Score it a WIN for Wheeling
August 18, 2026
Mountaineer Brewfest 2026 is now in the books. Score it a win.
We’re continually wowed by this event and all the work they do to provide an incredibly fun day for fest attendees and West Virginia brewers.
At an event where the local beer distributor tents also do a great job offering everything from Michelob and Miller to Garage Beer and Country Boy Brewing, the festival organizers always find a way to keep their West Virginia brewers front and center. It’s the perfect place for experiencing the best of West Virginia’s brewers arts.
First up each year is the Brewers Parade, at which fest officials and West Virginia brewers wind their way through the festival grounds to the riverfront.
Following the parade, everyone gathers for the opening ceremony, which ends with the tapping of the firkin.
Daniel Young, financial advisor at the Wheeling office of Edward Jones, bid $6,000 to win the right to wield the mallet and tap the firkin, officially opening Mountaineer Brewfest 2026. Young’s donation, along with other festival proceeds, go to the Brewfest’s 2026 designated charity: Wheeling YMCA.
This year, the firkin contained The Bockway Home Bock, made by Mike Vance of Abolitionist Ale Works in Charles Town, WV. [Watch for an article later this week on The Bockway Home Bock]
WV Brewers Row – the best yet
The Brewfest surely masters the formula for keeping small West Virginia brewers at the top of the festival attraction list.
This year, WV brewers row featured a record number of West Virginia brewers. Twenty West Virginia breweries and one WV cidery kept the crowd lubricated all day, as craft beer lovers queued up to sample a selection of the best beers from the Mountain State.
On WV Brewers Row, each booth has a local Wheeling area sponsor. Click on photos to enlarge.
Among the breweries present were three first-time attendees. Two from Charleston: Bad Shepherd Beer Co. and Charleston Nano Brewery; and one from Morgantown: Halleck Brewing. They all received an enthusiastic response from attendees.
Fielden Nutter, brewer at Bad Shepherd Beer Company, said, “The people of Wheeling seem to be thirsty for new local beer. Fest organization was top notch. I could tell all the volunteers really wanted to make the day special. It makes everything even better knowing it’s for a good cause. Overall, it was a great fest, and I would be honored to be invited back next year!”
Kenny Graley, co-owner and brewer at Charleston Nano Brewery said, “We thought the festival was great!” He added that it’s the only festival he’s been to as a brewer where they treat you so well. Everything from providing lodging and food to lots of help with set-up. “The parade was a nice touch, as well, to showcase the breweries involved. We can’t wait to come back to this event.”
Brewfest excels as community fundraiser
As one of West Virginia’s premier annual charitable fundraisers, Mountaineer Brewfest excels in bringing its community together around a social theme of good craft beer. Each year it raises money for a different local social service organization. In its 11 years the fest has raised over $320,000 for charity.
For 2026, it’s designated charity is the Wheeling YMCA. Proceeds from fest operations—including ticket sales, tips to beer pourers from Circus, Saints, and Sinners, sponsor donations, tap-the-firkin auction, food sales, etc.—are all totaled up and will be presented to the charity at a meeting in September.
Adam Shinsky, President and CEO, Wheeling YMCA, said following the Brewfest: “The Wheeling YMCA was so grateful to be a part of Mountaineer Brewfest. It was so humbling to see so many people come together Saturday helping us build the community we all want to live in. We will never forget the whole experience of Brewfest!”
Winning beers at Brewfest Competition
Each year, the Brewfest includes a formally judged, Best of the Fest beer competition, where each West Virginia brewery can enter one beer. Beers are judged against the standard descriptors for their listed beer style.
The judging is organized by the Wheeling Alers Homebrew Club and judged by a team led by Jim Chaney and Kurt Reed, both BJCP certified judges.
The 2026 winners are:
- Half Moon Stance – Japanese Rice Lager
Short Story Brewing, Rivesville - Summer Wheat – American Wheat Beer
Big Timber Brewing, Elkins - Chuck’s P51 Porter – American Porter
Fife Street Brewing, Charleston
People’s Choice Award goes to The Peddler
The Brewfest also runs a People’s Choice Award each year honoring the West Virginia brewery that collects the most beer votes from attendees. The Peddler from Huntington has proven hard to beat in this competition. It came out on top again in 2026.
Its beer lineup included Dirty Myrtle Fruited Sour, Son of a Peacher Man Fruited Wheat Beer, Duddy Doy NEIPA, and I Scream Sour Sour Ale. The Peddler winning People’s Choice would seem to show that, at least in Wheeling, folks can’t get enough of these well-made fruity, tart-style beers.
Shots from around the fest
See more Mountaineer Brewfest coverage in local Wheeling newspaper
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