Family brings Köerber Beer to WV market

Arguably nothing in life is more important than family. And when it comes to craft beer there’s a lot to be said for the family that brews together.

Enter the new Köerber Beer Company in Barboursville, WV, which is off to a strong start, in part due to a big dose of help and love received from the state’s craft brewing industry family.

Brewer needed

To lead the brewing at his new business, Köerber brewery founder, Jason Beter, originally planned to hire a brewer with some brewing education and proven experience. Originally, Jason’s son Noah, who had just recently graduated from Marshall University, was not in the picture.

Then, a year ago during the planning time, Noah decided he wanted to be a brewer. He asked his father to take a chance on him, and the two came to an agreement.

Jason told Noah that, while the brewery plan was being finalized, equipment ordered, construction completed, and licensing worked on, he would have to devote his time to learning to brew commercially. Jason then called on his friends in the West Virginia craft brewing community, and they graciously agreed to help out.

Noah becomes a brewer

Jason dropped his new-to-brewing son into the heart of craft brewing by immersing him in a sea of West Virginia’s top brewing talent. Over the past year, brewer-trainee Noah received hands-on training and other brewing education from the likes of brewers Ross Williams at Bad Shepherd Beer Company, Jamal Carter at The Peddler, Bill Rittenour at Chestnut Brew Works, and Dallas Wolfe at High Ground Brewing. That’s quite a Who’s Who of instructors.

Now graduated from his brew training program, Noah is taking that stellar education of the past year and putting it to use making the beer at Köerber Beer Company. It’s a great story of industry cooperation—the kind of cooperation that makes the craft brewing industry so incredibly special.

WV Beer Roads visits Köerber

Erin and Charles traveled the West Virginia Beer Roads over to Barboursville and sat down with Jason and Noah to get our initial read on the new Köerber Beer Company. What we found were a bunch of good beers made even better by some strong family ties.

Listen to the podcast here

Attitude, commitment, community

We loved the Beters’ attitude and their goals about brewing. Jason summed it up well when he said:

“At the end of the day, I don’t want to be anything ground breaking. I just want to brew good beer. And I want everybody to say, ‘Hey, you know what, that beer was brewed in my town.’ — and be proud of it. That’s all I care about.”

They get it. It’s the powerful intersection of local beer and beer family. We expect these guys will do just fine.

LINKS

Check out the Beter’s Köerber beer at their family business locations in Barboursville, WV:

Köerber Beer Company Taproom
1861 Public House
Oscar’s Breakfast, Burgers & Brews

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