Beer tastings expand craft beer knowledge

Forty members of Sleepy Hollow Golf Club in Hurricane WV gathered Saturday evening to learn more about local craft beer and have some fun doing it. At a Summer Beer themed tasting guests sampled six beers from West Virginia breweries that surely help beat the heat.

The beer tasting was organized and conducted by Erin McCoy, who is the host of BrilliantStream’s West Virginia Beer Roads Podcast. Golf club president Tom Peyton brought the original idea to McCoy and asked her to get involved. Sleepy Hollow food and beverage manager Bruno Young provided support from the club’s side. In recent years, the country club has held regular wine tastings, but this was their first beer tasting event.

Cool beer from six West Virginia breweries hit the spot on a warm Juneteenth evening. While many local craft beers are often bigger and bolder, these lighter style beers pair better with summer weather. Their lighter body and low-to-moderate ABVs make them more quaffable and refreshing.

The tasting program included information on each beer style and on the WV brewery that produced the beer. Each beer was tasted and reviewed by taking into account its appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and finish. Organized beer tastings are an effective way for bars and restaurants to expand interest in and sales of local craft beer.

The program

Life Gose On – Fruited Gose 
Bad Shepherd Beer Company, Charleston
A tart wheat beer flavored with added strawberry, mango, hibiscus blossoms, and salt from J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works. ABV: 5.6%

Zona’s Revenge Witbier
Greenbrier Valley Brewing Company, Maxwelton
A Belgian-style wheat beer brewed with Huell Melon hops and flavored with orange peel and coriander. Locally sourced wheat and German Pilsner malt. ABV: 5.2%

Mexican Lager with Serrano and Lime 
Big Timber Brewing Company, Elkins
A pale lager aged on Serrano peppers and fresh lime juice. Pilsner malt and flaked corn. ABV: 5.2%

Kinda Haggard Session IPA
Weathered Ground Brewery, Cool Ridge
A light-styled hazy India Pale Ale brewed with El Dorado hops. Craft malt and malted wheat form North Carolina. ABV: 4.7%

Berry the Hatchet American Wheat Beer
The Freefolk Brewery, Fayetteville
A light-styled American wheat beer with raspberry added. ABV: 4.5%

Mow Rider American Wheat Beer
High Ground Brewing, Terra Alta
An American-style wheat beer with orange peel and citrus flavors. ABV: 5.6%