[ lifestyle ]
KATIE ALLIE
Crafty Collaborations
In West Virginia, it isn’t difficult to drink local when it comes
to craft beer. With more than 20 breweries currently operating
in cities and towns all over the state, each is working to provide
quality beer at a reasonable price, and many are finding ways
to source their ingredients from local farmers and purveyors.
For example, Berkeley Springs Brewing Company brews its
Apple Butter Ale with freshly pressed apple juice from nearby
Glasscock’s Produce. Big Timber Brewing Company in Elkins
teams up with other local businesses, like Pies & Pints and its
Appalachian Brew Club, to host competitions and events pro-
moting up-and-coming home brewers. Several breweries, like
Parkersburg Brewing Company, Morgantown Brewing Company
and North End Tavern & Brewery, host tap takeovers as a way
for other local West Virginia brewers and distillers to showcase
their products and help each other create name recognition within
their shared customer base. In this way, it is not uncommon to
see West Virginia businesses working to help each other succeed.
Two West Virginia breweries have taken collaboration to a
whole new level. Bridge Brew Works of Fayetteville has partnered
with West Virginia Land Trust and Wheeling Brewing Company
of Wheeling has joined forces with several local businesses, in-
cluding Weelunk.com, Omni Strategic Technologies, Later Al-
ligator and Grow Ohio Valley, in a joint effort to promote West
Virginia’s best interests through the beer they brew.
Bridge Brew Works
West Virginia Land Trust’s unique part-
nership with Bridge Brew Works came
about as a result of a long day at the office.
“I was in a brainstorming meeting with
my communications staff to discuss mar-
keting ideas, and to be honest, it had been
a long day, and we all really just wanted
to go have a beer,” says Jessica Spatafore,
director of development and communi-
cations for the land trust, a conservation
organization that works to preserve land,
wildlife and watersheds in West Virginia.
“A light bulb went off, and I said, ‘Hey,
clean water makes great beer!’”
In 2016, Spatafore was introduced to
Nathan Herrold and Ken Linch, co-owners
at Bridge Brew Works, and a new part-
nership was born. They have since gone
on to brew their Seldom Seen Saison and
old German dark wheat style Water Wise-
N-Bock in support of clean water in the
Mountain State.
Photo by Jessica Spatafore.
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE