God I wish I could. Closer to California or Philly or Burton-on-Trent. But this relates to subforums. WV has always been a strange place and nobody seems to know where it belongs. It's not quite on a coast, not really new england, not the midwest or great lakes...destined to be a bastard in any classification system. But if we're looking at the regionality of where folks trapped in WV most likely venture, and the beer scenes that we keep an eye on, you're probably talking about MD, PA and DC. Those are our go-to's. That and maybe Ohio if you're in the western part of the state. Our connection to greater Virginia is tenuous and states like Georgia and Florida may as well be on another planet. There may not be enough BAs out there to actually make a difference, but I for one would like to see WV moved from the south-Atlantic to the mid-Atlantic subforum. Any hope of that?
I like West Virginia right where it is. Geographically, I wouldn't want it anywhere else. Forum-wise, my hometown is right on the Ohio border, so I follow the Great Lakes threads (plus I live an hour from Jackie O's). I could see it being moved to that one or the Mid-Atlantic forum, since most of the WV population is in or close to the Ohio valley and/or Pennsylvania border.
Yeah there's even a rift within the state itself as you point out. Depends on which side you're on as to where your focus goes in the forums. 'Cause it sure ain't in-state! Perhaps we should split it into East West Virginia (mid-Atlantic forum) and West West Virginia (Great Lakes). It's a special place, this.
I hear you jmw. As a new resident to WV, it feels really, really odd to be in the south atlantic forum. I feel no connection to places like Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.... a feeling that is only enhanced by the fact that none of their beers are availabe (to the best of my knowledge) in WV. Even Virginia, the only state adjacent to WV in the South Atlantic forum... the craft beer activity is out in N. Virginia near DC, or around the capitol in Richmond. We don't even get Starr Hill (that I've seen) in WV? Problem is, where should it be placed instead? Most of what I said about the South Atlantic is equally true about the Mid Atlantic and Great Lakes forum (though we do get some beers from Pa., Ohio and Maryland). I think your point is well taken jmw (like you, I rarely bother to take a look at the South Atlantic forum... there's literally never anything posted that is at all relevant to my life in Morgantown), but I'm just not sure where we should put WV instead.
I camp in WV every year for the last 6, my brother-in-law has 92 acres west of Clarksburg, over by Salem, off Little Flint Road. Need 4x4 to get up on the ridge, etc. We no longer make the mistake of "buying beer when we get there to save on gas $$". Between WV's lack of selection, and western PA's weird case only rule, we haul from home.......although our earlier transgressions allowed me to try Stoneys, Lord Chesterfield, and Strohs.
I stand corrected. I haven't seen any SH in Morgantown, but then again, as I've already learned, Morgantown isn't exactly a hotbed of craft beer activity.
"although our earlier transgressions allowed me to try Stoneys, Lord Chesterfield, and Strohs." That's a harsh price to pay for a pretty innocent mistake.
To revisit the original suggestion: if for no other reason, there are two major cities both named Charleston in this subforum and those crackers in SC never can seem to recognize that--think they're the only one.
