Beer & award named for Bockway

Last week, I went up to Wheeling WV to attend Mountaineer Brewfest. I attended as a reporter for BrilliantStream.com (the WV beer news website), as usual. I had no idea what would befall me at the fest’s opening ceremony.

Thanks to Jeff Hayes (Mountaineer Brewfest president) and the festival committee, I would be singled out for an honor that I in no way expected. At the opening ceremony, they asked me to stand up front, while an announcement was read.

The announcement said, that henceforth, the fest’s annual People’s Choice brewery award would be renamed the Charles Bockway People’s Choice Award. This was in honor of my years of advocacy and support for the state’s craft brewing industry. On top of that, the festival had Abolitionist Ale Works brewer Mike Vance make a German-style Bock beer, which he named The Bockway Home.

The Bock was in the firkin that was tapped to open the fest, and it was also presented to me in a four-pack of 16 oz. cans. The special can label was also made into a poster, which was signed by all the West Virginia brewers present at the festival.

I was floored.

How it all happened

I was so appreciative of what the festival leadership and brewer Mike Vance had done. Once the festival was over, the reporter in me had to find out how this all came together. I called Mike Vance.

Mike and his Abolitionist Ale Works had the honor of making beer for the fest-opening firkin tapping, because he had won first place in the Best of the Fest beer competition the previous year.

It was back at the first of July, Vance recounts, while he was planning what beer to brew.

“So I had to bring the firkin,” Vance says, “and I got an email from Brewfest President Jeff Hayes.”  Hayes asked him, “Hey, can you do a Bock? We’re going to do something to recognize Charles Bockway. He’s retiring.” 

“And so I was like, Oh, cool,” Vance says.

Then Jeff added “Can you bring some cans of it too? We want to give Charles a four-pack.”

And Mike was thinking, “Sure, but I don’t have a label.” Vance knew this would be challenge to get everything ready, but he agreed to check on it and get back to Hayes.

Vance immediately began putting his brewing plans together—as for the beer can label, he quickly called Brian Pickens, who is an experienced label artist in Morgantown, WV.

“I was like, ‘Brian, can you do this label? and Brian was like, ‘Oh, I know Charles. Um, game on.’

“I went back to Jeff, and I was like, ‘All right, challenge accepted. Hopefully I can get these labels in time.’ I was stressing a little bit, but it all turned out pretty good.”  

Pickens got Vance the label art and he was pleased. 

“Everybody’s going to love this,” Vance said.

Vance sent the label art off to Jeff Hayes, and the Brewfest also ended up using the label art to make a commemorative poster. They asked all the West Virginia brewers to sign the poster before presenting it to me on Brewfest day. 

Vance added, “I thought it looked really cool when it they held it up at the opening ceremony.”

I’ll be hanging that poster on the wall in my house here as soon as I can figure out where I want to put it. 

Beer Details

The Brewfest wanted a Bock beer to play on the similarity to the Bockway name. Luckily, Vance had some dark Munich malt on hand. “I went heavy with that.” he said. “The beer is pretty much 75 percent Munich malt.” 

Mike Vance calls it a Traditional Bock. It’s a dark amber, malty beer. Bock is normally a little stronger than the basic German lager. This Bockway Home Bock registers 6.3% ABV.

The beer also contains a little dark aromatic malt, and the rest is Pilsner malt. A small dose of German bittering hops were added just to balance the malt.

In making the beer, Vance was worried that he wouldn’t have enough time to properly lager the beer. Brewfest was coming up in a few weeks. Traditionally, German brewers store their bock beers for a longer time to help smooth out the intense malt flavors.

But then he decided it was fine, because he said a cask beer should be young and fresh. This Bock is definitely toasty with a touch of sweetness and chocolate.

Due to the beer’s shorter lagering period and it being unfiltered, I’m thinking we could also call it a strong, dark kellerbier. Whatever you call it, it’s a very flavorful, malt-forward brew.

Tapping the Bock

On fest day, the honor of tapping a firkin of The Bockway Home Bock, went to Daniel Young of Edward Jones–Wheeling. He had won the honor at an auction held Wednesday evening before the fest. His winning bid of $6,000 was a welcomed donation to the Brewfest’s designated charity: Wheeling YMCA.

After watching the firkin tapping at the Fest, Mike Vance commented on his choice to brew a darker Bock style. “I’d rather have a dark beer splattered on everybody when they’re tapping it than a light one, right?” Vance said with a smile.

Award is announced

Just prior to the firkin tapping. the Brewfest announcer read the statement, reprinted below, announcing the honor bestowed on me. From this day forward, the fest’s annual Charles Bockway People’s Choice Award will honor the West Virginia brewery that collects the most votes from attendees at the fest.

Charles Bockway People’s Choice Award

At the ceremony, Mountaineer Brewfest officials presented me with the special poster and a four-pack of The Bockway Home Bock beer,

Designing the label & poster art

Vance said he just gave Brian Pickens the idea for the beer, and Brian ran with it, designing both the beer can label and the poster.

Pickens explained his inspiration, saying he simply wanted it to be a joyous depiction of me upon having found the perfect beer, this beer.

“It was a ton of fun to work on,” he says. “I took a good bit of inspiration from your four tone Brilliant Stream color pallet. The radiant heavenly lines are meant to emphasize the divine nature of this most sacred of libations.”

Vance said he will display the poster at Abolitionist Beer Co. in Charles Town, and Bad Shepherd Beer Company also received a copy that I hope they will display in Charleston. I already have a spot planned for it on a wall in my home.

If you want to try the Bock, Abolitionist Ale Works in Charleston Town, WV, promises to have it on draft in September.

My Appreciation

My sincere appreciation goes out to Jeff Hayes and the Mountaineer Brewfest Committee, also to Mike Vance and Brian Pickens. Thank you folks so much. I’ll never forget that day: August 15, 2026.

Prost everyone. Cheers!

Related LINKS

Mountaineer Brewfest
Mike Vance’s Abolitionist Ale Works
WV Beer Roads Podcast with Mike Vance (2023)