The Freefolk Brewery is owned by husband and wife, Jeff and Sarah Edwards. Freefolk is nestled in the heart of the New River Gorge and celebrates the Appalachian vibe and culture. Jeff began experimenting with fermentation in his Morgantown, WV backyard in 2014. He started with a 15-Gallon system that he cobbled together from a few garage sales. What started as a hobby soon progressed as he fell in love with the process of creating beer. After spending a lot of years in Morgantown raising their son Seth, Jeff and Sarah decided it was time for a change and moved to Fayetteville and opened the brewery in downtown Fayetteville. With the help of Freefolk’s co-founder, WV artist Jamie Lester, they filled the space with handcrafted steel features, wood, and concrete and covered the walls with painted murals. The original brewhouse was 3.5 bbl and some of the first brews were Moondog’s Blonde Ale, Trucker Speed IPA, and Orange Oswald SMaSH IPA. The Freefolk brand and team quickly grew and in the fall of 2022 they upgraded to a 20 bbl brewhouse. The production brewery found a second home in Hico, WV - 9 miles north of the original location. I had previously visited the Fayetteville location, which is now shuttered. So, I was excited to visit the Hico location and have been here a few times over the last couple years. During my first visit, there was a cryptid festival going on, and the entire space was opened to vendors, artist and food trucks. They had limited food and drinks, but I still enjoyed both. I was especially pleased to see a West Virginia pepperoni roll served with a side of marinara. These were cut on a bias and warm. Topped with parmesan. Tasty. I returned recently now that they have an on-site pizza shop: Ample Pizza. There were a handful of pizza options available: margherita, pepperoni, cherry tomato & ramp. I went with the fig, prosciutto, and goat cheese pizza. It had caramelized onions and a balsamic drizzle, as well. There was a ton of goat cheese and not quite enough fig. Overall, I enjoyed the pizza and would like to try some of the other options. Have you been? Grade: A

North Branch Brewing Co. is a small batch brewery and craft beer pub with food. There are 14 rotating craft beers on tap, and here are some that they have produced:

Strawberry Festiv-Ale - Blonde / Golden Ale

Paddytown Red - Red Ale

Potomac Sunrise - Blonde / Golden Ale

Old Man Pumpkin (spiced) - Pumpkin / Yam Beer

Appalachian Kentucky Commoner - Historical Beer - Kentucky Common

Mother's Milk Stout - Stout

Appalachian Amber Ale - Lager - Amber / Red

Squatch Watcher - Brown Ale/A smooth brown ale with notes of toffee

Peach Summer Wheat - Wheat Beer/Subtle peach flavor in our summer wheat ale

Hardly Knew Her - Blonde Ale

Wheat Ale - Wheat Beer/American Pale Wheat

Kolsch - Light grain & grass flavors with an unfiltered golden hue. Introduced for the 150th anniversary celebration for Keyser, West Virginia.

Paddytown Dark Lager - Lager - Dark
Shut the Hell Up - Rye Beer

Koerber Beer Company is a new microbrewery in Barboursville. Hidden down an alley lined with umbrella tables, the brewery has a very chill indoor-outdoor feel with folks inside at a small bar, off to the side with the larger bar and open door, and then finally outside. I purchased a growler to add to my collection, and I got a "walk around cup" of the Hustle & Bustle sour beer. This means you can walk outside the bar with your cup! It's the new PODA rules where you're able to drink outside in a designated area. I'm a sour fan, so I really enjoyed the tartness, and it had some slight peachy flavor. They don't have food, but they do invite food trucks frequently, and there are several good restaurants just down the street. Grade: A

I have sung the praises of Lefty's Place for quite some time. When the pizza restaurant first opened in Morgantown, I was hesitant to try what I thought might be another gimmicky, average, college-town pizza joint.

But after the first bite, I was sold. Imagine my delight when I found out that Lefty's was coming to Charleston. They have partnered with Short Story, which also started in the north and migrated the Charleston, to provide the food for the brewery.



Lefty's Place specializes in Detroit-style pizza. Detroit-style pizza is a rectangular pizza with a thick, airy crust that's crispy on the bottom due to being baked in a well-oiled pan. The cheese is spread to the edges, creating a caramelized crust, and the sauce is typically ladled on top in thick stripes.



It is a hearty and delicious pizza. It almost eats more like cheesy bread with sauce. Crispy, caramelized and quality ingredients. I like topping mine with ricotta and mushrooms, and then having a side of sauce to dip in on the side. I also like ordering the Betty White, which has spinach, ricotta, garlic, and olive oil. I do the same technique with a sauce on the side. It is absolute perfection.



I also tried the pepperoni balls here, which are also quite tasty. But, considering how much food we had, I didn't have much room for these. It is a good take on a pepperoni roll, but it's hard to beat that pizza.



Grade: A

Clendenin Brewing Co. is a microbrewery & AirBnB in the small town of Clendenin.



It's a neat space with a garage style door and a mishmash of decor and brewing equipment.



Some of the beers on tap included:

Clendenin Cream Ale Cream Ale
Slow Paddle Pilsner
Mothgirl
Amber Knights
Cannel Coal Imperial Stout
Gingerbread Stout
Secret Hopper
Udder Mayham
Mountain Mango IPA Double IPA
Three Step Mister
KeyLime Gose
Shya's Shandy
Margarita Beer



The food menu consists of a couple sandwiches, smoked meat platters, nachos and mac & cheese bowls.



I went to check it out with my friends, Erin and Beth, and we played some of the tabletop games while perusing the menus.



I gravitated toward the lighter-bodied beers, and my favorites included the key lime gose and both shandies. I was feeling the summer vibes, and they were just so refreshing.



