Just spent the weekend in West Virginia at Adventures on the Gorge and visited one of the local breweries. Was super impressed with The Freefolk Brewery and wondered if any of you have run into a little out of the way brewery that unexpectedly made you do a Mr. Wolf. My review: The Freefolk Brewery | Fayetteville, WV | Reviews | BeerAdvocate
Deming WA, population around 330, has the awesome North Folk Brewery. A must stop when going to Mt.Baker ski area or into the North Cascades National Park.
Not sure what qualifies as a "small town" but Brau Brothers in Marshall, MN (population 12,000-ish) was a nice stop. https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/14967/ Their bock ("Illbebock") is very tasty. Their ESB ("Sheephead Ale", named after the local name for a freshwater drum) was pretty solid. I can't put Toppling Goliath on here, because it's not a "relative unknown," but Decorah, Iowa is a town of about 7,500.
several of my answers to this question have recently folded (RIP, Honest Weight of Orange MA). It's a hard scale to succeed in, and this size of brewery is often my very favorite.
As mentioned above, not certain what 'defines' small town but... I have visited Redbeard Brewing in Staunton, VA a couple/few times and that brewery never disappoints me. An extract from a past thread: "...I followed up with 221B Baker Brown Ale. I found this beer to be an excellent English Brown Ale. During my conversation with the bartender, he informed me that all of the Redbeard beers brewed using English Ale yeast are named with a Sherlock Holmes reference." Cheers to Redbeard!
A "small town" is a localized, non-suburban settlement characterized by a tight-knit community, a smaller population (typically under 5,000 to 10,000 residents), and a distinct geographic distance from larger metropolitan centers. It generally emphasizes an agricultural, industrial, or rural-focused economy rather than a commuter-based one.
FWIW, the town that the brewery in the OP is in is Fayetteville, WV. The population of Fayetteville, West Virginia, is estimated to be approximately 2,700 to 2,800 residents. It is a small, close-knit county seat renowned for its outdoor recreation and proximity to the New River Gorge National Park
I’m going to be in that area this upcoming weekend for a Horse Show with my daughter and- this is on my list to visit based on thoughts from @JackHorzempa and @smithj4 . Heliotrope Brewing in nearby Lexington, VA was a fun visit and had some very good beers.
Don't worry, Jack. I'll still count Redbeard Brewing as small town, even though the population of Staunton, Virginia is approximately 26,900
Well, he probably didn't think any city that has 2 colleges and a population of 25k would be considered small.
Colorado Boy Brewing in Ridgway CO. is full-on excellent and that town is barely a blip on the map on the way to Telluride. Speaking of Telluride, it only has a population of a few thousand people and Telluride Brewing is one of the state's finest.
Wooly Pig Farm Brewery in the "tiny" town of Fresno, Ohio - population 140 - nearby Coshocton OH is a whopping 11,188 population. Kevin Ely of Wooly Pig makes some of the best German centric lagers out there - they are an awesome 90 acre farm brewery! https://www.woolypigfarmbrewery.com/ check out their current draft list! Rustic Helles Keller Pils Fruited Berlinerweisse (Prickly Pear) IPL Eins Rye Dunkel Schwarzbier Coffee Pils Uno Mas Kleines Classic Gose From the Heart Dortmunder Maibock
One of my good friends who lives in Marietta, OH absolutely RAVES about this place. I really need to make it a priority.
West Kill Brewing is up the road from West Kill, NY, which I think has a population of 120 or something. They have some core beers that consistently win medals, and a very large line up of rotating/seasonal beers that are just spectacular. https://www.westkillbrewing.com/ So far, some of my favorites of theirs have been their Czech-style Pilsner Bezucha Bros, their hazy pale ale Mountain Life, their Belgian-style wit Gone Afield, and their hazy IPA Duck Camp.
One of my other favorites in the area is Wayward Lane Brewing, from Schoharie, NY, which has a population of maybe a thousand people. They're consistently putting out bangers, ranging from absolutely delicious IPAs to classic lagers, Czech/Italian/French/German/etc-style pilsners, they do great bitters, but I think my favorites of theirs have been the hazy IPAs and DIPAs. They won NY State Brewery of the Year in 2025 together with Grimm. https://www.waywardlanebrewing.com/new-page-2
Farm/Brewery combos are so awesome. Wheatland Spring looks great; I bet their beers are so tasty. There's one here in the area that's very popular with my customers, Arrowood Farms. https://arrowoodfarms.com/ They really knock it out of the park with some classic versions of pilsners, pale ales and IPAs.
Manchester NY (a bit under 10k) has nice little brewery called Reinvention. I always enjoy going there when visiting family.
