Factory Tours for Breweries, Wineries and Distilleries
West Virginia is home to incredible businesses – many of which open their doors to share their crafts with the public. From distilleries to wineries to breweries, these Almost Heaven businesses happily welcome visitors to get an inside look at the process. Learn more about them here:
Distilleries
Appalachian Distillery
Appalachian Distillery located in Ripley is a popular producer of flavored moonshine liqueurs and whiskey. Family tours are available at Appalachian Distillery, as are free tastings for those 21 and older, during regular operating hours.
Black Draft Distillery
Located on a small, family farm, Black Draft Distillery produces un-aged corn whiskey (moonshine and bourbon uses 100% non-GMO corn that is also locally grown. Moonshine and Bourbon tours are offered by appointment only and most tours take place on Saturdays.
Forks of Cheat Distillery
Forks of Cheat Distillery produces a variety of craft spirits offered in beautiful tasting room just outside of Morgantown. Tastings and tours are available.
Hatfield and McCoy Moonshine
Hatfield and McCoy Moonshine makes just one spirit, and it comes from a recipe of the owner who is a direct descendant of Devil Anse Hatfield. Tours are available Monday through Friday.
Isaiah Morgan Distillery
Small batches of corn whiskey are produced at Isaiah Morgan Distillery in Summersville. Tours are also available where visitors can view the crafting of the Southern Moon, Rye, and Grappa at the distillery.
RADA Distillery at Flying Squirrel Ranch
RADA Distillery at Flying Squirrel Ranch is located in the beautiful mountains of the Potomac Highlands. Here they produce whiskey, moonshine, brand and rum and tours are also available by appointment.
Still Hollow Spirits
Still Hollow Spirits is a farm to bottle distillery located high in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia specializing in traditional mountain style whiskeys and unique botanical infusions. Tours are available by appointment.
Wineries
Forks of Cheat Winery
Forks of Cheat has racked up more than 200 awards — a sure sign you’ll find some tasty offerings here. Sip from a variety of red, white, fruit or specialty wines while you enjoy the scenic views from the sales room deck.
Batton Hollow Winery
Batton Hollow draws upon 40 years of experience to produce a variety of sweet and dry red and white wines as well as seasonals.
Lambert’s Vintage Wine
This hand-cut stone winery is worth a visit just for the beautiful grounds alone, but the wines are just as rewarding. Lambert’s offers a variety of reds, whites and blushes to suit every taste.
Potomac Highland Winery
Known for their fine table wines, Potomac Highland Winery produces several top-notch reds and whites. (By appointment only.)
West-Whitehill Winery
West-Whitehill is known for its sweet dessert and specialty wines, but the winery also make semi-dry whites and aged reds. Ask about tours.
Kirkwood Winery
Home of the annual Grape Stompin’ Festival, Kirkwood is best known for its wide variety of fruit, specialty and even vegetable wines. (The garlicky Appalachian Ramp Wine is great for cooking!)
Daniel Vineyards
Daniel Vineyards’ stunning scenery provides the setting for many weddings and social occasions. You’ll find a wine for every occasion here as well, from dry reds and whites to dessert wines. Take a tour to more.
WineTree Vineyards
WineTree produces traditional-style, award-winning dry white and red wines as well as a variety of delightfully sweet wines. Ask for a tour to learn more about the winemaking process from the vine to the bottle.
Stone Road Vineyard
The first thing you’ll notice about Stone Road Vineyard after you recover from the sweeping panoramic view is the variety of red, white and blush wines cleverly named after traffic signs and signals. (By appointment only.)
Chestnut Ridge Winery
The deck at Chestnut Ridge is well-suited for enjoying a warm spring day while sipping a signature ice wine, a sweet, concentrated wine made from grapes left to freeze naturally on the vine. You’ll also find traditional reds and whites here as well as seasonal favorites and made-to-order wine gummy bears (yes, candy … for adults).
Fisher Ridge Winery
Fisher Ridge specializes in a variety of semisweet and dry wines that will leave your taste buds humming. (By appointment only.)
DeFeo Family Vineyard and Winery
Affectionately known as “Toscano in Appalachia,” the DeFeos produce dries and semisweet reds and whites crafted in the family’s Italian tradition. (By appointment only.)
Moss Farms Winery
Sitting high above Ohio County, Moss Farms Winery produces a variety of wines including seasonal fruit wines, the Vintner’s specialty. A new building is under construction and will be available for in-house wine tastings by the summer of 2017.
Old World Libations
Old World Libations is one of West Virginia’s newest Farm Wineries. Specializing in meads and fruit wines made from the finest that nature offers. Overlooking the idyllic Indian Creek & nestled in the heart of Monroe County, West Virginia.
Breweries
Berkeley Springs Brewing Company
The Eastern Panhandle is famous for its apple orchards and Berkeley Springs celebrates the fall harvest with its annual Apple Butter Festival. That inspired Berkeley Springs Brewing Company to create its own Apple Butter Ale to mark the occasion. This fall beer is described as malty and full bodied, with a hint of crisp apple butter flavor. Tours are available.
