Top 15 WV breweries on Untappd 2019

We take a look at how the top 15 WV breweries did on Untappd through 2019.¹ Untappd may have its critics and its weaknesses, but it is the best crowd-sourced gauge we have for judging how a brewery and its beers are thought of in the market. Love it or hate it; it is what it is. This article will help pull out the significance and make some sense out of these Untappd 2019 ratings. We’ll end up with a better picture of just how WV breweries stack up.

The Untappd 2019 ratings system

Untappd lets you rate a beer on a 1 to 5 point scale in increments of 0.25. Five is the highest; one is the lowest. Untappd does not tell its raters how to use the 5-point scale. Raters have determine their own system that works for them. Most would agree that the perfect beer deserves a 5. As it happens, most people give out very few 5.0 ratings and tend to rate beers that they think are excellent somewhere in the 4s, with only the very best of the excellent getting 5s. Beers that are quite good, but not exceptional tend to get rated 3.75 or 3.5. A more pedestrian craft beer gets a 3.0 or 3.25 rating. Few people rate legitimate craft beers below 3.0. Beers scoring below 3.0 are typically stale, mis-labeled, infected, or are macro-brews such as Bud Light.

Using a weighted average formula that combines its individual beers’ scores, Untappd determines an average rating for each brewery. While every individual rater has their own way of doing it, over time, over thousands of ratings and thousands of raters, the average scores begin to tell a story about a brewery. (Untappd explains its rating system)

While a spread of 5 points is possible, few breweries have an average brewery rating below a 3 or above a 4. This scrunches up the vast majority of breweries into the 3s. A shade of difference in the decimal points becomes quite significant in comparing what the breweries’ customers are saying about them.

West Virginia brewery ratings

For our analysis of WV brewery ratings, we first limit the universe to breweries that were licensed for the entire year of 2019. Our report is based on Untappd numbers as of December 4th. We looked at each brewery’s total number of Untapped ratings in addition to the average rating received. Both numbers are significant. The significance of the Average Rating for a brewery is obvious, but breaking out the total count of ratings may also be very meaningful. Breweries that get lots of beer ratings quickly tend to have greater positive market momentum than those who get fewer. Take a look at the average number of ratings per year. That can be an indicator of whether or not a brewery is creating a lot of buzz in the market. It also tells you generally how popular their beer is. Of course a bigger distribution brewery will collect ratings more quickly than a small neighborhood taproom. And a brewery that simply releases more different beers will also tend to receive more total ratings. So you have to be careful to compare apples to apples.

No West Virginia brewery has yet hit the 4.0 brewery rating mark. U.S. breweries rated 4.0 and above are rare and revered. They represent ones producing the most highly regarded beers of the day and the ones creating the biggest market buzz. In our region, breweries such as Jackie O’s, Dancing Gnome, The Veil, Aslin, and Burial hit this mark. You won’t find a 4.0+ rated brewery that is not a great one.

In West Virginia’s top 15 breweries, we are looking at a compressed spread of average rating scores — ranging from 3.67 to 3.92. While that may not seem like a big spread numerically, in terms of the perception of brewery quality it is significant. Let’s try to make some sense out of it.

Category 3.75 to 3.99

The general consensus on Untappd ratings is that breweries rated at 3.75 to 3.99 are considered by their customers to be very good overall breweries, possibly shading on excellent. They are breweries producing some exciting beers that have passionate followings. Breweries in this range may still make a few brews that don’t rate so well, but on average they do things right and brew styles that are popular in their markets. Well-known national/regional breweries that fall into this category include Stone, Cigar City, Oskar Blues, Dogfish Head, Bell’s, Rhinegeist, Fonta Flora, and Fat Heads.

Six of West Virginia’s qualifying small breweries rank in this category. A pretty strong showing, I think, because that is 21% of our total operating breweries.

