(1) OUR EXPERIENCE

After waking up in Pittsburgh and realizing our van had been spray-painted over night, we made the drive down to Mountain State Brewing in Thomas, WV. The location we visited is in a beautiful ski town and they also have two other locations nearby. Kate Lane was there to speak to us during our visit and she told us that she gets to focus on the seasonal recipes. At Mountain State they’re “making good beer and we’re making people happy,” and they further making people happy by holding the annual Brew Skies Festival which is being held on July 25 & 26th this year (more info below). A trip to West Virginia without a visit to Mountain State would be a poor choice, so make sure to drop by when you’re in the area!

(2) VITAL INFORMATION

Date of our visit: Thursday, 4/24/14
Open since: 2005
Approx. Barrel (bbl) Output 2013: 3,500
Projected bbl Output 2014: Slight increase from 3,500
Brewhouse size: 7 bbl
Owner(s): Willie Lehmann and Brian Arnett
Head Brewer: Mike Supak
Packaging: Kegs/ Bottles
Distribution: WV and now Baltimore, MD

Other things we learned:

* Brian was previously an engineer and Willie was a stone mason
* Brew 2-3 times a day, 7 days a week to keep up with demand
* Peabody Heights Brewing in Baltimore brews and bottles the 4 year-round beers for Mountain State
* Have 2 restaurants and brewpubs; in Deep Creek Lake, MD and Morgantown, WV
* All beer for the brewpubs is brewed at the production facility we were visiting
* Sponsor the Brew Skies Festival, which is a West Virginia craft beer and music festival that is on July 25 & 26th this year (2014) – More Info
* Grains come from Scotland
* Strive for consistency, quality, and making people happy

(3) BEERS WE TASTED DURING OUR VISIT

* Cold Trail Ale
* Almost Heaven Amber
* Seneca IPA
* Miner’s Daughter Oatmeal Stout
* Dolly Suds Cranberry Wheat
* Complete listing of beers

What we learned about their beer during our visit:

* 4 Flagships: Seneca IPA, Almost Heaven Amber, Cold Trail Ale, Miner’s Daughter Oatmeal Stout
* Seasonals include a Pumpkin Stout in Fall, a Porter & Chocolate Espresso Tip Top Stout in Winter
* Working on a spruce-tip IPA
* Seneca IPA is named after the fact that the Seneca Indians come from the area
* Mostly easy-drinking beers; not too into imperials or doubles

(4) EXPANSION PLANS

* Get a bottling line at some point
* Get a few more fermenters and brite tanks

(5) BACKGROUND OF PEOPLE WE SPOKE TO

[Haggis, Jess, Kate, Me]

Name: Kate Lane
Title: Brewer; does the seasonals
Been with company since: 2007
Previous Occupation(s): Food & Clothing vendor at music festivals
Favorite Superhero: Wonder Woman

Name: Jess Supak Wamsley
Title: The doer of what needs doing
Been with company since: 2009
Previous Occupation(s): Student/ Mom
Favorite Superhero: Batman

(6) MORE LINKS ABOUT BREWERY

* Main Website
* Background Story
* Events Calendar

(7) You can find the rest of our photos here

Author: Michael Roberts