Bridge Brew Works opens outdoors

Last week, Bridge Brew Works opened its much-anticipated taproom. And when we say opened, we mean it’s really open. It’s the first open air brewpub in West Virginia, and it’s an absolute thing of beauty. There is nothing else like it in the state. 

Brilliant Stream visited with brewery co-founder Nathan Herrold on Fathers Day to explore the facility, the service, and the brews.

“It was always kind of something we had in the back of our minds for an open beer garden/taproom,” said Nathan about the impressive timber frame structure. “We decided to go with the open plan.”

They pulled in several West Virginia craftsmen and contractors to help them realize their dream. The construction work was led by general contractor Mike Gray of Fayetteville, who was assisted by his son Jason Gray. For the timber frame they called on Eric Moerschel, a custom timber frame craftsman based in Oak Hill, WV.

“We’re real happy with the end result,” said Nathan.

It’s not only the design and construction, but the quality of materials that makes the structure such a standout. All the posts and beams are West-Virginia-grown Eastern Hemlock, cut and milled by Wilderness Wood Company, of Nallen, WV. The broad live-edge lap siding is also all Eastern Hemlock milled by Wilderness Wood.

Radiant heat from hot water pipes embedded in the concrete floor will take the chill off cooler days. The hot water for the floor is supplied by the same water heating system that supplies their glasswasher, hand wash sinks, and bathrooms. It’s safe to say they had the floor system turned off on this unusually hot Fathers Day, with its near 90 degree weather.

For those hot muggy summer days, large ceiling fans keep the air moving. On most days, the Fayetteville area is blessed with a bit cooler temperatures than Charleston and the lowlands. The fans did a good job keeping things comfortable even on a hot Sunday afternoon.

Barrel staves become a fence

The rather unique and ultra-cool taproom perimeter fence was the brain child of brewery co-founder Ken Linch. The fence slats are former bourbon barrel staves. The barrels, which Bridge Brew originally got from Smooth Ambler Spirits, were then used to age and flavor various Bridge Brew beers, such as the bourbon barrel aged Peregrine Porter. The guys had been saving the old barrels and sure found a great purpose for them.

The superb looking taproom tables and benches were also designed and built in-house. The wood for these is a mix of white ash and red ash cut and milled on a Herrold relative’s family farm in Troy, Ohio.  The furniture design and construction was a group effort says Nathan.

The benches have a bit of inward slope on both of the two seat boards, creating a little valley down the middle, or “butt-cradle” as Nathan called it, that comfortably holds you in place.

“It puts you in the prime drinking posture,” Nathan says.

With the drinking eventually comes the need for liquid release. Bridge Brew’s taproom has that covered too. Their new men’s and women’s restrooms are spacious and clean.

A project yet completed is the service bar countertop and front. These pieces are being built by Justin Burd, a friend of Nathan’s from Chattanooga. The countertop will be a gray concrete slab, while the counter front will be clad in a stylish, oxidized-look steel plate. Lastly, bar stools will be added to half of the bar. Local woodworker and musician Andrew Adkins is constructing five bar stools out of more barrel staves, reflecting the theme from the fence. Nathan expects these counter projects to be completed in July.

Hanging baskets full of colorful flowers add a Martha Stewart finishing touch to the patio experience. Adam Herrold, Bridge Brew Work’s co-brewer and Nathan’s brother, who spent some time as a landscaper in Ohio, took the lead in this project. The beautiful baskets and flowers came from Casto Greenhouses in Oak Hill.

Adam also is taking the lead on the gorgeous landscaping project taking shape at the brewery entrance and taproom perimeter. Using his landscape design background, he has contoured the ground with mounds covered with shrubs and trees, boulders and a dry-stack rock wall. It’s a most welcoming site as you enter the grounds.

Large rock slabs, which the Nathan’s and Adam’s mother salvaged from a sidewalk reconstruction project in Ohio, have been repurposed as the sidewalk to the taproom entrance. West Virginia river stone dresses the sidewalk and structure edge. Fresh limestone gravel covers the parking areas.

Soon to be added on the far side of the taproom, the patio will be extended about 25 feet or so to provide more outdoor beer garden space and possibly a fire pit for the cooler evenings.

