I'm in Charleston - it's a great place to visit !!
Downtown, I like to have a beer in the beer garden at the Blind Tiger, it's near East bay and Broad, on Broad ... That area is the main restaurant district, so if you're looking for some good eats, you'll find yourself there ... Our faves are Blossom, Magnolias and High Cotton and for cheap great Italian Bocci's is nearby if you can find it ! Also, there's a wine bar called Social right there too that has a decent beer menu and a good atmosphere .. If you're looking for super fancy southern beer and wine check out McCrady's it's a really cool atmosphere .. With as much high quality food as we have within beautiful walking distance, it's really common to go to one restaurant for drinks/appetizer, another for dinner, and a third for a nightcap and dessert - it'll knock the socks off your wife / gf. And it's really fun to walk around !!! Hire a pedicab after dinner to take you around the neighborhoods "south of broad" for the ultimate night out - it costs around $20-30 and is a great way to see the old houses in the dark !
That's about it, make sure to have a Palmetto beer, and if your wife is shopping on upper king, it's only a few blocks to the brewery and Ed will give you a few beers and show you around .. The bottler is awesome !!
We also have a local brewer called Coast, and there Hop Art IPA will settle you right down at 7.2% .. It's one I enjoy ONE of
Let me know how it works out !