I ordered the buffalo chicken dip macaroni and cheese. Separately, these are two of my favorite dishes. Together, they could use a little work. Some crunch or herb or something would have made this dish a bit more complete and broken up the soft texture.



it's a local addition to town, and I look forward to trying some of their new and seasonal items.



Grade: B

Charleston went for quite some time without much of a craft beer scene. But then, within the last two years, we have had a handful of breweries open up. One of which is Charleston Nano Brewery.



"We're focused on brewing small batches of craft beverages on site. We appreciate the full catalog of beer styles, so we hope you'll always find something new for you on tap at Charleston Nano. We're also a family-owned business and we're keenly focused on being a family-friendly establishment ourselves. We plan on offering customers with kids a fun place to play board games and to enjoy our own non-alcoholic root beers. We want Charleston Nano to be a business that's involved in the community, focused on brewing education, and a great place for people to enjoy beer and each other. We want anyone to feel welcome at Charleston Nano!" according to the website.



The space is nice - not huge, but not cramped. It was cozy enough to be able to have a convo and relax. I ordered a flight and a snack.



Let's start with the beer. They have quite a few different styles and some very creative options that include flavors like pomegranate, ube and vanilla. I tried a few different sours - all of which I enjoyed.



For my snack, I enjoyed a homemade pepperoni roll and side of beer cheese. They even serve pepperoni rolls with jalapenos, too. My regular one was great, as is though. Certainly taste homemade and wasn't just thick bread. Flavorful.



They are located on the West Side - in Elk City. I think they sometimes get left out of the marketing along with the other breweries. But if we don't want them to leave, like some other Elk City businesses as of late, we have to make sure to support them.



Have you been?



Grade: A

Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. - and the brewpub in Gilbert that serves it - are unique for a few different reasoms. But here's the coolest background I've seen in quite some time:



"This Beer Saves Water. We don't know if you've heard, but the water supply in the Southwest is not doing well. Ongoing drought, increased demand, and the effects of climate change have reduced the amount of water in our largest reservoirs - like Lake Mead, which supplies much of the water Arizonans use - to crisis levels. In January, federal restrictions will limit water use in Arizona for the first time ever. So we set out to create a beer that both brought attention to the water crisis and offered a possible solution: This Beer Saves Water. How can beer help save water, you ask? This Beer Saves Water is made using barley from Sinagua Malt. Based in Arizona's Verde Valley, Sinagua works with local farmers to shift from traditional summer crops like corn and alfalfa to barley, a late winter/spring crop. This crop-switching results in less water diverted from the Verde River during high-demand, low streamflow periods, leaving more water for people and wildlife. Since 2019, Sinagua's efforts have kept more than 425 million gallons of water in the Verde River. Every Arizona Wilderness beer uses Sinagua Malt as a base; This Beer Saves Water is made with 100% Sinagua. To drive the water-conservation point home, This Beer Saves Water is also made with Sabro and Zappa hops, both of which are relatively drought-resistant. We actually sat down and did the math: Every pint of This Beer Saves Water—and, in fact, every Wilderness beer - helps offset more than 50 gallons of water for Arizona's waterways. Our hope is that the beer inspires people to start thinking about how they can save water and support the businesses that are being proactive about sustainability. As the water crisis in the Southwest worsens, it's only going to become more important."



I tried several of the beers - all of which I found to be easily drinkable and fairly mild. No major flavor profiles that are off-putting or discernible. But easy, straight-forward and fair.



For my entree, I ordered a burger: Bacon n' Bleu - thick-cut bacon, bleu cheese, braised onions, arugula. All burgers served on a Noble bakery bun with side of duck fat fries.



Honestly, all of the burgers looked great. But sometimes that bleu cheese burger speaks to me when I'm in a funky mood. I like mine to be crumbles that have been melted, as well as something sweet to round it all out. This was tasty nonetheless and the duck fat fries always add the cherry on top. Figuratively.



Grade: B

"Amani means love and the most beautiful girl and is the middle name of our daughter, Paris. The flower is Chrissy's birth month flower and the colors we use are those present in the sunrises and sunsets here at the brewery," according to Amani Brewing's website.



"At Amani Brewing we value craft products, community-driven activities and our environment. We believe that life is a journey, not a destination. Loving what you do and doing what is right are part of our core principles and we are always striving to do better. We value our customers and employees and consider all of you family. Everything we do is focused on an exceptional product and experience."



Here are some of the brews they currently have on tap at their Martinsburg location:

- Namaste Seltzer - 5% - cherry/limeaide, watermelon
- Trailhead Pale Ale - 5.3% - it's just beautiful
- Hazy Day Maker NEIPA - 6.8% - grapefruit, mango, orange
- The Mountaineer Pilsner - 5.3% - light, clean, malty background
- Embracing Risk: Dragon Fruit/ Mango Fruited Sour - 5.5% - dragonfruit, mango *contains lactose
- Between Here and There NEIPA - 7% - strawberry, tropical lime
- Ridgeline Kolsch - 5% - made for the river
- Pacific Sunset IPA - 7% - easy drinking
- West The Road Goes Ever On English Mild- 4.2% - toffee, caramel, cinnamon 
-"Are We There Yet?" A Kid's IPA - 0.0% - fruit punch, gummy worms, whip



They actually don't do growler fills here; they do have cans, though. So I couldn't add a new growler to my collection. But, I did taste the Citra/Lemondrop, which just slightly reflected those flavors in a pretty straightforward pale ale.



I really loved that they seem like a real community gathering space. There were a ton of folks outside, enjoying their drinks, playing yard games, listening to music. 



Love seeing these local spaces grow and thrive with the community.



Grade: A