people who traveled from Michigan, Virginia, Arkansas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Charlotte, Columbia etc who all came JUST to try my beer,” wrote Kroll in part.

Kroll told The Feast, “[I’m] very happy with the overwhelming support. It’s everyone who throws a [party’s] biggest fear that nobody will show up … that was NOT the case! People were telling me stories of how they drove in from as close as Columbia and flew in from as far as Michigan just for this event. It was great to feel all the support and hear a lot of stories about beer in their hometown and suggestions for my next beer and beyond! Oh and we went through an absurd amount of beer, which is always a positive!”

Fellow Southern Charm star Patricia Altschul was able to capture a short video of the launch party on Instagram — proof that it was packed to the gills with excited beer drinkers. 

Where can you buy Kroll’s beer?

As of now, it seems as if Austen Kroll’s Trop Hop is only available to those who are local to Charleston. Due to federal regulations, Kroll can’t currently ship the beer outside of South Carolina — however, Craig Conover has joked that he’ll help deal with Kroll’s legal needs pro bono, as they arise. 

Meanwhile, South Carolinians have several places to buy the brew — with its own tap, to boot. Currently, Trop Hop is available at King Street Dispensary, Uptown Social, Charleston Beer Works, Bay Street Biergarten, and The Alley Charleston. 

Southern Charm fans can also sign up for the King’s Calling mailing list to receive updates about Kroll’s brewery and Trop Hop as they become available. 

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