While they plan to sell beer there all year round, the taproom is primarily a three-season structure. With a lot of their business expected to be tourism based, the open air taproom makes sense. Fayetteville tourism is dead in the cold months. But in spring, summer and fall, visitors will absolutely love sitting among the all the wood siding and the large timbers. It fits in so well with the surroundings. When winter comes, locals can still get their growlers filled and pick up some bottled product as usual. Nathan says they will look into adding some windbreaks, such as plastic curtains around the perimeter, that would allow them to keep the inside warm enough for pint drinking, but they have no definite plans at present.

Overall, this place is a knockout. The detail of the design is most impressive. It’s a look you’d expect to see coming from a talented architect, not from a group of brewers. Our congratulations to Ken, Nate, and Adam on a job well done.

This project should definitely be entered in construction/architecture contests looking for the best looking new structure or sharpest do-over in West Virginia this year. It’s the total package.

Taproom brings need or more beer

In the past, Bridge Brew Works brewed most of its beers more or less as seasonals. While they may have lasted in the market for a number of months, at any given time, many were unavailable. Year round, you could find mainly Long Point Lager, Mountain Momma Pale Ale and probably two seasonals. Now with the new need to keep a bank of taproom taps full, Nathan says they will likely be brewing more items more frequently, though he did not have final details on that. He did say Peregrine Porter is one beer likely to be added to year round availability.

“I’ve got 10 taps to work with and two growler filling stations,” Nathan said.

There will always be an IPA on tap, he assured. Currently, it’s Mamma Rye and Hellbender; next will be Humulus Lupulus in August. And expect the hop profile on Humulus Lupulus to be a little different from last year’s, as the brewers experiment with some of the newer hop varieties.

If the taproom reaches its potential for selling beer, in addition to brewing more frequently, Bridge Brew Works would also have the option of diverting more beer away from distribution and to the taproom. Selling pints in a taproom is the surest way for a small brewery to make a profit, so they have got to have beer to sell. Craft beer customers today expect a lot of options and are not pleased if half the taps are empty.

The opening tap list

There was no shortage of beer at the Bridge Brew Works taproom last weekend. The opening tap list included:

• Crux, their summer Kölsch-style ale;
• Momma Rye IPA,
• Iapetus Gose aged in Tequila barrels;
• Hellbender Black IPA;
• The Blunt, an English-style ale aged on Spanish cedar spirals in American oak barrels;
• Bridge Brew Ale, an English-style ale;
• Shay’s Revenge Oatmeal Stout;
• Long Point Lager;
• Mountain Momma Pale Ale; and
• Bourbon Barrel Peregrine Porter.

Nathan promised he would be pulling out more barrel-aged specialties over the next week or two.

Bottles available included Corten, an ale aged in rye whiskey barrels, Dun Glen Dubbel, Peregrin Porter (both regular and bourbon barrel aged), 3 River Tripel, barrel-aged Iapetus Gose, and Tumble Home barleywine.

The brewery also purchased a tavern license, so they will be adding guest taps from time to time, especially when their own beer supplies get low. Nathan says to expect those guest taps to be filled with brews from other West Virginia breweries.

Bridge Brew Works on tap

Beer on tap is available in 16 oz.,  10 oz., and 5 oz. pours, with high ABV beers only available in 10 oz. and 4 oz. sizes. Growlers are sold in either 64 or 32 ounce versions. One thing missing last Sunday was a price list. With all these growlers, flights, bottles, and draft size options, it would be nice to see the prices so you don’t have to ask.

Check ahead if you plan to go to the taproom hungry because food options inside the taproom might keep you thin. They hope to partner with food trucks on weekends and you can order out from area restaurants. They never mind if you bring in your own food to eat.

The taproom is also your source for Bridge Brew Works’ non-beer stuff. You will find several versions of logo glassware and some clothing items.

Speaking of Crux

Crux is a veteran WV summer seasonal released for Memorial Day each year. Over time the recipe has changed a bit, and this year’s tweaks were right on. Crux comes in at 3.8% ABV and it’s a beauty for the style. Made with a classic German Kölsch yeast as always, this year’s recipe has a little less wheat than last year, a touch more Munich malt, and the acidulated malt was removed. It seems to have been lagered a bit longer than last year too. Whatever they did, in sum, they produced a super summer beer. Drink it while it’s fresh.

Brewery website

Taproom hours: 1-8 pm Tuesday-Thursday; 1-9 pm Friday-Sunday
Address: 335 Nick Rahall Greenway, Fayetteville, WV  25840