West Virginia hospitality shines at Bad Shepherd

A couple nights ago, I witnessed a beautiful display of West Virginia hospitality at Bad Shepherd Beer Company in Charleston. 

These days, many West Virginia breweries get a nice chunk of their taproom business from travelers visiting or passing through the state. You can hardly stop in a WV brewery taproom, take a seat the bar, and not meet someone who is just passing through on their way to somewhere else.

Our brewery taprooms are huge draws for out-of-state visitors. The taprooms are welcoming and happy oases for folks seeking something special, something tasty, something local. 

Impromptu tour happens

On this particular evening, head brewer Ross Williams sat at the Bad Shepherd bar relaxing, following his long day of brewing. A few seats away sat two guys who were enjoying the taproom’s food and beverage. 

A conversation ensued and it was discovered that the two guys—Drew and Cameron—were businessmen from Barrie, Ontario on their way to a conference in Charlotte. They were lovers of craft beer and one of them was also a homebrewer.

They seemed truly appreciative that the head brewer would engage them in enthusiastic conversation about the beers they were drinking and about craft brewing in general. 

Next, Ross offered them an impromptu tour of the brewery, an offer that the guys quickly took him up on. 

Bad Shepherd happens to be a great place to tour due to its use of a fairly rare equipment set-up. Its mash filter sets it apart from the majority of small breweries and encourages interested visitors to delve more deeply into the brewing process than might otherwise happen if the place used the much more common three-vessel brewing system. 

A memorable day

On this evening in Charleston, WV, a special moment ensued for Cameron and Drew. You could see it in their enthusiastic smiles, hear it in the tone of voice, feel it in the words of the conversation. So cool.

Before the two guys left, they were offered information on two other stops on Charleston’s Brewers Row just down the block. As the guys headed out, I can bet this stop at Bad Shepherd was a visit they’ll be talking about for a long time—and by extension, will reflect positively on West Virginia and West Virginians. I was proud to have witnessed it.

Kudos to Ross Williams for taking the time, after his long brewing shift, to enthusiastically converse and entertain these two visitors from Canada. It was a display of West Virginia hospitality that I won’t soon forget.

Other Bad Shepherd news

Ross says he is working hard to catch up on brewing after a brief shutdown for brewery maintenance/repairs. He promises the gaps on the tap list will soon be filled.

Upcoming brews will include:

• Peach & Plum Sour Holler
• Cracked Pepper Saison
• Ourbock Golden Bock Lager
• The Loud IPA
• Orange Belgian Ale

Just a reminder that the Bad Shepherd/Black Sheep Burritos taproom will be a stellar place to watch the upcoming USA Cycling PRO ROAD NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS bicycle races. Taking place from June 16 to June 26, several of the races run right by Bad Shepherd. It sits right on the hottest corner in town and is a perfect place to view and cheer for the cyclists zooming by.

LINKS

Bad Shepherd Beer Company facebook page
USA Cycling website info on Charleston events