Brewery Name	Average Rating	Ratings Count	Years Active	Avg. per Year
Stumptown Ales	3.92	14,818	4.5	3,292
Chestnut Brew Works	3.85	13,714	6	2,285
Short Story Brewing	3.85	10,382	2.5	4,152
Weathered Ground Brewery	3.84	16,922	2.5	6,768
High Ground Brewing	3.76	4,018	1	4,018
The Peddler	3.75	4,494	2.5	1,779

Analysis

Stumptown Ales in Davis has been the highest rated WV brewery for several years. It is going to be hard for anyone to move it out of that top spot. Now a maturing brewery going on 5 years in business, it has not slowed. Stumptown improved its 3.91 average rating last year to 3.92 this year. That is a strong indicator for growth. The brewery is known for making super good beer in popular (ascending) styles, such as Double IPAs and Hazy-Juicy IPAs. While best-known for IPA, their Over the Tip Top Breakfast Stout (4.1) rates in the top five of all their beers. This year’s releases of of beers such as Holy Strata DIPA (4.17), Holy Idaho DIPA (3.91), Boston Kangaroo 2xNEIPA (3.98), and Blueberry Smooth Ease Sour (3.94) helped them climb the ratings. Because Stumptown began as a very tiny taproom-only beer brand, it spent its first couple of years as pretty much a Tucker-County-only label. Since they expanded their brewery to its current size and began serious distribution, it has quickly risen in the Ratings Count numbers. Stumptown is a powerhouse. Based on average ratings alone, if I had a bar, I would definitely have their beer on my taps (if I could get it).

Chestnut Brew Works in Morgantown has been the second highest rated WV brewery for a while. It remains a stalwart. Chestnut is handicapped a bit in the Ratings Count numbers because it is basically distributed in only one county (Monongalia), which limits the number of people who get to try it. Considering this very limited market area, its 13,700 ratings count is an impressive number. One can only assume that with its high average rating, if it were in wider distribution, Chestnut’s sales would soar. Because the brewery is currently operating at full capacity though, it will not be one that retailers in other parts of the state will see unless a brewery expansion occurs. Its flagship Halleck Pale Ale has demonstrated amazing performance staying power. The beer, which has been in the market for six years, maintains a very strong 3.98 score on nearly 4,000 ratings. Look around anywhere; there are not many standard pale ales that achieve so high a rating. The brewery did see its overall average rating drop ever so slightly in 2019 from 3.86 in 2018 to 3.85 this year. During 2018 and 2019. Chestnut began brewing more variety beers and scored very well with new brews such as Misty Mountain IPA (3.87) and Dank Williams Sr. NEIPA (4.04). If it keeps making popular IPAs and perfect its fruited beers and sours just a bit, you could see this brewery’s average score jump up next year.

Short Story Brewing in Rivesville started out a couple of years ago with a pretty tight beer list but has been growing its variety, consistently and methodically, ever since. Short Story was the state’s hottest brewery on Untappd during 2019. It hit home runs in 2019 with its Fell Asleep Like This DIPA (4.12), Stop Motion Sunrise DIPA (4.05), Rushmore IPA (4.04), Advanced Methods in Stargazing Pale Ale (3.97), and Bless the Rains Pale Ale (3.99). This brewery is a true power at building very drinkable hoppy brews. It has the touch. For kettle sours, its new Fun With Prisms series (3.95) scores very well and show lots of promise for future growth. They also brew a well-above-average lager. The high scores of its newer brews propelled it from a 2018 average rating of 3.82 up to this year’s 3.85, and it passed Weathered Ground to tie with Chestnut Brew Works for the second spot. That is a really, really strong showing which bodes well for their future beer sales.

Weathered Ground Brewery in Cool Ridge was Brilliant Stream’s 2018 Brewery of the Year; it continued strong in 2019. Over the year, WGB improved its average rating from 3.82 to 3.84. It also amassed a most impressive 16,900 total ratings in two and a half years. The improving ratings along with its high Average Count per Year, shows a fast-growing market acceptance of its beers. This brand has lots of positive momentum that is likely only limited by its production capacity (which is rapidly nearing its limit). Already having released over 150 different beers, WGB shows its versatility. During 2019, the brewery found ratings pay dirt with its 16 Shots in Munich Pilsner (4.03), Worth a Lick IPA (4.05), Worth Two Licks DIPA (4.08), Worth A Tang Sour IPA (4.19), Lay of the Land Farmhouse Ale (4.08), and Double Dry Hopped Stop and Smell the Citrus IPA (4.27). You might think with all that power at the top they would have moved up in the average ratings even more. And they would have if not for also releasing a number of brews that earned pretty average ratings, such as Doc’s No No Wheat Ale (3.58), Crispy Cream Ale (3.35), and Cooler Than Cool Ridge Lager (3.41). They began canning with releases of Stop and Smell the Citrus IPA, Haggard IPA, and Cool Ridge Lager, and this likely helped boost their ratings count numbers. They are also tip-toeing into bottling by releasing Lay of the Land, Emergence Saison, and two imperial stouts in glass. WGB is possibly the state’s most versatile brewery, doing more styles very well than just about anyone. The sky seems to be the limit for these guys.

