Rhinegeist – a difference maker – to launch in WV
February 23, 2023
Welcome to West Virginia, Rhinegeist Brewery
Updated LAUNCH EVENTS – as of March 23
Huntington Area
03/29 – Giovanni’s (3rd Av. & 20th St.)
03/30 – Bahnhof (7th Ave.)
Charleston Area
03/30 – Sam’s Uptown Cafe (Capitol St.)
North Central WV
03/27 – Smoking J’s (Morgantown)
03/29 – Apothecary Ale House (Morgantown)
03/28 – Fat Angelo’s (Morgantown)
03/31 – The Rambling Root (Fairmont)
We have a history with Rhinegeist
Today, I think back about a decade ago to the bygone days of scant craft beer on the shelves and only one small brewery in the Charleston-Huntington region of West Virginia. I remember well, back then, my weekend trips to Cincinnati to enjoy the healthy local beer scene there.
In those days, one place that absolutely stood out was Rhinegeist Brewery.
While it wasn’t the first contemporary craft brewery in Cincy, I believe it was the one that established itself as the true harbinger of great things to come for the industry in our region. When it opened in the summer of 2013, it had impact. My friends and I were blown away by the development of this new place housed inside a century-old brewery building in the historic Over-the-Rhine district of the Queen City.
Connecting old to new to the future
When my friend, Yogi Dean, and I first walked into that brewery one cold January day in 2014, we were so impressed with the scale, the scene, and the beer. The space — a total of 250,000 square feet, which had years-before housed the beer packaging operation of a Pre-Prohibition era brewery — was humongous. Not only did the one end of the main room hold Rhinegeist’s nice-sized, modern craft brewing equipment, but the rest of the space was large enough for tons of table seating and a large open area where you could fling a frisbee, hold a family picnic, or even play touch football.
As we sat in that cavernous room among a crowd of younger adults all enjoying their local beer scene, we knew we were onto something big. Soaking in that vibe — the beer culture of old connected to the beer culture of today. The American local brewery renaissance truly came alive for me that day.
Now, I didn’t mean to leave out mentioning the actual beer. It was tasty and well-made. We loved it. Rhinegeist beer had all the qualities needed to become the popular entrée it has proven itself to be today. And that leads me to this announcement: Rhinegeist beer is coming to West Virginia.
Rhinegeist set for West Virginia launch March 27 week
While Rhinegeist originally reserved most of its production to keep the pipeline filled in its home state of Ohio, it began venturing out to other states as advancements in production allowed. In a little over a week, West Virginia will join the several other states beyond Ohio that get to enjoy the Rhinegeist line.
WV beer distributor, Mountain State Beverage, ori plan to bring Rhinegeist here beginning the week of March 27, 2023. The statewide launch will include numerous bar promotions, and packaged beer will also begin appearing on retailer shelves.
“We are pleased to have been chosen to represent the Rhinegeist brand in West Virginia,” says Mountain State Beverage’s Scott Parkes. “We’re constantly searching for items that the West Virginia consumer will enjoy. Rhinegeist’s vision for the West Virginia market and the planned interaction with the WV consumers align with our core values and vision.”
Rhinegeist beers at opening
Rhinegeist brews hitting the West Virginia market at opening include:
- Truth IPA, 7.2% ABV: 6-packs (12oz cans), 19.2-oz. single cans, and draft
- Juicy Truth IPA, 6.5% ABV: 6-packs (12-oz. cans), 19.2-oz. single cans, and draft
- Hop Box, 4.5% – 7.2% ABV: mixed 12-packs (currently includes Pixel Cold IPA; Beer for Humans Easy Hop Ale, Vision Pale Ale, and Truth IPA)
- Hustle IPA, 6.0% ABV: draft only
- Cheetah Lager, 4.8% ABV: draft only
Later this spring, you’ll begin to find selections from the brewery’s popular RGBevs line, including brands like Bubbles, Zango Crush, and Lemmy Nade. They’ll be arriving in WV on future shipments from Ohio. Bubbles and the other RGBevs are the refreshing, clean and quenching line of fruit-flavored malt beverages that have taken the Ohio market by storm.
