The Pitch opens with local beer, KRAZE tap

Eighteen of the 24 taps dedicated full-time to beer from West Virginia breweries. One tap dedicated to a beer selected by the local beer club. A house beer—The Pitch Kolsch—brewed by the much-loved Stumptown Ales brewery. For local beer fans, this sure sounds like almost heaven. The long-awaited opening of The Pitch sports bar and grill happens today at the Shawnee Sports Complex in Institute, WV.

When brothers Steve and Trey Frame got together with local celebrity chef Paul Smith, we should have sniffed something special was in the air. When Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Selango posted excited tweets last year about a sports bar coming to the Shawnee Sports Complex, we should have been tipped off. Early last September, when the county commission approved a plan for the Frame brothers to invest nearly $400,000 to renovate a run-down club house structure at Shawnee, we should have taken notice. Something BIG was brewing. Well, today, the project is publicly unveiled.

Craft beer fans and many others will see the culmination of many months of work and investment in creating a beautiful new attraction at the sports complex. Debuting 24 taps of mostly local beer and a food menu created by Paul Smith, the place is nothing less than stunning. The completely redone interior, from floor to ceiling, is gorgeous. A huge main room with big windows, tons of tables, a large bar, and a crowler filling station. A cozy upstairs loft with its own bar, exclusively featuring beer from Stumptown Ales. Beautiful woodwork all around. An airy outdoor deck with swimming pool and green-field views. A huge parking lot, with plenty of room for overflow. This place has it all.

The Loft featuring beer from Stumptown Ales

For craft beer fans, probably the most talked about feature of The Pitch is its 8-tap loft bar featuring Stumptown Ales. For the Frames, this this was an easy decision. Steve said they became very familiar with Stumptown Ales during frequent outdoor recreation trips to Canaan Valley. He really loved their beers, so he approached brewery owners Cindy and Jon Robeson about his idea to open a tap house in Charleston. He asked them if it would be okay with them if he featured their beers at his bar. The Robesons said sure. While Stumptown Ales has no financial role in The Pitch other than agreeing to sell them the beer, having full-time Stumptown taps is probably the first feature of its kind in the state at a non-brewery affiliated pub.

The opening Stumptown taps include:

• The Pitch Kolsch
• Pink Passion Smooth-eez (fruited sour)
• Black and Cherry Smooth-eez (fruited sour)
• Bewildered Hippie IPA
• Six Legged Frog IPA
• Holy Citra Double IPA
• Multiple Hopgasms Imperial IPA
• Sassy Mojo Double IPA

The Main Bar and Fill Station

Meanwhile at the main bar downstairs, its 10 taps are all-WV, all the time. The taps will constantly rotate through different styles and brands. Steve says he’d love to serve beers from every West Virginia brewery and will seek out as many as he can. Opening day taps include brews from Weathered Ground Brewery, Parkersburg, Bridge Brew Works, Short Story, Sophisticated Hound, Berkeley Springs, and Swilled Dog Cider, among others.

The 10 taps are augmented with a selection of at least a dozen cans and bottles, including Miller Lite and Truly Hard Seltzer for the non-craft drinker. At the full-service main bar, you can also get a broad selection of wine and liquor drinks.

In the same main dining area is a Fill Station bar. This station will allow patrons to purchase a 32-oz. crowler can full of any of the beers they have in the house. It will also have six more taps, though these taps might feature craft beer and cider from beyond West Virginia. Fill Station beers will also be available by the glass. To give you an idea of the variety of beer offered here, opening day will pour brews from Stone, New Belgium, Bell’s, Stumptown, and Weathered Ground.

The K.R.A.Z.E. Tap

Another thing important to the Frame brothers is cultivating a good relationship with the local community of craft beer fans. Steve says he approached a friend who is a member of K.R.A.Z.E., which is the local Kanawha County craft beer enthusiast group, and he sought out the group’s involvement in his concept. The result is one tap at the main bar that will always pour a West Virginia beer selected by K.R.A.Z.E. members. The opening selection here is a beautiful IPA from Short Story Brewing in Rivesville called Chasing Daylight. Look for the special K.R.A.Z.E. tap handle.

It’s also a restaurant

Trey Frame went to high school with Paul Smith, so their family’s connections go way back. It was only natural for them to partner on the restaurant. The food menu will recreate some old-time Charleston favorites to go along with a bunch of brand new treats. Some nostalgic highlights include a Fried Baloney Sandwich with Houdini Sauce prepared with the original recipe from the Gold Dome restaurant in Kanawha City and the recreated feature salad from The Sterling Restaurant, which is so well-remembered in Charleston lore. Look for some creative new concoctions such as their their Angelo’s Old World Sausage hoagie and their fusion of Southwest corn fritters and sweet potato tots covered in pulled pork and drizzled in scallion crema. Rounding out the menu are several familiar pub-grub features, such as chicken wings and pizza.

“We source as many local ingredients as we can,” Steve said. He says local sourcing local is very important to them. On opening day, 20 of the 24 taps serve West Virginia-made beers and cider. They are committed to keeping at least 18 of the taps as West Virginia taps all the time.

“Our thought with this place is offering always a fun atmosphere,” says Steve, “creating an atmosphere where people want to come back and enjoy themselves here, even if it’s just for the food.”

He says he hopes to have many different breweries come in for special feature nights. He wants to be known for helping promote and educate the public about the West Virginia brewing industry.

Hear our complete interview with Steve Frame on the West Virginia Beer Roads podcast.

The Pitch website link

The Shawnee Sports Complex

The Shawnee Sports Complex, which was formerly a golf course, was completely rebuilt three years ago. Now, with six soccer fields and four baseball/softball fields, the complex has proven to be very popular with sports leagues and tournaments. The complex is located just a few blocks from the campus of West Virginia State University, which could send a lot of business to The Pitch.