About
Chestnut Brew Works
At Chestnut Brew Works, great beer is our passion. We blend the art and science of brewing to create unique tastes that people love. We believe in community, collaboration and, above all, creativity. We’ll never stop experimenting with flavor and exploring new ingredients to brew West Virginia’s favorite craft beers.
Chestnut began in 2013 as a modest 30-gallon brewery on Halleck Road in Morgantown. At that time, we were one of only seven breweries in the state. Founder Bill Rittenour built a small but powerful lineup of what are still some of our star players: Nate’s Nut Brown Ale, Your Best Hoption, Class II Wheatwater and Halleck Pale Ale. Halleck, our most popular beer, hit the then-emerging pale ale sweet spot of hoppy but not bitter. It was an instant success with a cult following.
Demand outpaced supply. In 2015, we moved our brewing operations to the historic Greenmont neighborhood near downtown Morgantown. The 7-barrell, 217-gallon brewery and cozy tasting room remains on Brockway Avenue, where it has welcomed loyal patrons for 8 years and counting.
Bill Rittenour, Founder
Bill began making beer in 2006 soon after he earned his master’s degree in forestry from West Virginia University and his PhD in fungal biology from University of Nebraska. His special area of focus was – you guessed it – the American chestnut. He used his academic background in forestry, fungi, biochemistry and microbiology to investigate the complex science of beer brewing. With a home set-up that looked more like a laboratory than a brewery, he gained an in-depth understanding of the beer-making processes. For the next few years, Bill studied barley, wort, hops and yeast. He malted, mashed, boiled and fermented – with delicious results. In 2013, Chestnut Brew Works was born. Ten years later, Bill’s passion and products are still going strong.