Hotline Feature – Beer Friday: Barrel Aging, Picklefest, and West Virginia Craft Beer Roundup

Dave Weekley and craft beer correspondent Pat Strater cover the latest from West Virginia's brewing scene on Beer Friday. The segment opens with a barrel talk on Short Story Brewing's Fell Asleep Like This, currently aging in Smooth Ambler bourbon barrels, with a breakdown of how white oak barrel aging imparts flavor and why spent bourbon barrels have spawned an entire secondary broker market. Pat also highlights the final kegs of Cobra Chicken IPA at Brewkeepers in Wheeling, Fox Hops Brewing's 9.7% double IPA Heartless Challenge in Elkins, and Amani Brewing's annual Beekeeper honey lager made with honey harvested on-site in Martinsburg. The show closes with a preview of Picklefest at Greenbrier Valley Brewing and the Elkins Ramp Festival, where the newly opening Brustel Brewing is also welcoming visitors.