In June 2018, I traveled to West Virginia and stopped into a few beery places along the way. It seems wherever you travel, there are new and exciting breweries popping up, much to a beer lover’s pleasure.

Davis WV

To say the town of Davis WV is a small town would be an understatement. You can easily walk from one end to the other by the time your tacos are ready at the food truck. What may bring you to, or through, this area is the great outdoors. Nearby are the popular Blackwater Falls State Park and Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge hiking and mountain biking opportunities. Davis even has a website to help you decide from the many things to do.

Stumptown Ales

The short time I was in Davis hiking was not on the agenda, but a beer was.

While you are in Davis, Stumptown Ales is a must for seekers of good beer. In 2018, Stumptown was voted WV Brewery of the Year.

Saison and Porter

The declaration from the Stumptown website is “IPA’s rule our taps – so you can expect some nice hoppy choices.”   But for me, I like to taste from around the edges of a beer menu. Of course, you have to drink the big IPAs, that is what Stumptown is most proud of, but what about the saison and porter?

As a West Virginia University School of Forestry alumni, the influence of the school permeates the WV culture. Yet, it still caught me a bit off guard to hear a conversation about mycorrhiza fungi to break out across the bar—and with such enthusiasm.

Farm Up Truck

Stumptown does not serve food of its own but has a way of attracting very good food trucks just outside their doors. My timing was right, I needed dinner and the Farm Up Truck was ready and waiting. I placed my order and was given 15 minutes of free time, during which I walked from one end of town to the other with 5 minutes to spare. The food was excellent and the truck owner quite affable.

Stumptown Ales
390 William Avenue
Davis, WV
StumptownAles.com / Untappd

Elkins WV

Elkins WV is a college town, home of Davis and Elkins College, in the heart of West Virginia. I've been to Elkins a few times before, but that was before the craft beer phenomena.

Big Timber Brewing

Big Timber Brewing can be found right in the heart of Elkins. It has a small and spirited taproom. There most popular beers is their Porter, notes of coffee and dark chocolate, and IPA. I have been able to find both of these in package good stores around the area.

Big Timber Brewing
1210 S Davis Ave
Elkins, WV 26241
BigTimberBrewing.com / Untappd

The Inn

Graceland Inn

My travels would eventually take me to Elkins, WV and The Graceland Inn. The mansion was the summer home of Henry Gassaway Davis, a United States Senator (1871-1883), and an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Vice President of the United States.

I had just visited Asheville, NC and while there toured the Thomas Wolfe House. As many famous homes turned to museums, think Mount Vernon or Monticello, the Wolfe House rooms are roped off so that you can peer in — but not touch. So to say that I was amazed at my room for the week would be an understatement. I walked into what I thought was part of a museum. A four poster bed, hardwood floors and an amazing view overlooking the town of Elkins.

Graceland was built by Henry Gassaway Davis and his wife, and was completed in 1893. Graceland was designed by the renowned architectural firm of Baldwin and Pennington of Baltimore, MD. The farm on which the Inn was built originally consisted of approximately 360 acres. The exterior of the building is constructed of native sandstone. The interior is designed in native hardwoods such as quarter-sawn oak, bird’s eye maple, cherry and walnut. About what you might expect for a timber magnate.

The inn has a majestic staircase, a large veranda spanning the back of the house, and a observation spire overlooking the town of Elkins.

Food

Smoke on the Water BBQ

When you travel, you have to eat somewhere. If you love good barbecue then Smoke on the Water is a great locale just outside Elkins. With a name like that (classic rock song) it’s gotta be great, and it was. The rains came down but our group was high and dry as we sat outback under the patio. We enjoyed some good beer, bbq plus the fixings, and listened to live music from a local musician.

Smoke on the Water BBQ
1455 Allegheny Hwy
Elkins, WV
SmokeWaterBBQ.com

Forks Inn

The group I was with had dinner one evening at the Forks Inn. Not only was the food and drink choices excellent, the mountain view was majestic. As we enjoyed the evening on the back porch, a summer storm came through and obscured the view of the hills, but created its own unique experience. This venue is highly recommended if you are in the area.

Davis & Elkins The Stirrup Gallery 

In sleepy little Elkins you can find a wonderful small museum. You may go looking for it, it’s a bit obscure, but certainly worth the time and effort. For a small museum, they hold some very interesting artifacts. According to Smithsonian Institution and Colonial Williamsburg curators, The Stirrup Gallery contains one of the top five collections of powder horns in the United States. Who knew?

The gallery holds many wonderful collections, from stone age hand axe, firearms dating back to the 1600s, pottery, Americana, glassware, Native American artifacts and some very rare Roman coins.

About the Author

I began writing about these adventures into good beer back in February 2013. My journal entries include my travels and muses from around the USA and a few other countries. In July 2019, I began writing the Maryland column for the Mid-Atlantic Brew News, a bi-monthly regional newspaper for beer enthusiasts that covers six states (NJ, PA, WV, MD, DE, VA) and Washington DC.