West Virginia Beer Roads Charles Bockway & Erin McCoy

In southern West Virginia, when you think of a true craft beer bar, chances are, you think of Summit Beer Station. After opening in Huntington in 2013, the bar made tremendous strides in its first 10 years.







Maybe its biggest stride was its influence on the entire region’s beer market.







A decade ago, when Summit opened for business, West Virginia’s craft beer market was still in its infancy. The state had only a handful of top-quality premium beer labels—whether U.S. or imported—available to its bars and restaurants. Only nine local small breweries operated in the state. Few bars and restaurants had more than one or two craft beers on their taps.







Enter Summit Beer Station







Jeff McKay pouring a draft at the original Summit Beer Station, 2013







Jeff McKay was a guy who wasn’t satisfied with the beer variety(or lack thereof) he found in the local beer market. So he did something about it: He opened Summit Beer Station.







As his passion for better beer developed, so did Summit’s tap list. It wasn’t easy and took a tremendous effort pushing/working with beer distributors to improve both the quality and quantity of their craft offerings. But he got it done.







To celebrate his 10 years of progress, McKay is holding a big celebration at Summit Beer Station on Saturday, May 11. Twenty taps will be filled with new and special craft beers from Europe and America.







McKay holds up 10 fingers to promote Summit’s 10th Anniversary event coming up on Saturday, May 11







Quite an accomplishment







It’s not often you can say that one beer bar, led by one individual, truly made a big difference in an entire market—but Summit Beer Station did. It trained a whole community about better beer. Its influence has been felt across its Tri-State area and also into Charleston. Through Summit’s efforts, beer drinkers became better educated on the world of beer styles and the intriguing flavors they bring.







So we thank you, Jeff McKay, for building and nurturing Summit Beer Station and for helping lead our market to a better place in beer. We are indebted to you.







Jeff McKay (at left) interviewed by Erin McCoy and Charles Bockway







Listen to the Podcast







On this episode of West Virginia Beer Roads, Jeff McKay tells the story of Summit Beer Station. Find out what sparked him to start it, how it was in the early days, and how its beer offerings have developed. It’s an interesting story all about the intersection of business and beer passion.







So tune in and listen as McKay takes Erin and Charles for a ride down the WV Beer Roads.







Episode 083 • Jeff McKay on WV Beer Roads • 47 min.















We congratulate Jeff McKay for being a leader in the state’s craft beer scene.















Bringing us good beers for over 10 years







A younger Jeff McKay in 1993







Summit Beer Station259 9th AvenueHuntington, WVFacebook

West Virginia Beer Roads traveled to Elkins, WV, to get this interview with Samantha Fox, owner and head brewer at Fox Hops Brewery. Fox Hops is a new brewery, tucked into the Appalachian Mountains, that opened in April 2024.







As this beautiful region of West Virginia moves from its traditional timber industry background to becoming a bigger and bigger tourism industry stronghold, the opportunity for new businesses, like small breweries, opens up.







Changing industries bring many new types of people to the region. Along with that change comes challenges. The mixing of old and new is never completely smooth.







Samantha Fox in her brewery.







A new generation of brewers







Samantha Fox represents a new generation of brewers who are forging their own paths in this still relatively new WV environment. They’re doing their take on craft beer and introducing new groups of customers to it. Keeping new blood entering the industry is so important to the craft beer industry’s future.







As the new interjects and blends with the old, it’s intriguing to watch this interaction play out in its effects on both breweries and their customers. To blaze a path through diverse clusters of customers, brewers must be adept at adapting to people with different backgrounds, different palates, and different sets of experiences and expectations.







In a large city, breweries can focus more narrowly on sets of styles and more specific customer preferences and still have enough business to make a go of it. However, in small market towns like Elkins, brewery taprooms must find business paths that produce beers with broader appeal.







Two popular beers at Fox Hops taproom: Chocolate Stout and Sami’s Saison







Today, West Virginia’s local craft beer industry finds itself in a very fluid situation, with an interaction and flow that will continue to change and shape both brewers and customers.







An interesting fact about Samantha, that adds to her unique perspective, is that she is the only female brewery owner in West Virginia who is also the brewery’s head brewer.







So listen in to our interview with Samantha Fox and hear from one of the new pioneers in WV craft beer. We think you’ll enjoy her optimism and enthusiasm as she provides her views on starting up a small brewery in the mountains of West Virginia.