With Short Story and Weathered Ground both only 2.5 years old and both doing aggressive self-distribution, their rising average scores and high number of ratings suggests that these two breweries may be leading the WV market in creating the all-important BUZZ. These breweries have strong forward momentum. Short Story and Weathered Ground each released numerous new beers this year that scored well. They are creating craft beer excitement in the Mountain State. Any bar or restaurant that wants to sell more craft beer would be wise to put their brands on the taps right now.

For a first-year brewery, High Ground Brewing in Terra Alta pulled off some amazing numbers. To obtain over 4,000 ratings with an average of 3.76 is a most significant accomplishment. Led by their high scoring Coal Train Baltic Porter (3.86) and Weird Handshakes Milkshake IPA (3.84), the brewery’s beer scored well across the board. Since its hometown population is tiny, High Ground puts a lot of energy into self-distribution and is already in demand across North Central and Southern WV. This is definitely a distribution brewery to watch. If it stays on this trajectory, it will help improve West Virginia’s overall craft beer image. Bars, restaurants and growler stations should take note of High Ground Brewing. It will be fun to see how they do over the next year as they release more beers and gain new distribution.

The Peddler is the sleeper in this top grouping of breweries. It is a Huntington brewpub that was not (until very recently) focusing any of its energy on distribution. Due to it being a taproom-only brand, it has pretty much been flying under the radar as far as people in other parts of the state knowing much about its beer. Significantly, its average ratings number held steady at 3.75 this year from last. Its largely Huntington-area customer base are showing a lot of love for its brews. With over 4,000 total ratings, its high average score is meaningful. These guys are making consistently good beer across the spectrum. Bars and restaurants would be wise to seek out this brewery’s beers for their own taps if the brewery’s self-distribution footprint hits your area. With their new focus on distribution, this label should see a significant jump in sales over the next year.

We did not include Old Spruce Brewing (at Snowshoe) in our analysis because it has only been open about six months and had only 87 total ratings. That is not nearly enough total ratings to trust the numbers it shows. But, if over the next year the brewery holds the 3.8+ average rating it has begun with, it would become a significant force in the WV market. It will be interesting to watch it though its first ski season and then take a look at it a year from now.

One interesting commonality among WV’s top-rated breweries is that they all focus on self-distribution. Whether there is any cause and effect relationship is unknown, but this hands-on distribution method appears to be working well for top-quality small breweries in West Virginia. Another observation is that most of West Virginia’s highest ranked breweries are among the state’s newer ones. Could this mean that our older breweries could learn something from these new guys?

Category 3.5 to 3.74

A brewery scoring 3.5 to 3.74 is considered by its customers to be a good one. Many well-known national and regional craft breweries fall into this range, for example, Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, SweetWater, DuClaw, Brew Dog, and Great Lakes to name a few. Many successful neighborhood taprooms and locally-distributed breweries and beers are in this category. On average, their customers feel they are solid breweries producing well-made beers in popular styles. The bulk of West Virginia breweries end up here. And this is likely true in any state.

Notice that several WV breweries score at the higher end of the category— 3.70 to 3.72 — including two of the state’s most important breweries: Big Timber and Greenbrier Valley. The difference in market perception between those breweries and the ones in the Very Good category above is quite small. It’s very possible that some of these breweries could move up to the next higher category over time. And, if you were to look only at beer ratings entered in 2019, some of them may currenty be scoring in a higher category.

Here are West Virginia’s rankings for spots 7 through 15.

