West Virginia beer recommendations

It's been a few years since I've been there but I liked what Stumptown Ales was putting out.

 

I recently visited Morgantown Brewing Company, and enjoyed the few beers of theirs I tried.

 

I used to live in Morgantown and am friends with the co-founder of Mountain State Brewing Co. in Thomas, WV, which is one of the older microbreweries in WV and sells its beers in cans pretty widely throughout the state (they also have a taproom in Morgantown).

I haven't been back to WV much recently though and am not so familiar with the newer WV breweries I'm seeing listed, including the three you mentioned @Mitchell57 (Bridge Brew Works is the only one I've previously heard of). Bridge Brew Works and Freefolk are both in Fayetteville right near the New River Gorge Bridge, which is a pretty impressive sight (it previously held the title of longest arch bridge in the world and is featured on the WV quarter), if that has any sway over your decision of which of those to prioritize.

Regarding bottle shops, when I went back to Morgantown in 2017, I saw the Kroger at Suncrest Towne Center and also Ashebrooke Liquor Outlet near WVU suggested as the best places in Morgantown for beer selection (I only went to the former, and they had a decent selection but didn't sell bottles individually). I'm not sure if any better options have developed since that time.

These links give a bit more insight into some of the specific beers for the WV breweries: "The Must-Try Beer from Every WV Brewery" (https://wvtourism.com/must-try-beer/) and "Top Rated Beers: West Virginia" (https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/top-rated/us/wv/).

I realize that didn't necessarily answer your questions but hope it provides a little bit of insight. Cheers!

 

Thank you for your reply @Mitchell57! I had one more thought to share about WV craft beer regarding its availability--when I was in Morgantown in 2017 the only WV beers I recall seeing for sale in that Kroger suggested for its beer selection were from Mountain State Brewing Co. and Greenbrier Valley Brewing Co., both selling in cans. There may be others distributing around the state--I got the impression that Bridge Brew Works was doing some distribution in bottles, and that article I sent you (dated Sept. 2019) mentioned you can get Big Timber Brewing Co.'s beers in 16 oz cans, but for other breweries you may have to go to the source to try their brews and/or find them on tap in local bars and restaurants.

I'm going to share this thread with my friend at Mountain State Brewing Co. and see if he wants to chime in about anything or pass it on to others who would want to (I don't know whether he's on Beer Advocate). Otherwise, that's all I've got to share regarding the beer scene in "West By God Virginia". Good luck!

 

@Mitchell57 I also saw this thread posted by @EersandBeers last year in this forum which has a bit of insight:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/west-virginia-has-breweries-seriously.609042/

 

Well, the email I sent to my friend (the one who I said was one of the co-founders of Mountain State Brewing Company) regarding this thread bounced back from his old hotmail address, so I sent it again through the general brewery contact email address--we'll see if it gets to him that way and whether there's any follow-up here. I met up with him 3 years ago in his hometown anyway--I know him from before he and his step-brother opened up Mountain State in 2005. I liked all the brews I had from Mountain State Brewing but honestly haven't drunk any of them since I visited their brewery in 2007, so my reviews of their beers wouldn't be recent or objective as they blend together in my mind with all the many beers I've had through the years since. The only other WV brews I've tried were at the now-closed West Virginia Brewing Company in Morgantown in the late-90's (it stood in the same building where Morgantown Brewing Company now stands--right alongside the Monongahela River in Morgantown).

Well, if my friend Willie doesn't post anything here, then I'll just share this video on his behalf featuring the background story of the Mountain State Brewery instead, which features a lot of West Virginia imagery and makes me nostalgic: .
They're based in Thomas, WV, a small town by the Maryland border located near a couple of attractions (Blackwater Falls and Seneca Rocks) and ski resorts (Canaan Valley and Timberline) but have opened up a few other taprooms elsewhere since. It seems that's the formula for most breweries in West Virginia--either based in the main towns or near tourist sites (Weathered Ground is right near Winterplace Ski Resort--I was wondering why they would open anything there as from my impression it's otherwise sort of in the middle of nowhere, other than that it's located along I-77 and not too far south of Beckley, but then again I don't know that area of the state quite as well).

Also through perusing websites I noticed that West Virginia raised its ABV% cap in 2009 from a maximum 6% ABV to 12% ABV, which apparently stifled the beer scene to some degree there up to that time.

By the way @Mitchell57, you're right, Screech Owl Brewing is located about 40 minutes from Morgantown in Bruceton Mills along I-68 towards Maryland, which to get to you'll drive up, up, up in elevation over a mountain pass and past Coopers Rock State Park to get to (Bruceton Mills is at a noticeably higher elevation than Morgantown--they would always get a lot more snow in the winter than Morgantown did). Short Story Brewing is closer, between Morgantown and Fairmont--I noticed that was one of the places that EersAndBeers stated was one of the best breweries in WV. So, with those plus a few in Morgantown itself like Chestnut Brew Works and Morgantown Brewing plus Mountain State Brewing Co's taproom there, you'd have a few options in that area.

Okay, I think that's all--sorry to go on and on, but I just get excited talking about West Virginia, despite my lack of insight about the current craft beer scene there... sorry. Cheers!

 

Being a craft beer nerd in WV has it's limitations but I can definitely point you in the right direction.
If you are in the Fayeteville area then I would def pay a visit to Freefolk. It's a great place and they are really putting out some good stuff right now. I enjoyed Bridge Brew also but wouldn't go out of my way to visit. BUT, it's close to Freefolk soooo..... Also, if you are looking for good eats in that area go to Secret Sandwich Society. Great sammiches and good tap list.
Between there and Morgantown it's kind of a wasteland. Bridgeport has Meagher's and Mountain State. I avoid Mt State because their own beers are terrible and what they charge for everyone else is outrageous. I'm talking $10/pint of High Ground Brewing. Speaking of, High Ground is really good and I'd pick up some of their stuff. Meaghers is an Irish Pub and besides a good selection of Whiskey they have upped their tap list recently.

Fairmont, WV has a place called the Rambling Root. Eatery/Brewery. Great food. Great people and a really nice tap list. Not far from there is one of my faves in the state. Short Story Brewing. I really would recommend this place over about anywhere. If you do go there you can drive the windy back roads into Morgantown. The best bottle/can shop in the area is called Every Day's A Party in Morgantown. You can get about anything you want from the state there. Also they almost always have Maine beers!! Next door is Black Bear Burritos. Good food and good tap list. Another place in Morgantown worth a visit is Apothecary Ale House. They always have a great selection, especially if you are looking for something different.

If you head into the Thomas/Davis area go to Stumptown. I'd put them in a tie with Short Story as the 2 best in the state. High Ground a close 2nd.

Anyways, if you have any questions just ask. I've been to about every brewery in the state. I kinda consider the Charleston/Huntington area pretty terrible for beer but I'm sure others don't.

 

I'd definitely suggest Weathered Ground if you had to chose one. They are only a few years old but are putting out some outstanding beers in a vast variety of styles. They are only 5 miles off of the interstate and if you visit in the Spring or Summer, they have a huge outdoor area with great scenery surrounding. The wood-fired pizza is also worth checking out. Feel free to pm me with any questions if you make it down this way, you'll noticed that I've submitted about 95% of WG's BA reviews.

 

Unfortunately Secret Sandwich Society burned down last summer. They are yet to reopen. I like that area better than Weathered Ground but that just might be personal opinion. If you are in that area def go to Freefolk Brewery. They are doing a lot of good stuff and the brewery is very very cool with the artwork. Also, Bridge Brew is right there as well and has a huge outdoor area.