Don’t overlook these late fall festivals

I know you’ve been through the beer festivals gauntlet this spring, summer and September, but there’s still good beer to be poured. West Virginia and the region have a few more interesting festivals in store.

As our endless summer transitions into a real fall, late October and November are wonderful times for festive events. Here’s a quick review of some autumn Saturday options.

October 20
Hops & Heat • Charleston, WV — This small-scale annual event in Charleston’s East End neighborhood combines beer and chili into one of the more fully enjoyable outings of the year in the Capitol City. The $35 ticket gets you both beer and chili samples, plus four 12 oz. pours. You can count on a rock solid group of West Virginia and other breweries from the surrounding Appalachian region to be pouring great fall seasonals along with their best year-round stuff.
Event Link

October 27
Hops on the Mon • Morgantown, WV – A venue change to the Mylan Expo Center for this annual festival should help the organizers provide an even better overall experience. Count on 175 different brews for sampling from a great list of breweries, including many Belgians. This year’s food feature is the Motown Taco Throwdown. General admission is $45.
Event Link

October 27
Big Elkin BrewFest • Elkin, NC — If you are in the mood for something out of WV for your lead in to Halloween, try this little mountain festival. You” get to sample a bunch of small North Carolina brews that we don’t see in West Virginia. General admission is $20.
Ticket Link

November 3
Putnam County Craft Beer Festival • Hurricane, WV — We don’t have much info on this brand new event at Sleepy Hollow Golf Club but they say to expect live music, food trucks, arts, crafts and craft beer from West Virginia and the surrounding regions. General admission is $28 and includes 12 tasting tickets.
Event Link

November 3
Beers of the Burgh • Pittsburgh — The fall session of this recurrent festival takes place in the Shadyside neighborhood. Expect 30 or more Western PA breweries to be there, including most of the hottest ones from Pittsburgh. General admission is $45.
Event Link