Brewery Name	Average Rating	Ratings Count	Years Active	Avg. per Year
Greenbrier Valley Brewing	3.72	33,675	5	6,735
Big Timber Brewing	3.71	32,851	5	6,570
Dobra Zupas	3.71	2,346	4	586
Brew Keepers	3.70	3,885	3	1,295
Brewstel	3.69	1,940	3	646
The Rambling Root	3.69	769	1.5	512
Bad Shepherd Beer	3.68	19,151	3	6,383
Abolitionist Ale Works	3.68	9,755	2.5	3,902
Parkersburg Brewing	3.67	11,765	3	3,891
Screech Owl Brewing	3.67	3,593	3.5	1,026

Analysis

Big Timber Brewing increased its average rating from last year’s 3.70 to 3.71. This is a significant accomplishment when you are working on over 30,000 total ratings. Moving into an expanded new brewery space this year, Big Timber began producing more types of beer. Many of its recent releases have been receiving very good ratings. It really hit a sweet spot this fall with its 4.12 rated Lunar Pastry Stout. Other very strong recent releases include Hoarfrost NEIPA (4.09), Giant’s Milk 3XIPA (4.08), Overcast Hazy IPA (4.07) and Alpen Glow Gose (3.99). If they keep making beers of that quality, we could see this brewery move up a category in Untappd ratings. But even where they are today, Big Timber is doing an excellent job overall. It has the best distribution within the state of any WV brewery. We don’t see that changing anytime soon. Using a sales-winning strategy of good quality at a fair price, Big Timber is a star in our local beer world.

Greenbrier Valley Brewing has a more focused core line up of brands than does most any other brewery in the state. It is introducing new beers, but not nearly as many as is Big Timber. During 2019, they worked hard to achieve wider West Virginia distribution, and that appears to be successful. GVBC’s ratings count numbers are also being accelerated by their entering new markets in Virginia and Maryland. They ended 2019 with the highest overall ratings count of any WV brewery. Over the past year, the brewery did see its average rating decline from 3.74 to 3.72 . We think this is likely due to aggressively entering the northern Virginia market where it has to go head-to-head with many other very good breweries and scores of local ones. GVBC is not the hometown beer there, and that likely hurts ratings a bit. Their strong suit still lies in flagship Devil Anse IPA. Not only is it strongly their best seller, but it is also the highest rated of their year-round brands, scoring a very good 3.82. Green Bank Fruited Gose, one of GVBC’s new seasonal releases in 2019, scored a very strong 3.93. The brewery might consider making more of that style in the future. With their continued focus on Virginia and other states for their growth, it will be interesting to see where the brewery ends up in the ratings next year.

Spots 9 through 12 in the rankings are all nano-sized breweries, which certainly proves that you do not have to be large to be highly regarded. Dobra Zupas, Brew Keepers, Brewstel, and The Rambling Root don’t make a lot of beer, but they all make good beer and are important taprooms with strong followings in their respective communities. They are the essence of locally-focused brewing that has, nationally, become the most stable part of the industry in the past few years. Between them all they have accumulated nearly 4,000 total ratings. Call them small but mighty. They are all places that would be fun to visit when you are in their area. And be sure to rate their beers on Untappd.

Dobra Zupas in Beckley is a tiny brewpub that has been blazing its own trail since 2015. It sits at one end of Dobra Zupas restaurant, which by the way, has very good reasonably priced food. Over the past two years, it has jumped up in quality and in ratings. During 2019, its new Hopped Up Squared DIPA (3.77) and Rail Yard Rye IPA (3.75) both scored very well for them.

Brew Keepers in Wheeling is an impressive brewery even though it is quite small. The brewery opened a new full-service taproom just this fall, and it should spike sales dramatically over the next year. Brew Keepers also self-distributes around the Wheeling area. Most of its brews’ scores are concentrated solidly in the 3.6s and 3.7s. In 2019, Brew Keepers had good ratings success with its new DH Project DIPA (3.74). Its beers have won the People’s Choice Award at the annual Mountaineer Brewfest for four years in a row. Its tap list is typically dominated by traditional beer styles with popular tastes. You won’t find anything ostentatious here, just very well-made brews.

Brewstel sits just up the street in Elkins from Big Timber but has a totally different vibe. Its little nano system pups out a great variety of beers in both traditional and contemporary styles. Their beer ratings prove they know what they are doing, with plenty of beers to chose from rating in the 3.6s and 3.7s. In 2019, their Smökèÿ Dâs Bęãr Smoked Beer (3.88) and Rusty Bucket Red IPA (3.85) scored well for them. Plan to hit up the place for one of their Friday evening food features.

Rambling Root in Fairmont is only a little over a year old but has already released nearly 50 beers. With lots of IPAs and a little bit of everything else, they are quickly finding their way in the craft beer world. Two of the new brews that did well for them in 2019 include Citra Pants NEIPA (3.95) and The Long Night Black IPA (3.76). The Root is a brewery that also likes to incorporate locally sourced ingredients into its beer.

