The 10-Year Anniversary Mountaineer Brewfest, a celebration of West Virginia’s finest Craft Beers, will be held on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at the Heritage Port in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Tickets for the 2024 Mountaineer Brewfest go on sale June 1st. The Mountaineer Brewfest has raised over $211,000 to date in donations to local Wheeling charities through festival proceeds and matching tips generated by the Circus Saints & Sinners.
For the Tenth Consecutive year, the Mountaineer Brewfest will be brought to you by Title Sponsor Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack. Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack has been a positive force in Wheeling for more than a century. From its early racing days that predate the Civil War to its current state as one of the largest tourist attractions in West Virginia, Wheeling Island is rich in American history. Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack has made significant contributions to various charities through a program called “Game Changer” which is funded through casino patrons’ extra change and donations, and their “Wheeling Island Sharing Hope” program that focuses on giving back to the community.
Kim Florence, President & General Manager, Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack – “We are excited to see The Mountaineer Brewfest reach its 10th anniversary this year. Its success is a tribute to the hard work that so many people put forth year after year, not only to support WV craft brewers but also our crucial, local non-profit organizations. Wheeling Island HotelCasino-Racetrack has been proud to serve as title sponsor for this event since day one, and we look forward to another successful Brewfest in August.”
Proceeds from the August 17, 2024, 10-Year Anniversary Mountaineer Brewfest will benefit Helping Heroes, Inc. No Veteran should have to worry about where they are going to sleep tonight. Yet in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, this exact scenario is more common 2 than you might think. Helping Heroes is changing that. Founded in 2010, Helping Heroes, Inc. is a community-based, non-profit organization created and administered by Veterans and Veteran supporters. It provides support services and resources to homeless and near homeless, as well as any other Veterans in Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, and Wetzel counties in order to transition them to, or maintain self-sufficiency. Our programs include Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) and Service Intensive Transitional Housing – both funded through the VA, as well as the Emergency Shelter for Veterans and a Veterans Food Pantry. In addition, a core component of the program is helping Veteran families connect to the services and benefits they have earned through information and referral services.
Helping Heroes, Inc – Chief Financial Officer and Co-founder Susan Harrison – “Helping Heroes is extremely excited that the organizers of Brewfest 2024 have chosen to support our local Veterans in need through their 10th anniversary event. Our Veterans are the heart of the Ohio Valley, and we encourage everyone to come out to Brewfest and have a great time while helping our local heroes.”
Mountaineer Brewfest Founder and President Jeff Hayes – “10 Years, hard to believe where this idea started and what the Mountaineer Brewfest has become to so many in our community and beyond. This year the Mountaineer Brewfest committee is planning a very special celebration on August 17th at the Heritage Port to commemorate our 10-year anniversary with some special activities.” said Hayes.
“We are also excited to announce that Helping Heroes has been selected by the Brewfest committee as the recipient of this year’s festival proceeds. We look forward to working with Susan Harrison and the Helping Heroes team to assist them in creating a permanent home for Helping Heroes to house their offices and transitional housing for Veterans to provide healthcare, education, employment, public transportation, and other community-based services.
“And we cannot say enough about our partnership with Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack since day one, it is truly special. I want to again thank Regional President & General Manager Kim Florence, Catering & Event Sales Manager Julie Baker, Marketing Manager Amy Kirkland, and their teams for all they do in helping us put on the best Craft Beer festival in the tristate area and West Virginia!”
In addition to 2024 Title Sponsor Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack, the Brewfest would also like to thank and acknowledge the following incredible Sponsors for their commitments to this year’s festival:
• Partner Sponsors: The 19th Hole, Omni Strategic Technologies, The Ziegenfelder Company. The Glessner Group, The Market Vines, Raymond James Omni Strategic Technologies, Services, Steptoe & Johnson, Savage Construction. Belmont Saving Bank, Gumbys LLC, Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration, Generations Restaurant & Pub, Smoker Friendly, RE/MAX Broadwater, The UPS Store, Main Street Bank, MPLX (Marathon Petroleum), Shirts N More, WTOV9, Valley Fence
• Distributor Sponsors: Carenbauer Distributing, McCann Distributing, Johnson Brothers Mountain State Beverage, and Wine & Beverage Merchants of WV.
