WV thoughts on International Beer Day

Since International Beer Day is celebrated on the first Friday of August, what beers from West Virginia breweries will you be drinking today? There are plenty of WV international beers to choose from.

For the category “International Beer,” we’ll limit our examples to those brewed as straightforward traditional beer styles that originated abroad. We’ll not include any primarily American styles or strongly Americanized versions of a foreign-born beer. We asked around to our beer friends and got some great suggestions for the list.

Here are some West Virginia beers to look for on International Beer Day and beyond.

Bridge Brew Works, Fayetteville

The Bridge Brew crew — Ken Linch, Nathan Herrold, and Adam Herrold — are fans of traditional beer styles and they do them well.

Crux – this beer is brewed in the traditional Kölsch style. A crisp, drier-style lagered ale. A nice example of the style that originated in Cologne, Germany.

3 Rivers Tripel – Still the best tripel in West Virginia. This style originated in Belgium and is a lighter colored ale driven by the flavorful Belgian yeast. Fruity and floral.

Black Diamond Lager – A very good example of a German-style Shwarzbier, which is a very dark-colored lager with hints of chocolate flavors.

Dun Glen Dubbel – This richly toasted malt flavored ale also gives you caramel and raisin flavors. Style originated in northern Belgium.

Long Point Lager – Brewed in the style of a German Dortmunder export lager. It has more malt and hop richness than does the lighter German Helles style.

Oktoberfest – Probably the state’s best fall lager. Malty, clean and bright. The style originated in Munich.

Greenbrier Valley Brewing, Maxwelton

GVBC’s general manager Sam Walker-Matthews and brewer Will Guðmundsson show they can tackle international styles with great aplomb.

Zona’s Revenge – This pale, zesty wheat ale is brewed in the style of Belgian Witbier. It provides the appropriate orange fruity aroma and flavor and slightly cloudy appearance.

Cardinal Red Scottish Ale – Made true to its Scottish ale heritage using proper malt, yeast, and hops. Floral aromas and big toffee malt flavor.

FestivALE Kölsch – A pale golden ale brewed in the tradition of Cologne, Germany. they used traditional ingredients and production methods to make this refreshing summer beer.

Bad Shepherd Beer Company, Charleston

Led by brewer Ross Williams, this brewery is pretty adept at both traditional European and full-on American styles.

Biere de Jouette – Though a bit stronger in alcohol than a typical French Biere de Garde, this beer hits the right notes for flavor. Aged in a red wine barrel with cherries.

Petit Rye Saison – One of the best of West Virginia’s new breed of tasty saisons. This farmhouse style originated in Belgium. Light with spicy, earthy aroma and flavor.

Taschenrechner Alt Bier – Brewed with German malt, hops, and yeast, the beer is true to its Dusseldorf roots. Nice and malty.

Mountain State Brewing, Thomas

Among the state’s largest and oldest breweries, Mountain State built its business on brewing handcrafted easy-drinking session beers. Brian Arnett,  Willie Lehmann, and Mike Supak enjoy a tasty European-style beer recipe.

Miner’s Daughter Oatmeal Stout – Sweet, dark, toasty, with a creamy mouthfeel are the hallmarks of this beer brewed in the style of English stouts. Smooth and delicious.

Brew Keepers, Wheeling

Brewer/owner Kevin Ayres has shown a propensity to brew clean, tasty beer, whatever the style. He’ll soon be doing it from a new Wheeling brewpub.

Irish Pirate Stout – A richly flavored Foreign Export-style Stout with roasted malts providing coffee, toffee, and chocolate flavors in a highly sweet wrapper. Style origin: Ireland,  but now brewed in many other lands.

Abolitionist Ale Works, Charles Town

Brewer Mike Vance is a fan of traditional Belgian farmhouse and sour beer styles. He adapts these brews so well to the eastern West Virginia landscape using local fruits and herbs.

Shenandoah Saison – This beautiful saison draws its inspiration from the southern Belgian countryside. It is the base beer for so many wonderful fruited and herbed variants, such as the barrel-aged Lavender Peach Sour Saison so loved by Jeff McKay of Summit Beer Station in Huntington.

West By Quad – A barrel-aged Belgian-style Dark Strong ale that delivers dark, rich flavors, strongly stated.

Big Timber Brewing, Elkins

While brewer Matt Kwasniewski typically brews from the American playbook, he can also master a more European style.

Sluice Dry Stout – Brewed in the Irish tradition, this stout delivers big roasted flavors of chocolate and coffee. Light and dry.

Parkersburg Brewing Co., Parkersburg

We love it when a brewery jumps out and brews a beer outside its normal wheelhouse. Dan Curtis and the Parkersburg Brewing crew love to play around with brewing recipes.

Bushwa Berliner Weisse – This version of a light-style wheat beer gets its attractive lemony flavor and tartness from a bacterial fermentation step. The style originated in Berlin.

Weathered Ground Brewery, Cool Ridge

Sam Fonda brews a mean series of fully American-style beers, but he also knows how to make a more traditional European-style brew.

Blissful Weisse – a tasty version of a traditional Bavarian-style wheat beer. Blissful Weisse is flavored by the German yeast strain giving it the proper banana-clove-bubblegum  overtones.

Little Grazer – There can be such beauty in simple things.  Little Grazer proves it. A classic rural Belgian-style Grisette that hits the right notes. Light and quaffable.

Enniskillen – This dry Irish-style Stout is light and roasty, so smooth and refreshing.

Cool Ridge Pale Lager – There is a reason this beer is the biggest seller at the WGB taproom: It is so well-made, clean and crisp. A mostly European-style pale lager, though it does contain a blend of European and American hops, it stays pretty true to its Old World roots.