Country Roads Trust, the Name, Image and Likeness leader for West Virginia University student-athletes, announces an innovative, leading-edge licensing agreement with Big Timber Brewing Company to produce and sell a co-branded lager beer.

Stephen Ford, general manager and COO of Country Roads Trust, said 15 percent of all sales of Country Roads Trust Lager will go back to the Trust.

An event to introduce Country Roads Trust Lager will be held on Aug. 2 from 5-7 p.m. at the Tap House in Morgantown for members, sponsors and media. The media are asked to RSVP to Amanda Ross Mazey at the email address above. This is a closed event with limited seating and members must RSVP with the Trust.

“The team at Country Roads Trust is excited for this launch,” said Ford. “Big thanks to Big Timber Brewing Company. Both teams worked hard on this collaboration and can’t wait to see it at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium and across the state.”

Country Roads Trust Lager, created by Mountaineer alumni brewers at Big Timber Brewing, is a light, crisp and refreshing lager that is the perfect game-day beer. To be available at WVU games and widely distributed throughout the state, the lager captures the freshness of West Virginia’s wild rivers and beautiful nature and combines it with the passion for which Mountaineer fans are known.

“Big Timber Brewing is proud and excited to collaborate with Country Roads Trust to create a great tasting beer that West Virginians can enjoy while also supporting Mountaineer athletics,” said Big Timber’s Jared Wray.

“The funds generated through sales of the lager will help create even more NIL opportunities for Mountaineer student-athletes in our state’s communities,” Ford said.

Wray said the lager was designed by the talented brewing team at Big Timber for both tailgating or unwinding with friends after a WVU victory.

“We want everyone to crack open an ice cold Country Roads Trust Lager to help support West Virginia athletes,” said Wray.

Big Timber Brewing started as a dream of Matt and Ashley Kwasniewski and became reality when the first keg of beer went out the door in 2014. Located in the heart of Appalachia in Elkins, WV, the name pays homage to the surrounding forests and the industry that built the area’s community.

“We make beverages we love and enjoy creating products that we, our town, and our state can take pride in,” said Wray. “Partnering with Country Roads Trust is another example of that. Big Timber is West Virginia’s largest craft brewery by volume and the first (and only so far) brewery in the state to win medals at both the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup. At Big Timber, our commitment to our product, our community, and our dream grows stronger every day.” 

Country Roads Trust helps student-athletes by establishing NIL donation memberships and securing sponsorship deals, assuring WVU athletics attracts the very best talent. The Trust is aligned closely with the mission of WVU. Please see the website at www.countryroadstrust.com.