Brew Keepers
Much of what is now West Virginia was settled by Scots-Irish immigrants. Brew Keepers’ Eireann Dearg Irish Red is a fitting tribute to the Emerald Isle. Wheeling’s newest brewery makes a medium-bodied ale that is slightly malty with caramel notes and floral hops for a moderately sweet taste. Tours are available at this production brewery.
Bridge Brew Works
Based in Fayetteville, Bridge Brew Works has a tasting room and you can find their beers all over the state—either bottled or on tap. The brewmasters paired up with Moxxee Coffee in Charleston to create Moxxee Coffee Stout, a seasonal draft beer that’s smooth with hints of bittersweet chocolate and espresso. It’s the perfect winter warmer! Tours are available by appointment.
Chestnut Brew Works
Thanks to the dedication of scientists and brewers, both the American chestnut tree and craft beer are experiencing a resurgence in West Virginia, an accomplishment that is reflected in this modern taproom in Morgantown. Try the beer here that customers are raving about: the Halleck Pale Ale, a lightly hoppy beer brewed with English floor-malted barley and citrusy American hops. Tours are available by appointment.
Greenbrier Valley Brewing Company
Greenbrier Valley Brewing Company’s beers are iconic, bearing the names and likenesses of some of West Virginia’s most famous residents, from Devil Anse Hatfield to Zona Heaster Shue (better known as the Greenbrier Ghost). This Maxwelton brewery also produces Mothman Black IPA, a medium-bodied black ale brewed with Pacific Northwest hops and English malts for just the right balance of bitter and toasty. Tours are available by appointment.
Mountain State Brewing Company
You can’t go wrong with any of Mountain State Brewing Company’s year-round offerings, but one of MSBC’s seasonal offerings is generating some chatter, too. Closs’ Harvest is brewed from pumpkins harvested on Closs Mountain in Tucker County. This thick, red ale is not your typical overspiced pumpkin beer—its fans say it’s low on spice with a good roasted balance. (MSBC has taprooms in Thomas and Morgantown.) Tours are available on Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m.
North End Tavern & Brewery
In a state that has new breweries popping up every few months, Parkersburg’s North End Tavern and Brewery is the elder statesman of the bunch. The NET’s flagship amber ale, Roedy’s Red, has been in production since 1997. Its longevity can be attributed to this amber ale’s popularity and the numerous awards it has collected for its bold hop and malt characteristics. Tours are available.
Parkersburg Brewing Company
It may look like a new brewery, but Parkersburg Brewing Company started in 1864 as Hebrank & Rapp Brewery before it was forced to shut its doors due to the growing temperance movement. PBC’s From Ash & Amber is a tribute to the brewery’s symbolic rise from the ashes of prohibition. The dark Cascadian ale reveals rich flavors like coffee, toast and caramel mixed with just the right amount of citrus, floral and earthy hops. Tours are available by appointment.
The Peddler
Huntington’s newest brewpub combines creative burgers with a half-dozen craft brews. Try their Hefeweizen, which is a refreshing golden wheat beer with aromas of clove and banana. Call ahead for tours.
Screech Owl Brewing Company
Preston County’s claim to fame is the annual Buckwheat Festival, now in its 76th year. So when the owners opened Screech Owl Brewing Company in Bruceton Mills, it seemed only natural they dedicate a beer to this popular event. The seasonal Buckwheat Honey Porter is a dark rich porter made with English malts and buckwheat honey—just the thing to accompany a heaping warm plate of buckwheat cakes. Call ahead for tours.
Short Story Brewing Company
One of West Virginia’s newest breweries, Short Story Brewing in Rivesville adopts a literary theme in the names of its beers. Beer flights (that’s sample sizes to newbies) are served in repurposed card catalog drawers. Try their Forward IPA, a modern American IPA with light floral hops and a moderate malt flavor, and you just might want to stick around till the epilogue. Tours are available.
Weathered Ground Brewery
Weathered Ground Brewery makes its small-batch farmhouse ales in its Cool Ridge barn, where rocking chairs serve as an invitation for visitors to sit a spell and enjoy a beer or two. If you’ve never tried sour beer, The Sour Kid is a nice introduction. Named for the Beckley-area media company Kid In The Background, this is a light and refreshing sour blonde ale, with mild acidity and just the right amount of tartness to pucker your lips. Tours are available.
Wheeling Brewing Company
Wheeling boasts a storied past, from its claim as the first capital of West Virginia to its emergence as a leader in the iron and steel industry which earned it the nickname Nail City. Wheeling Brewing Company pays tribute to the hardworking men of those steel mills with Nail City Porter, a robust, malty dark ale with hints of chocolate and coffee. Stick with the theme and stop in for a pint after a Wheeling Nailers hockey game. Tours are available.
How many have you tried?
This post was last updated on March 17, 2022