Halleck Brewing bringing it
March 27, 2026
Now that the news of a new Morgantown brewery operation is making the rounds, I thought it was time to talk to the brewery owner and give you a full report on Halleck Brewing Co.
Warden purchases Chestnut Brew Works
I recently spoke with Doug Warden, who is a Morgantown-based real estate developer and entrepreneur. Last July, Warden purchased the Chestnut Brew Works business from brewery founder Bill Rittenour.
He says he had heard the brewery might be for sale and took an interest in it, initially, because for years he’d been a big fan of its Halleck Pale Ale. He checked around with Morgantown beer accounts and found only praise for Chestnut Brew Works products. That led him to talks with Rittenour that ended with the purchase last July.
“It just seemed like a good opportunity to take it from where it is, to take it to the next level, where it really needed to go,” Warden says.
Initially, Warden would continue beer production at Chestnut’s existing Brockway Avenue brewery under the leadership of long-time Chestnut head brewer, Josh Taylor, who Warden is retaining to run the new brewery too.
For a while, the brewery would continue to serve its existing accounts under the Chestnut Brew Works name, as Warden and his team moved ahead with planning and development for his new brewery operation.
Renamed to Halleck Brewing
Warden decided to rename the brewery Halleck Brewing Company after the name of his favorite pale ale. The new name would help bring recognition to the change in ownership, yet would connect and pay homage to the original beer that was Chestnut Brew Works’ best seller. As things have moved along, the official name change to Halleck Brewing took place this February.
Following the purchase, one of Warden’s most important visions for his new brewery was that it would distribute statewide, growing some of their existing core brands and introducing a series of new beers. Realizing that the Brockway Ave. brewery space could not accommodate production growth, he developed a bold plan.
Last summer, Warden and his team went to work on design and construction of a new building that would eventually house the brewery and its taproom. Today, work on that building is largely completed, brewery equipment set-up and interior finish work well underway.
“We’re doing a lot of work on our new location right now,” Warden says. “It’s keeping us busy.”
He expects to have the new brewery in production by mid-May.
Halleck Brewing’s new facility will open with a brewing system twice the size of the one at the Brockway Ave. building. As well, it includes more fermentation, lagering, brite tank, and packaging capacity.
The new building ended up at 6,500 sq. ft., which is much larger than their current 1,800 sq. ft space on Brockway. Its new 14-barrel brew house and associated fermentation tanks should double or triple the brewery’s annual output capacity.
The Halleck Team
With all the changes coming in this transition, we’re happy to hear about one thing that won’t change, and that is Josh Taylor as head brewer.
“He’s very creative,” Warden says about Taylor. “His knowledge of brewing is amazing. It’s fantastic. He’s right at home where he should be.”
Initial staffing for the expanded beer production operation will be Josh Taylor as head brewer, and Tim Vitelle, assistant brewer. Warden and his associate, Ryan Klousnitzer, will initially share the general manager role.
Something old; something new
Certainly, many of the past Chestnut Brew Works core beers will join the Halleck Brewing brand line-up. Halleck Pale Ale is a sure thing, as likely are several of the other most popular mainstays from the Chestnut Brew Works days.
“We’re going to continue a lot of the same beers we have now because they’ve been pretty successful,” Warden says. “We’re going to try a few new things as we expand operations.”
In that regard, changes are already showing up in the brewery’s brand line up. Halleck Brewing recently announced it is trying out a second beer for its Pale Ale line-up and also a new IPA. Check the announcement below copied from the Halleck Brewing Instagram page.
Halleck Gold
This alternate take on our flagship Halleck Pale Ale is brewed to be pure liquid gold. Starting with Golden Promise malt for a rich, biscuity base and rounded out by flaked and golden naked oats for a soft velvet mouthfeel. This beer shines with a burst of passion fruit and peach from Galaxy hop additions. From the Gold and Blue hills of the great state of West Virginia this 5.6% easy drinking American Pale Ale is solid gold.
Misty Mountain IPA
A high-altitude hazy fueled by the trifecta of Riwaka, Citra, and Mosaic. At 7% ABV, it’s a tropical, juice-forward trek through notes of passionfruit and citrus with a crisp, resinous finish.
New taproom coming later
Halleck Brewing plans to get all the production operations fully underway and tightened up before opening a taproom in the new building. Warden had this to say about the planned taproom: “It’s going be a real comfortable place to go.” He says wants a casual style, likely with food trucks initially, but possibly with an in-house food service down the road.
Distribution growing
Halleck Brewing is retaining its three beer distributors from the Chestnut Brew Works era. They include:
- Mona Supply Company in Morgantown Mon County
- Carenbauer Distributing in Wheeling
- Valley Distributing in Fairmont
Later this year, Halleck Brewing will be seeking additional distributors to begin filling out distribution needs across West Virginia.
Social Media
To keep up with developments at Halleck Brewing, follow their social media.
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