The Bridge to tradition

Spring has sprung and West Virginia brewery taprooms are emerging from their COVID comas. None of them is more happy to get back into the swing of things than is Bridge Brew Works in Fayetteville.

“We’re totally weather dependent,” explains Bridge Brew’s Nathan Herrold, “because we’re a completely outdoor facility here.”

Like swallows to San Juan Capistrano, craft beer fans began returning to Bridge Brew Works as soon as the taproom reopened from it’s winter hiatus at the end of March. Customers were greeted by a beehive of activity. Finishing touches were put on a brand new one-acre gravel parking lot that beautifully solves the brewery’s parking shortage. More importantly, construction had already begun on a project which will roughly double the size of the taproom and its associated beer garden. 

“The pandemic took a hit on everybody,” said Herrold about the thinking behind the expansion. “You just have to adapt and adjust.”

Under construction is a 600 sq. ft. open air pavilion, which will be built in an all-wood hammered beam style, reminiscent of the Old English era. The timber framed structure will be built from hemlock and white oak sourced from the local region. Additional outdoor beer garden space will surround the structure and connect it to the existing taproom patio. 

All Ages Welcome

The taproom also reopened with a family-friendly, all ages welcome policy that eliminated last year’s “21 & Over Only” policy. Of course, those under 21 must be accompanied by their parent or guardian. 

Food truck trio

A trio of food trucks provide the taproom’s food service. They include Kevin Shoemaker’s Cast Iron Smokers. Amanda Kennedy’s Mountain Mamas, and Justin Steele’s Taco truck. Beer and food will be served Wednesday through Sunday from 1:00 – 11:00 p.m.  

The Summer Beer List

This summer’s beer list at Bridge Brew Works is a mix of their standards, returning classics, and even a brand new beer. 

When it comes to championing classic traditional beer styles no one is more passionate than the guys at Bridge Brew Works. They single-handedly created the contemporary craft lager category in WV with their commitment to Long Point Lager. Introducing the beer in 2010, Bridge Brew made it one of their year-round flagships and stood by the beer at a time when other WV brewers were focusing pretty much wholly on ales. Now, with the demand for tasty craft lagers booming nationally, the guys at Bridge Brew are reaping their just rewards. Today, Long Point Lager shares the top-selling spot at the brewery with their Mountain Mamma Pale Ale. 

Long Point Lager is a premium Dortmunder-style golden lager brewed with German malts, bittered with German Magnum hops, and flavored with traditional German Mitttelfruh aroma hops. Cutting no corners, its brewing, fermentation, and lagering takes a full six weeks to complete. 

Mountain Mamma Pale Ale is another WV classic in the style of the pale ales that led the U.S. small brewery resurgence several decades ago. A truly American style ale, it is brewed primarily with pale malt and flavored with classic Cascade and the newer Citra hops both from the Pacific Northwest.

Crux Kolsch-style ale is a returning beer that will have many summer ale fans filling their growlers. A well-made Kolsch beer is a crisp light pale ale that goes through a similar cold conditioning process like a lager does. Crux is made with primarily pilsner malt and a dose of wheat. German hops complete its ingredients. 

Tequila barrel-aged Iapetus Gose is also returning. This tart wheat ale is flavored with a dash of local JQ Dickinson salt before its rests for several months in a tequila barrel. Look for it’s release in time for Cinco de Mayo. 

Seldom Seen Saison aged in a California chardonnay barrel is a new treatment on a recent favorite brew. Should give a winey finish to this traditional Belgian-style farmhouse ale.

Mamma Rye IPA returns for a Mother’s Day release. The beer has a spiciness from the rye grain and an assertive hop presence balanced with caramel and toffee malts. And Nathan Herrold reminds us that each bottle brims with hope, since proceeds benefit ovarian cancer research and awareness.

Wolf Creek Wheat Wine is a brand new elixir that will be released exclusively in bottles.  Contains 50% malted wheat. It has a light mahogany hue and was fermented in stages with both beer and wine yeast.  Cold conditioned for 8 weeks before bottling.  It is very smooth and drinkable for a sneaky 9.6% ABV beer. 

Coal River Stout is a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout finished with coffee. Tunney Barleywine is a big smooth high ABV beer with malt sweetness that is balanced with hop bitterness. Aged in bourbon barrels. Available in bottles. 

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here. We’ve tried to stick to our roots,” says Herrold. He emphasizes what his business partner Ken Linch likes to say, “We brew the beer we like to drink.”

The final tap

Every brewery has to pick its own direction and specialization. Those that think they can do everything well are only fooling themselves. True-to-style beer brewing at a small brewery is something that is perfected through years of experience. Making a very consistent product that nails its aroma, taste, and appearance benchmarks every time is extremely difficult and pretty uncommon at small local breweries.

As craft beer drinkers gain experience and tune their palates, their appreciation grows for brewers who can hit the target benchmarks and make a specific style beer with consistency from batch to batch. Bridge Brew Works is among the better ones at hitting those benchmarks for its universe of core brands.

National park will draw thousands

With the New River Gorge recently becoming a national park, Bridge Brew Works will undoubtedly see a greatly increasing flow of tourists. Folks like Ken Linch and Nathan Herrold who invested in the Fayetteville economy over a decade ago, they are looking pretty astute right now. Good for them.

When you combine good, consistent brews with the most attractive open-air taproom in the region, and the attraction of a new national park, Bridge Brew Works should expect a booming summer. Could there be a beer shortage brewing in Fayetteville?

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