Photo Provided Chad Faulstick of Glen Dale, a member of the local Wheeling Alers Homebrewers Association, recently got the opportunity to help make a batch of his award-winning recipe at the Samuel Adams brewery in Cincinnati.

GLEN DALE — When a man cave evolves into somewhat of a full-fledged science laboratory, home brewers like Chad Faulstick know they’ve tapped into the true formula for success.

For the past six years, Faulstick has been sharpening his skills in his home brew lab, turning what began as a hobby into an award-winning master craft.

Last weekend, the fruits of Faulstick’s labors brought him to the Samuel Adams brewery and taproom in Cincinnati, where his highly decorated blonde ale recipe was used to produce 80 gallons of beer that will be featured at the taproom there next month.

It was the latest achievement to come out of a hidden-away home brew lab in Glen Dale.

“I’m pretty far into it,” said Faulstick, who by trade is a quality control manager at the W.A. Wilson glass factory in Wheeling.

Toward the end of 2018, Faulstick’s wife, Bethani, bought him a beer making kit – the kind someone could start on a stovetop.

“It kind of exploded from there,” he said. “Now it’s like a full-force hobby.”

Faulstick, 44, admitted that his success certainly did not come overnight. He learned to get it right by initially getting it wrong, he indicated.

“I started brewing as just a hobby, but you learn from your mistakes,” he said. “You first get into it, and you have no idea what you’re doing. I made my first batch of beer – used chlorinated water from the sink, and the beer was pretty terrible. That’s where you kind of ask, ‘what went wrong?’ and you do your research. I’ve read books and watch videos for hours and hours, and I’ve learned about every process. There’s a science behind it.

“There’s a lot of water chemistry and mash ph and all kinds of stuff. But the first couple of years was just learning the process.”

Over the past few years, Faulstick has learned not to make the same mistakes twice, and he’s continued to build on successful formulas and practices.

“Once I started making pretty good beer, I sent a few entries in to competitions just to see what it was all about,” he said. “Then I kind of did some more research, and about two and a half years ago, I really started entering competitions. I’ve won 45 medals in two and a half years, and 27 of them have been in the last 10 months.”

A member of the Wheeling Alers Homebrewing Club, Faulstick today enters his home-crafted brews in competitions all over the country. He’s medaled in contests that garner anywhere between 100 and 650 entries.

It’s now become apparent that Faulstick’s leisure time activity has become more than just a hobby.

“I send beers to competitions all over the country,” he admitted, noting that at one point this year, he actually won 14 competitions in a row. “We have our own competitions within the Wheeling Alers, too.”

Scott Fletcher, president of the Wheeling Alers, said Faulstick brings some serious clout to the local group of home brewing enthusiasts.

“Chad was a well-established home brewer when he became a member of the Wheeling Alers a couple years ago,” Fletcher said. “Chad has been a welcome addition to our group, bringing with him a wealth of knowledge and many medals from competitions all over the U.S.”

The Wheeling Alers meet once a month either at their home base at Brew Keepers in Center Market, at various members’ homes or at Waterfront Hall.

“We have a Facebook page for Wheeling Alers,” Fletcher said. “Anyone looking to get involved can contact us at wheelingalers@gmail.com. We have an eclectic mix of members from all walks of life – from electricians and plumbers to attorneys and educators.”

The Wheeling Alers is a local club that is part of the American Homebrewers Association, which has a goal of promoting the craft of home brewing, fellowship and sharing of ideas among its members.

Like the other home brewers, Faulstick spends a lot of time in the lab.

“I brew in my garage – I have a system in there,” he said. “For my rec room, I have a man cave (WVU-themed, in blue and gold), and I have a bar with a four-tap kegorator. But I do all of my brewing at home.”

Faulstick’s recent medal at the All American Homebrew Competition is what scored him his trip to Cincinnati last weekend. Out of 205 entries sent in from all over the country, his blonde ale won best of show and earned him the trip to the Samuel Adams main production brewery and huge tap room across the street as one of the perks of the competition.

They have a huge, million-dollar brewing system at the Samuel Adams’ facility, and Faulstick got the opportunity to roll up his sleeves alongside the head brewer.

“I was able to go spend a weekend there,” he said, noting that he provided his recipe to the head brewer there, it was scaled up, and two and a half big barrels were produced on Friday. “It should be released by the middle or end of January in their taproom.”

His award-winning beer that will be featured in the Samuel Adams Taproom next month is a home brew that is true to West Virginia.

“It’s named The 304, just after our area code,” Faulstick said. “It’s a blonde ale. I brew a lot of lagers. Usually with ales, it’s a warmer fermenting beer. But if you ferment it at the lower end of the temperature range, it kind of gives it a more crisp, clean character.”

The yeast used in brewing will have a temperature range, he explained. For his formula, the range for fermentation is between 60 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

“It’s held at the lower end – it’s an ale but it’s more lager-like,” he said. “It has a nice malt character to it. I use Cascade hops – it’s a really famous hop that kind of shines through on the back end. But it’s a really crisp and clean beer.”

When Faulstick first started brewing, he said he was thinking the hobby could result in him actually saving money – on beer. In reality, it’s become an investment into a rewarding passion that has endless possibilities of finding something new and unique.

“When you’re brewing, you’re not limiting yourself,” Faulstick said. “Once you learn the process and how many different beer styles there actually are, you can replicate them, you can make a Vienna lager or a German pilsner. It’s stuff that you don’t really see around here. You can make Belgian beers that are more fruity. It’s pretty cool. You can do some interesting stuff. I make a peanut butter porter that’s pretty good.”

Faulstick noted that the head brewer at the Samuel Adams Taproom, Chris Siegman, started out like him – just a home brewer with a dream.

“I’ve always wanted to do this for a living,” he said, noting that taking the plunge into full-time beer mastery would be too much of a risk at this point in his life. “I can’t take a chance now, but would love to open a local place up in the future. It’s more just for a couple of beers in the evening and when I have get-togethers with friends and family – they drink it. But you’d have to get a brewer’s license and sell it, and all of that kind of stuff.”

The thought has been brewing in the back of his mind, however. He’s even contemplated a name for his potential business.

“Our family has a camp in Tyler County, and our cabin is Cabin 23,” he said. “It’s a place where my family likes to go, and just kind of relax and get away from a stressful life and have a few beers by the fire. That’s kind of my concept – like a pipe dream I call it – Cabin 23 Brewing Co. But right now, it’s just kind of in my rec room. Hopefully in the future, I’ll take a chance and see what happens.”

Until then, Faulstick indicated that he plans to keep making new concoctions and competing in home brew competitions. Locally, the Wheeling Alers hold various challenges throughout the year – one of which is called the “fantasy draft” similar to a fantasy draft in football. Instead of drafting players, they draft ingredients from a board and then create a recipe and brew a beer from those draft picks.

It’s all in good fun, but it’s a hobby that can get very serious to those dedicated to their craft.

“With everything in life – with your job and anything – you always want to be the best you can be,” he said. “Making that bad batch of beer made me really want to figure everything out.”

His labor of love is one that is most rewarding when his beer disappears – down the hatch, and not necessarily at his own hands.

“I like when people drink it and enjoy it,” he said, noting that throwing back the cold ones is no longer his favorite thing about beer anymore. “Honestly, I like the process.”