Words from Rhinegeist CEO Mike Parks
On the occasion of the launch and to help us know what to expect from this popular Ohio beer line, Brilliant Stream asked several questions of Rhinegeist CEO Mike Parks. Here’s what Mike answered:
Question 1: How would you describe the strengths of Rhinegeist Brewery in today’s craft beer market?
Parks: I’ll list what I believe are our three major strengths:
First, Passion. We are very passionate about all that we do and who we are. Rhinegeist is agreat place to work, and we work together well; we make great beers, we create great experiences and our people market and sell better than anyone in our footprint!
Second, Innovation. We have grown into a fairly large brewery, but we still innovate and bringnew products to the market that continue to wow our fans.
Third, Quality and Consistency. Our beers are awesome everyday, and always leave the door tasting like they are intended to taste.
Q 2. What were the factors that made you decide the time was right to enter the West Virginia market now?
Parks: We have taken a cautious approach towards geographic expansion. So many of our competitors have just painted the country, but we want to make sure we can put the right focus and attention to the markets we enter. West Virginia fits in perfectly with our current footprint as we are in so many of the surrounding states, and it opens up more opportunities to expand further east.
Q 3. What are a couple features that WV craft beer consumers should look for from the Rhinegeist line?
Parks: That is like asking who my favorite child is! I’ll give it a shot: Truth is our flagship, and one of the best IPAs in the country. Juicy Truth is an exceptionally delicious Hazy/Juicy IPA (a very popular category at the moment), and a brand new release that we’re all very proud of. RGBevs Zango Crush is a solid and approachable option for people looking to try something other than beer.
We’re really excited about Beer For Humans, our newest release. BFH is perfect for those looking for something less hoppy than an IPA, but with plenty of character that will appeal to long-time fans of craft and people trying our beer for the first time alike! If you’re a fan of variety, be on the lookout for our Hop Box Variety Pack (each box features a Hop Box-exclusive brew) and rotating seasonal 6pks!
Q 4. Can folks to come over to Cincinnati and see your brewery?
Parks: Hell YES! Our taproom is open everyday. The brewery is housed in an awe-inspiring, historical building with deep ties to Cincinnati brewing. We offer a large variety of beers on tap, great Tex-Mex food from our partner Local Cantina, and we full tours of the brewery. We are a family-friendly space, and we have one of the best rooftop views in the city!
Beer distributor sought them out
We wouldn’t have new beers from across the country hitting our market if it weren’t for our West Virginia beer distributors seeking to bring us variety and selection. Mountain State Beverage CEO Scott Parkes explained why they sought out the Rhinegeist line.
“There are a number of different reasons,” Parkes said. “First, we see it as an opportunity to add a new craft supplier from a bordering state that has a huge following in that state. We’ve received numerous requests from consumers and retailers alike to add the brand to our portfolio. And finally, they make damn good beer that we feel the West Virginia craft consumer will enjoy.”
When asked how he feels the line will complement MSB’s overall product offerings, Parkes replied: “The craft beer business is about experimentation, exploration, so we feel new entrants are good for the vitality of the craft segment. New offerings also create excitement and trial for our on and off premise partners, which help them be more successful. Style-wise, Rhinegeist has some unique styles and offerings that put a different ‘twist’ on what we currently sell.”
Some cool tidbits
As we welcome Rhinegeist brands to West Virginia, here’s a few cool tidbits about the line:
Top three best selling Rhinegeist brands across the board today:
- Truth IPA
- RGBevs Bubbles
- Hop Box Variety Pack
Top three fastest-growing brands (volume increase) over past year:
- Hop Box Variety Pack
- Truth IPA
- Knowledge Imperial IPA (and Juicy Truth is showing early signs of growth already)
Most popular seasonals among ones that WV will likely receive over the upcoming year:
- RGBevs Zango Crush,
- Franz Oktoberfest,
- Dad Hoppy Holiday Ale
Rhinegeist Brewery’s annual production was 106,000 barrels over the past year.
According to IRI data, Truth IPA is the #1 IPA in Ohio, selling more dollars than the 2nd & 3rd best-selling IPAs combined.
For additional information on Rhinegeist Brewery, check out their website.
Additional Kick-off Events May Be Added.
Additional accounts will have product starting March 7, but are not doing special kick-off events.
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