• Brewer Sponsors: Liberty Distributors, Visit Wheeling WV, McKinley Carter Wealth Services, Edward Jones (Daniel Young), Paull Associates, Belmont Carson Petroleum, 3 Cardinal Operating Company, McKinley Architecture & Engineering, Carpets by Jamison, Hanlon McCormick Schramm Bickford & Schramm Co, The Bridge Tavern, Truist, IBEW Local 141, Char House on the Boulevard, Brittany Reilly Realtor, Erie Insurance (Bernie Glenn), McKenzie Riedel Wealth Management, Convenient Food Marts
• Friends Sponsors: Kalkrueth Roofing & Sheet Metal, Waller Pools and Spas, Belmont Aggregates, Wesbanco, Team Sledd, American Sanitary, Contractor’s Supply, Circus Saints & Sinners, The Wheeling Alers, and The Wheeling Lightningbirds
• Media Sponsors: 106.3 The River, WKKX The Watchdog, LHTC Media, iHeart Media, and Lamar Advertising
“We are blessed by the continued support of these amazing sponsors,” said Hayes. “Without their contributions we would not be able to provide these funds that we give to local charities year after year and also we would not be able to bring what we believe is one of the best events in Wheeling and the state to the Wheeling Heritage Port.”
“There are over 100 local volunteers from the community, organizations, and our charities each year that help the Mountaineer Brewfest run smoothly, and we can’t thank them enough for all they do,” said Hayes. “We want to recognize three of these organizations that have been instrumental to the success of the Mountaineer Brewfest the Circus Saints & Sinners, the Wheeling Alers Home Brew Club, and our newest organization to volunteer, The Wheeling Lightningbirds, a women’s amateur ice hockey team. The Wheeling Alers bring their expertise to the festival by managing our WV Craft Beer competition and work the taps at many of our Brewer tents. The Saints & Sinners organization attend to the taps in our Beer Garden and raise additional funds for our charity through tips with matching sponsor donations, and the Wheeling Lightningbirds work the taps at many of our Brewer tents.”
WV Brewer samples available at this year’s festival include: Screech Owl Brewing (Bruceton Mills), Big Timber Brewing (Elkins), Weathered Ground Brewing (Cool Ridge), Mountain State Brewing (Thomas), Free Folk Brewery (Fayetteville), Greenbriar Valley Brewing (Maxwelton), Hawk Knob Appalachian Hard Cider (Lewisburg), Fife Street Brewing (Charleston), The Peddler Brewing (Huntington), High Ground Brewing (Terra Alta), Abolitionist Ale Works (Charles Town), Bridge Brew Works (Fayetteville), Berkeley Springs Brewing, Parkersburg Brewing, Old Spruce Brewing (Snowshoe), Short Story Brewing (Rivesville), Brew Keepers (Wheeling), and Stumptown Ales (Davis).
The Brewfest also features a Beer Garden with over 50 additional pours! Entertainment this year will feature: Main stage- “The Clintones” from Pittsburgh at 4:30 pm, “Wayland” from Nashville at 6:30 pm, and headliner “Steal the Sky” from Philadelphia at 8:30 pm. “Tyler Porter” will perform during the VIP hour at 3 pm.
We will also feature some special 10th Anniversary activities during the festival. Mountaineer Brewfest tickets can be purchased starting June 1st via www.mountaineerbrewfest.com, www.facebook.com/MountaineerBrewfest, www.eventbrite.com, or at Yourkovich & Associates, located at 246 Kruger Street in Wheeling.
The Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack Mountaineer Brewfest VIP Craft Beer and Food Pairing will be held for Early Bird VIP Ticket special add on purchase and sponsors on Thursday August 15, 2024, from 6 pm to 8 pm at Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack.
This pairing will feature craft beers from Short Story Brewing with special food preparations complimenting the craft beer selections by Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack Executive Chef John Greenwald.
The August 17, 2024, festival hours are: VIP entry 3:00 pm, General Admission entry at 4:00 pm, the festival ends at 10:00 pm. You must be 21 years of age with a valid photo ID to enter. This is a rain or shine event. Special early ticket pricing available June 1st through July 31st, General Admission tickets are $35, VIP tickets are $70, and VIP + Thursday Pairing $80. Ticket prices increase after July 31st, General Admission will be $45, and VIP will be $80. Designated Driver tickets are also available. All these details and more will be shared on Mountaineer Brewfest Facebook and Instagram sites. Be sure to follow us for the latest festival news as we gear up for a very special 10-year Mountaineer Brewfest Anniversary party.