List to the podcast







Episode 082 • WV Reer Roads • Fox Hops Brewery • 32 minutes







Time & Topics







TIME (min/sec)DISCUSSION TOPIC HIGHLIGHTS1:06How Samantha got into craft beer2:13 Her brewing education4:49Tasting Sammy Saison8:40Starting her own brewery11:14Description of the taproom12:49Samantha’s brewing philosophy14:20Brewing education15:30Review of current taplist beers at Fox Hops23:38Food service at Fox Hops Brewery25:16Discussion of female-owned breweries27:38Pink Boots Society program28:49 How to keep in touch with Fox Hops29:10Involvement in 2024 summer beer festivals







—







Tasty dishes and special friends







Food service at Fox Hops Brewery includes Pimento Cheese Bites (the most popular appetizer) and Carnival Brats and PB & J Burgers (the biggest-selling sandwiches). Samantha also recommends trying their Sweet Pepper Cole Slaw, which is a traditional dish with a different twist.







Carnival Brat made with their Amber Ale, topped with grilled peppers and onions and doused with sweet honey sriracha sauce.  [Brewery photo]







As Samantha reviews her new career as a craft brewery own...

We have restarted our West Virginia Beer Roads Roundtable podcast series. On each Roundtable program, a guest craft beer fan will join Charles and Erin for a discussion of the West Virginia and regional craft beer scene.







Today’s Roundtable discussion occurs at the East End Pub in Charleston WV. Joining Erin McCoy and Charles Bockway for the discussion is Libby Rojas, one of Charleston’s top craft beer advocates.







Our sincere appreciation goes out to the Pub’s proprietor, Suzi Chapman, and her staff for hosting us. Future Roundtables will be recorded at other popular craft beer sales locations in the Charleston-Huntington regional market.







East End Pub proprietor Suzi Chapman (at right) with Charles, Erin, and Libby.







Listen to the podcast







Episode 081, West Virginia Beer Roads • 52 Minutes







Program Flow







TIME (Min:Sec)TOPIC00:00Intro01:20Talk with Suzi Chapman of East End Pub04:20Springtime Beers07:30Tasting Hey! Porter by The Freefolk Brewery10:21Pros & Cons of Beer Flights, Proper Glassware16:50Prices of Craft Drafts23:00Rebirth and Tasting of Devil Anse IPAfrom Greenbrier Valley Brewing30:08Alcohol Concerns of World Health Organization35:45What’s Up with P.O.D.A.?43:45The Charleston Area Brewery Scene







Libby, Erin, and Charles. Podcasting from the Charleston’s East End Pub

Another spring is fast approaching on the yearly merry-go-round. Most craft breweries find that beer also needs a seasonal refresh. Moving out of the big, dark. and strongly-flavored, higher-alcohol winter ales. Bringing in the lighter colors and fresher tastes of spring.







In our part of the country, the St. Patrick’s Day season is winter beer’s last hurrah. Roasty Stouts and richly malty Red Ales take over the taps for a short time but then are quickly supplanted as the weather begins to warm.







To get a read on the ever-changing beer scene, West Virginia Beer Roads recently visited Weathered Ground Brewery in Cool Ridge, WV. Brewery manager Sam Fonda sat down with WVBR host Charles Bockway to share his thoughts on the beer line-up. We also get Fonda’s read on the brewery’s business heading toward winter’s end and on other currently topical beer marketing and business issues.







Listen to the Podcast







Episode 080 • WV Beer Roads • 43 minutes







Sam and Charles discussing beers for the WV Beer Roads podcast. [PHOTO by Russell Weaver]







From pervasive to obscure







Like most West Virginia brewers, WGB’s largest-selling beers are mostly IPAs, Quick Sours, and Lagers. Sam, however, also always keeps on tap a group of beers that aren’t so well-known or popular. He reserves a portion of his tap list for beer styles he likes to drink, whether or not they are particularly popular. Sometimes, they can be pretty obscure styles — but always well-made and tasty.







One of the two Weathered Ground tap list boards illustrates their commitment to variety. You’ll always find some lesser-known or obscure beer styles mixed in the the favorites..







During the interview, we like to feature a flight of beers that the brewer chooses to best represent beers Weathered Ground wants to bring attention to. During this visit, they included:







Shrouded in Light Czech-style Pilsner







An extremely quaffable lager with hops and malt in perfect harmony. 5% ABV







Journey to Avalon Pale Ale







A classic American pale ale brewed with the new locally developed Avalon Malt. Hopped with Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo. 5.3% ABV







Stop and Smell the Citrus Hazy IPA







A modern citrusy-hop-flavored IPA with low bitterness. 6.1% ABV







To the Gills Imperial Stout/Pastry Stout







Macadamia & coconut flavored, rye whiskey barrel-aged, rich imperial stout. 11.5% ABV







Sam Fonda (at right) and Charles talking malt in the grain storage room. [PHOTO by Russell Weaver]







Addicted to Craft Malt







What has to impress any visitor to Weathered Ground Brewery is the great variety of malts that they regularly use in their beer making. They rarely approximate a malt flavor in a recipe by substituting a malt they can buy in large quantities at a lower price. And when they do substitute say, a US malt for a foreign malt, they most often use a locally produced craft malt that sells for premium prices. They never skimp on quality.







