Beers that are easy to love

Valentine’s Day is coming, and love is in the air. Appropriately, we wanted to share some West Virginia beers that are easy to love.

We asked several popular West Virginia brewers to suggest a beer from their current portfolios that fits the bill. Below is a list of lovable beauties that should be available in early February through Valentine’s Day at their respective breweries. #SupportYourLocalWVBrewery

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Screech Owl Brewing

Cuzzart, WV

♥ Class IV Zinger Hazy IPA, 5.9% ABV

Says Screech Owl’s Jameson Johnson: “You can smell the fresh fruitiness and taste the cool, crispness of the hazy, juicy IPA. The ABV is not going to set you back while you drink this amazing new style of utter refreshment. Really excited with how awesome this beer turned out.  It’s way to easy drink and really pairs well with family friends and an afternoon float.”    

This is the second beer in the brewery’s Whitewater series, with one more coming to complete it.  The first one in the series was the well-received Class III Whitewater IPA. (Brewery Link)

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Cacapon Mountain Brewing 

Berkeley Springs, WV

♥ Barrel-aged Sandman Imperial Stout, 12% ABV

Says Cacapon Mountain’s Shane Mills: “We’ll be tapping our barrel-aged Sandman Imperial Stout aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels, then soaked on cacao nibs, coffee beans, and vanilla beans. It’s a big, boozy liquid chocolate bar.”

A special treat for lovers of lusciously flavored stouts — ones that can warm your heart on a chilly February day. Available at the brewery taproom, where it will be served on nitro. (Brewery Link)

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Big Timber Brewing 

Elkins, WV

 ♥ Big Timber Porter, 6.5% ABV

Says Big Timber’s Jared Wray: “The complex flavors and aromas of dark chocolate and coffee make this an easy Porter to love.  The English hops we use in this beer take a back seat, yet still contribute a medium-low bitterness to balance the dark English malts.” 

Big Timber Porter was West Virginia’s first Great American Beer Festival medal-winning beer. It took the Silver Medal in 2022 for the Robust Porter category, placing it among the nation’s beer royalty. (Brewery Link)

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Weathered Ground Brewery

Cool Ridge, WV

 ♥ Whole Lotta Cashmere DIPA, 8.7% ABV

Says Weathered Ground’s Sam Fonda: “It’s easy to love because Cashmere hops are so mellow and non-offensive. At least that’s how I see them. They’re less aggressive than say Citra. We have been brewing double versions of all our IPAs lately and this is my current favorite. It should do the job of getting things started on the right foot for a Valentine’s date night.” 

This beer is a stronger, richer version of the brewery’s Cashmere IPA. The draft-only Hazy/Juicy Double IPA be out in distro in early February and also available at the Cool Ridge taproom. Flavoring this beer is 75% Cashmere hops along with a couple other hops to play with. (Brewery Link)

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Abolitionist Ale Works

Charles Town, WV

 ♥ White Rose Farmhouse Ale, 6.0% ABV

Says Abolitionist’s Mike Vance: “I love Valentine’s Day the best of all the holidays beers. At the brewery I get to feature wine, flowers, chocolate, and berries in tasty combinations. I love our White Rose Farmhouse Ale. It’s a beautiful farmhouse style ale with white wine grapes, rose hips, and Hallertau Blanc dry hopping.” 

This hoppy Farmhouse-style ale includes a dose of white wine grape juice among its ingredients. Kind of like a white wine beer plus some Brett funk. The fermentation and inclusion of rose hips adds a little tart & spicy Red Zinger tea complexity to the beer. (Brewery Link)

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Fife Street Brewing

Charleston, WV

♥ French Creek Freddie Saison, 5.8% ABV

Says Fife Street’s Gil Peterson: “French Creek Freddie is a spicy French-style saison. Straw-gold in color with a slight haze and dense, creamy head. Yeasty phenols combine with additions of pink peppercorn for for a peppery, floral nose. Lemon zest-like hops support the peppercorn and rye malt spice into a dry, effervescent finish.” 

The classic Saison beer style originated in the French speaking areas of Belgium. It’s often called a farmhouse ale due to its roots in the region’s farms as a beverage brewed for farmworkers. It gets its peppery flavors from its unique yeast variety and brewing techniques. (Brewery Link)

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Chestnut Brew Works

Morgantown, WV

♥ Dad Jokes Pilsner-style, 5.5% ABV

Says Chestnut Brew Works’ Bill Rittenour: “Just a good ol’ fashioned American Pilsner brewed with a touch of maize and authentic Czech Saaz hops, this beer is easy to love because it’s simple and refreshing. Along with Saaz hops in the boil, we also dry hop the beer, which gives it a slight haze and nice earthy, Old-world hops character.“

“Dad Jokes” might be the name, but there’ll be no cringing after sipping on this one! (Brewery Link)

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Big Draft Brewing

White Sulphur Springs, WV

♥ Love Puddle ESB, 6.2% ABV

Says Big Draft’s JW Groseclose: “Lustfully conceived envisioning a quartet of great predecessors; Love Puddle is the conceptional remnant from a star studded epic! An English Backbone, with American Balance.”

ESB, or English special bitter, is known for its balance and the interplay between malt flavor and hoppiness. Rates high on the drinkability scale. A beautiful style for a beautiful day. (Brewery Link)