Fret not, fans of the Great Beckley Beer Festival! Though the dark days of our pandemic year forced the established-in-2019 fest into hiatus, it’s back and even better for 2021.

Fret not, fans of the Great Beckley Beer Festival!

On Sunday, September 5th, the Great Beckley Beer Festival will return to the Beckley Intermodal Gateway on Neville Street. This single-day, family-friendly event will take place from 2pm to 7pm, rain or shine.

This brew-centric festival will feature more than fifty craft beer selections.

This brew-centric festival will feature more than fifty craft beer selections from West Virginia and beyond. Among the two dozen craft breweries represented will be Mountain State Brewing, Dobra Zupas, Bridge Brew Works, Freefolk Brewing, Weathered Ground Brewery, Greenbrier Valley Brewing, Parkersburg Brewing Company, Sophisticated Hound, Bad Shepherd, Big Timber, Stone Brewing, New Belgium, Oscar Blues, Founders, Bell’s, Foothill’s Brewing, Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada, and Country Boy. (Find some of these breweries on our Spirit’s Map!

From libations and culinary dishes to crafts and music…

Food trucks, vendors, and artisans will be on site, as well, and festival goers are sure to enjoy the musical stylings of Beckley’s own indie folk rock band, The Parachute Brigade (featured on the cover of this issue); the old-time acoustic, neo-traditional ensemble hailing from southern West Virginia, Long Point String Band; and one of the Mountain State’s most beloved troubadours, Jeremiah Hatfield.

From libations and culinary dishes to crafts and music, those slated to participate in the 2nd Annual Great Beckley Beer Festival are a shining testament to the impressive talent present in our own backyard.

The second installment of this fine festival is presented by the WV Collective.

For those who wish to experience the full range of festival offerings, general admission tickets are available at $40 (only 500 of these tickets will be sold). For non-drinkers or designated drivers, event tickets are $15. Kids aged fifteen and under may attend for free if accompanied by an adult. All tickets can be purchased at beckleybeerfest.com.

The second installment of this fine festival is presented by the WV Collective, a nonprofit performing arts organization that seeks to showcase homegrown talent and bring quality concerts and live theater productions to all West Virginians. The collective has previously sponsored productions of Little Shop of Horrors and Hedwig and the Angry Inch and has hosted three years of the popular WV Pubfest. The proceeds of the Great Beckley Beer Festival will benefit the organization, allowing the WV Collective to continue its admirable, important mission of fostering and promoting the arts in the Mountain State.

The 2nd Annual Great Beckley Beer Festival is sure to be a good time. Hope to see you there!

– Tiffany Williams, HashtagWV #134. August 2021.