Collaborations: could they rouse WV beer?

Nationally, collaborations are still one of the most often used methods to create a buzz about a beer and the craft breweries involved. They work because they’re fun and the beers often step outside the regular offerings of the breweries.

In West Virginia, we’ve seen almost no brewing activities that could be called collaborations. Let’s change this in 2017. To help get the ball rolling, we decided to throw out a few ideas. Here are BrilliantStream’s suggestions for collaborations that could create more buzz than a nest full of bumblebees.

Backyard Brawl

A collaboration between:
Morgantown Brewing, Morgantown, WV
Penn Brewery, Pittsburgh, PA

Brewed in Morgantown and sold on both sides of the state line this is a collaboration that could be repeated annually leading up to the next WVU-Pitt football clash in 2022. In future years, other breweries could be included, such as East End and Grist House in Pittsburgh, and Chestnut Brew Works and Pubstomper in Morgantown.

One Source – Two Virginias

A collaboration between:
Blue Mountain Barrel House, Arrington, VA
Big Timber Brewing, Elkins, WV

This beer explores the long-standing relationship between the two states that split during the Civil War, yet share a common history from Colonial and early statehood days. It could even be a collaboration sponsored by the two state’s brewers guilds. Brewed at Blue  Mountain and sold in both states.

Hillbilly Highway

A collaboration between:
Weathered Ground Brewery, Cool Ridge, WV
Triple C Brewing, Charlotte, NC

This beer brings Sam Fonda back together with his former employer, Triple C, to commemorate the I-77 Hillbilly Highway that has taken so many folks from southern WV to the Charlotte region of North Carolina. With Fonda recently moving from Charlotte to southern WV, we might be seeing the first wave of a trend reversal.

Tucker Shucker Pucker

A collaboration among:
Mountain State Brewing, Thomas, WV
Blackwater Brewing, Davis, WV
Stumptown Ales, Davis

Thomas-Davis, taken together, have one of the highest number of breweries per capita of any town in the nation. This collaboration celebrates the Tucker County brewing scene with a take-off on a Pre-Prohibition recipe, adding a big dose of Tucker-grown and shucked corn to the mash. The wort is lightly kettle-soured before the boil, giving the resulting cream ale a pleasant tartness. A variant could be dry-hopped for even more fun.

Kissin’ Cousins

A collaboration between:
Cootie Brown Brewery, Huntington, WV
Country Boy Brewing, Lexington, KY

This fun spirited beer fuels the rivalry along our Big Sandy border for which state is the most pure-country crazy. Brewed at Country Boy and distributed in both states. Marketed with fun slogans and humor.

Press Virginia

A collaboration between:
Chestnut Brew Works, Morgantown
Forks of Cheat Winery, Morgantown

This collaboration gets its inspiration from the current nickname for the WVU men’s basketball team. The saison-style brew includes an addition of freshly pressed grape must from a local winery. It is released in conjunction with the start of basketball season.

Potomac Crossing 1 & 2

A collaboration between:
Antietam Brewery, Hagerstown, MD
Mountain State Brewing, Thomas, WV

This collaboration brings two breweries together that each currently market in both WV and MD. For the first beer, they get together to brew in WV. For the second one, they meet to brew in MD. Both beers are distributed in both states.

Imperial Biscuit Break

A collaboration between:
Evil Twin Brewing, Brooklyn, NY
Greenbrier Valley Brewing, Maxwelton, WV
Smooth Ambler Spirits, Maxwelton, WV

The gypsy brewer conducts a Greenbrier County brew day to make a rustic, down-home version of its popular high-gravity stout aged in Bourbon barrels. Brewed, barrel-aged, and canned for Evil Twin at GVBC. Marketed nationally by Evil Twin.

A final thought on collaborations

These are only a few ideas among a vast set of possibilities. Our WV breweries could easily come up with their own. The point is to get people thinking collaboratively and reaping the marketing opportunities such a beer creates.

If you have an idea for a cool collaboration, please share it on our BrilliantStream Facebook page. And share it with a brewer.