Spots 13 and 14 go to two breweries that have the state’s most experimental brewers: Bad Shepherd and Abolitionist. Neither is afraid to explore the edges and try something different. Neither spends a lot of time worrying about what would my customers prefer to drink. Neither is overly concerned with ratings. Both like to step outside the box. Fortunately, each is led by an accomplished brewer. These guys have released more individual beers than any other WV brewery (Bad Shepherd-202; Abolitionist-194). Maybe not every brew squarely hits the mark, but that’s the risk you take with experimentation. It also makes both very fun and attractive places to visit and order a flight or two.

Bad Shepherd Beer Company in Charleston had a very good year for its beer. While they focus production for their owner’s four restaurants and bars, they also do some distribution to other accounts in the region. From a very small distribution footprint, Bad Shepherd’s 6,900 average count of ratings per year speaks strongly of the excitement it is creating in the market. The flagship here is The Loud IPA, and it continues to be a strong performer, maintaining a rating of 3.77. During 2019, the brewery scored very well with its West By Gose Strawberry Gose (3.84), Dashcam Famous Raspberry Milkshake IPA (3.83), Cerve-Say-What? Mexican-style Lager (3.7), Krista Dawn Blonde (3.9), Söra Breakfast Stout (3.94), and Dr. Rude Boy DIPA (3.8). You can see by the variety, that this brewery can successfully tackle a very wide range of styles. Bad Shepherd has good positive momentum, which could lead them to a move up in 2020.

Abolitionist Ale Works in Charles Town is the West Virginia brewery most tilted toward production of farmhouse ales and sours brewed with native yeast. They probably make more fruited beers than anyone else, and they use mostly all local fruits. They are a brewpub-only brewery which keeps down their total ratings numbers. During 2019, the brewery experienced ratings success with its releases of Summit Berry Station Fruited Gose (4.2), Barrel-Aged Sweet Potato Wild Ale (3.81), Notorius F.I.G. Imperial Stout (4.26), Dirty Beard Mezcal Barrel Aged Imperial Stout (4.16), West By Quad Apple Brandy Barrel Belgian Strong Dark (3.77). That is an amazing array of styles, but those few are just the beginning. Take look on Untappd at all the beers they released in 2019. You will be amazed. Abolitionist is led by probably the state’s most accomplished brewer when it comes to brewing farmhouse and wild yeast styles.

WV’s 15th rated brewery ended up in a tie between Parkersburg Brewing and Screech Owl Brewing.

Parkersburg Brewing operates a very appealing urban taproom/restaurant and also has its core brands out in distribution around the state. Last year, its average rating was 3.69, and it ended this year at 3.67. This average ratings drop may rooted in some of their older brands, most of which are still in their core line up and are among their most popular. For instance, two of their top four most-often-rated beers (Citrus Tsunami IPA and Hip Hef Hefeweizen) both rate at 3.59. While a solid rating, it is below the brewery’s overall average. In 2019, the brewery released seven new beers, which all scored very well, ranging from Luponic Rhapsody NEIPA at 4.15 to Zen Juice Blood Orange IPA at 3.66. Overall, Parkersburg has a solid line up of traditional styles and is continuing to make more and more of the newer craft styles. Their overall 3.67 average rating is a very respectable score, and as their newer, higher-rated beers get into broader distribution, we could see them move up it the ratings.

Screech Owl Brewing is an attractive and unique business. It is literally off the beaten path on a family farm in rural Preston County. It definitely competes for the coolest brewpub restaurant by emphasizing its own spent grain breads and house-made barbecue. It keeps a pretty limited variety of beers on tap and has pretty much stuck with its core line-up for several years. It also sells some beer in distribution in Preston and Monongalia counties. Its popular beers all rate solidly in the 3.6s and 3.7s. They sell a lot of Blonde Ale and Hoos Your Daddy IPA at their brewpub. Screech Owl serves a real mix of locals and tourists who drop down off I-68 to drive the 7or 8 miles across a county lane to the brewery. Screech Owl gets very high marks in its Yelp, Trip Advisor, and Google reviews. People have fun there and they love it. The brewery recently completed an enlargement of its brewhouse and will now be putting more beer into distribution. It will be interesting to see how much their ratings counts jump up next year due to this new emphasis on distribution.

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2018 WV breweries’ Untappd numbers link

¹ Data collected on December 4, 2019