Weathered Ground looks toward spring
February 23, 2024
Another spring is fast approaching on the yearly merry-go-round. Most craft breweries find that beer also needs a seasonal refresh. Moving out of the big, dark. and strongly-flavored, higher-alcohol winter ales. Bringing in the lighter colors and fresher tastes of spring.
In our part of the country, the St. Patrick’s Day season is winter beer’s last hurrah. Roasty Stouts and richly malty Red Ales take over the taps for a short time but then are quickly supplanted as the weather begins to warm.
To get a read on the ever-changing beer scene, West Virginia Beer Roads recently visited Weathered Ground Brewery in Cool Ridge, WV. Brewery manager Sam Fonda sat down with WVBR host Charles Bockway to share his thoughts on the beer line-up. We also get Fonda’s read on the brewery’s business heading toward winter’s end and on other currently topical beer marketing and business issues.
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From pervasive to obscure
Like most West Virginia brewers, WGB’s largest-selling beers are mostly IPAs, Quick Sours, and Lagers. Sam, however, also always keeps on tap a group of beers that aren’t so well-known or popular. He reserves a portion of his tap list for beer styles he likes to drink, whether or not they are particularly popular. Sometimes, they can be pretty obscure styles — but always well-made and tasty.
During the interview, we like to feature a flight of beers that the brewer chooses to best represent beers Weathered Ground wants to bring attention to. During this visit, they included:
Shrouded in Light Czech-style Pilsner
An extremely quaffable lager with hops and malt in perfect harmony. 5% ABV
Journey to Avalon Pale Ale
A classic American pale ale brewed with the new locally developed Avalon Malt. Hopped with Centennial, Simcoe, and Amarillo. 5.3% ABV
Stop and Smell the Citrus Hazy IPA
A modern citrusy-hop-flavored IPA with low bitterness. 6.1% ABV
To the Gills Imperial Stout/Pastry Stout
Macadamia & coconut flavored, rye whiskey barrel-aged, rich imperial stout. 11.5% ABV
Addicted to Craft Malt
What has to impress any visitor to Weathered Ground Brewery is the great variety of malts that they regularly use in their beer making. They rarely approximate a malt flavor in a recipe by substituting a malt they can buy in large quantities at a lower price. And when they do substitute say, a US malt for a foreign malt, they most often use a locally produced craft malt that sells for premium prices. They never skimp on quality.
In Weathered Ground’s malt storage room, you’ll find scores of bagged malts from small local craft maltsters — both Riverbend Malt House and Carolina Malt House — making up large portions of the grain. As far as we know, Weathered Ground Brewery is the only “Craft Malt Certified” brewery in West Virginia.
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