In Weathered Ground’s malt storage room, you’ll find scores of bagged malts from small local craft maltsters — both Riverbend Malt House and Carolina Malt House — making up large portions of the grain. As far as we know, Weathered Ground Brewery is the only “Craft Malt Certified” brewery in West Virginia.









Local malts at WGB [PHOTO by Russell Weaver]

When it comes to recent moves in West Virginia’s craft cider and beer markets, no one is making a larger business impact than is a man from Greenbrier County named Josh Bennett.







Bennett, who started up the Hawk Knob cidery a decade ago, last summer purchased the assets of Greenbrier Valley Brewing Company (GVBC), the state’s second largest selling brewery, and has restarted its brewing program.







When the former owner shut down the brewery last spring, something tugged at Bennett’s heart. “The thing that weighed on me was the jobs,” he said.







He knew many of the brewery’s employees and didn’t want to see all those folks unemployed. Initially, he didn’t think about actually buying the brewery. He thought its building might be a good place for his cidery to expand in. But then, some sessions with those laid-off employees opened his eyes to the possibility.







Greenbrier Valley Brewing’s owner, Josh Bennett (at right) with some of his brewery crew. L to R are Jeff Frizsell, Evan Metz, Travis Canterbury, and Bennett. (GVBC photo)







While Bennett is a man with a big heart, he’s also a guy with proven good business sense. He doesn’t plan on operating the brewery as a charity. He plans to run a profitable business. After taking charge of the brewery property last summer and bringing back the brewery staff, he is now well on his way to making the changes necessary to turn Greenbrier Valley Brewing into the first-class business venture it always had the potential to be, but in the past, could never quite achieve.















Hear Josh on WV Beer Roads Podcast







On Episode 78 of the West Virginia Beer Roads podcast, Charles and Erin talk with Josh Bennett about how he got started in the cider business and, eventually, the beer business. Listen in as Bennett reveals the twists and turns of his life that have taken him to cidery and brewery ownership.







Episode 078 • WV Beer Roads • 43 minutes















Caring about tradition







A very important thing, that people who don’t know him don’t recognize, is Bennett’s passion for tradition. A big factor that drove him to open a cidery was his remembrances of traditional Appalachian cider from back in the days of his youth in the Virginia mountains. Then come forward to around a dozen years ago, as he began seeing and sampling the new brands of American hard cider appearing on West Virginia retailers’ shelves. A realization hit him:. “It didn’t taste anything like what I had grown up making,” he says.







He found the big American ciders brands to be a lot sweeter and less complex than the ciders he learned to make growing up. His homemade ciders were barrel fermented and barrel aged, with wild yeast fermentation. They were much more complex and much drier than the contemporary, mass-marketed commercial brands.







Room for Appalachian-style cider







“I figured there must be quite a hole in the market,” he said, and he thought there had to be a lot of folks who would also enjoy traditional Appalachian-style cider. But it wasn’t available for them to try.







And that’s when he got Hawk Knob Hard Cidery going.







Josh Bennett pouring a glass of Hawk Knob cider at his tasting room in 2015.







In 2014, Hawk Knob cidery began producing traditional Appalachian-style ciders and slowly introduced them to the market. As people tried his ciders, they learned to like them. Yes, they’re quite different from your Angry Orchard and Bold Roc...

In this episode of West Virginia Beer Roads, Charles and Erin take a quick, fun look and review of some interesting points gleaned from crowd-sourced opinions on the WV local beer market in 2023.







We took a close look at crowd-sourced data from the Untappd website to uncover:









* which West Virginia breweries the Untappd users thought did the best with their new beer releases in 2023;







* which West Virginia breweries the Untappd crowd ranks in the overall Top 10.









Listen to the Podcast







28 minutes • WVBR’s podcasts are also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and many other sites







Looking at crowd sourced data







While we may not always agree with the crowd, it’s interesting to see where the big numbers of craft beer drinkers rate different beers and different brewers. Untappd’s strength lies in that, over time, it attracts thousands of different craft beer drinkers to record their opinions on beers available in the West Virginia market.







For craft beer industry observers, that aggregation of opinions, over time, does hold some valuable data about brewers, beers, and beer styles. But it’s not the only thing we recommend you consider when thinking about local beer. In reality, nothing tops your own personal taste when it comes to choosing the beer you drink. If you like it, buy it.







We have to admit, however, it’s fun to compare our personal opinions on specific beers and breweries with that of the Untappd crowd. Do you agree or disagree?







We like that Untappd’s brewery ratings, watched over time, provide some indicators of how breweries may be trending up, down, or remaining steady in comparison to the ratings of other West Virginia brewers. This crowd-sourced data is one indicator of what is moving in the local market and of what the local craft beer market thinks about a beer.







Find lots more information on individual beers and breweries on the Untappd website.







Untappd shows a tight grouping of WV brewers at the end of 2023