Abolitionist Ale Works finds success as a brewery and watering hole.
written by PAM QUEEN
photographed by CARLA WITT FORD
AS JOSH VANCE TELLS it, his brother, Michael Vance, started brewing his own beer as a student at Shepherd University. When he moved on to West Virginia University, he kept brewing. “He got better and better and better,” says Vance. “He had a full-fledged brewery in his garage. I thought he was too good to have it in a garage. I believed in what he was doing and wanted to bring it to the people.”
So Josh Vance, whose own degree from Shepherd is in business, started looking for a place to open a brewpub. The brothers wanted to stay in the Eastern Panhandle and found a building in the historic district of Charles Town, and Abolitionist Ale Works was born.
Vance manages the brewery, and his brother brews the beer. Abolitionist always has 20 beers on tap and 20 in cans—the styles and flavors are up to the brewer. “I let Michael be the artist and come up with what he wants,” Vance says. “We are not always producing what the market is telling us. We don’t go with trends and, for the most part, that has worked out.”
The tap list is dynamic. The duo puts out at least one new beer a week, either a brand new creation or a past limited run. Their most popular beers? The Shenandoah Saison, brewed with tangerine-forward Mandarina Bavaria and classic Czech Saaz hops, won Best in Fest at the 2023 Mountaineer Brewfest. Alpha Mayle is an American IPA hopped with fruity Citra and Simcoe.
Other than their beers, the brothers have made few changes since opening in 2017. “We have a mix of locals looking for a community pub with a good drink selection and also have a lot of tourists coming through for the first time,” Vance says. “What works for us is to be unique and stay true.”
129 West Washington Street, Charles Town, abolitionistaleworks.com, @abolitionistaleworks on FB
READ MORE ARTICLES FROM WV LIVING’S WINTER 2024 ISSUE
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