Formerly: North End Tavern
Parkersburg, West Virginia · Founded 1899
A Parkersburg neighborhood tavern founded in 1899, revitalized by Joe Roedersheimer's 1997 on-site brewery and Roedy's Red amber ale.
North End Tavern & Brewery, known locally as the NET, traces its neighborhood-pub history to 1899 in Parkersburg's North End. Joe Roedersheimer bought the tavern in 1978 after working there as a young bartender, then added an on-site craft brewery in 1997. Today Joe, his son Chip, and head brewer Chris Hopkins carry forward the tavern-and-brewery operation at 3500 Emerson Avenue.
North End Tavern opened as a small neighborhood pub in Parkersburg's North End, according to the tavern's history and local anniversary coverage.
Source: North End Tavern & Brewery, "About Our Restaurant," accessed September 1, 2026; Parkersburg News and Sentinel, "Making the Rounds," October 28, 2024; Garden & Gun, "Cheers to a Legend," November 19, 2024
Joe Roedersheimer bought North End Tavern after first working there as a young bartender.
Source: Parkersburg News and Sentinel, October 28, 2024; Garden & Gun, November 19, 2024; Brilliant Stream, "North End Tavern Brewery turns 20 this year," July 2017
Joe Roedersheimer added an on-site craft brewery to North End Tavern, launching the brewery and its flagship Roedy's Red amber ale.
Source: Parkersburg News and Sentinel, October 28, 2024; North End Tavern & Brewery, "About Our Brewery" and "Roedy's Red," accessed September 1, 2026; Brilliant Stream, July 2017
Thrillist listed the NET as West Virginia's oldest brewery, a media accolade based on its 1997 brewing start rather than an independently completed statewide licensing comparison in this review.
Source: North End Tavern & Brewery, "About Our Brewery"; BeerTasting, North End Tavern brewery profile
North End Tavern & Brewery celebrated 125 years, with Joe Roedersheimer, son Chip, and head brewer Chris Hopkins identified as the current operating team.
Source: Parkersburg News and Sentinel, October 28, 2024; Garden & Gun, November 19, 2024
North End Tavern & Brewery continues operating at 3500 Emerson Avenue with food, house-brewed beer, catering, and event services.
Source: North End Tavern & Brewery official website and contact page, accessed September 1, 2026; West Virginia Tourism listing
Every claim gets rated. A business's own website can never earn "documented."
The NET's official history, local anniversary coverage, and beer-industry listings consistently identify the tavern as opening in 1899. The claim is credible, but original business licenses, city directories, ownership history, closure records, and founding documents were not reviewed.
The NET added its brewery in 1997 and is widely promoted by its owners, Thrillist, and local reporting as West Virginia's oldest brewery. State brewery-license reporting cited by Brilliant Stream supports a 1997 brewery start, but this review did not conduct a full statewide comparison of brewery licenses, production histories, closure periods, and other potential claimants. The state-oldest brewery title remains plausible but unresolved.
Local reporting and current NET marketing describe North End Tavern as the state's oldest tavern or traditional pub. The 1899 origin is credible, but the review did not obtain the original tavern license, full ownership/closure record, Prohibition operating history, or a statewide comparison of older West Virginia taverns. The tavern title should remain unverified.
The brewery's official Roedy's Red page says the amber ale has been in production since 1997. Local reporting and brewery histories identify it as the flagship beer introduced with the 1997 on-site brewery.
North End Tavern began as a pub in 1899, but its craft brewery was added in 1997. The 1899 tavern date cannot be used to claim 127 years of on-site brewing.
Parkersburg News and Sentinel identifies Joe as owner, Chip as a co-owner/operating partner, and Chris Hopkins as head brewer. The NET's current contact page identifies Chip for events and the brewery page identifies Chris as head brewer.
North End Tavern was founded in 1899 by Allen Roedersheimer.
The reviewed sources support a 1899 tavern origin but do not identify the original founder. Joe Roedersheimer is the current owner who bought the tavern in 1978; "Allen Roedersheimer" is not supported in the reviewed record.
Source: Parkersburg News and Sentinel, October 28, 2024; Garden & Gun, November 19, 2024; North End Tavern & Brewery, "About Our Restaurant"
North End Tavern has brewed beer on site continuously since 1899.
The tavern opened in 1899, but the on-site craft brewery was added in 1997. Its flagship Roedy's Red has been brewed since 1997, not since the tavern's founding.
Source: North End Tavern & Brewery, "About Our Brewery" and "Roedy's Red"; Brilliant Stream, July 2017
Joe "NET" Anevski bought North End Tavern in 1977.
Joe Roedersheimer bought North End Tavern in 1978 after previously working there as a young bartender. No reviewed source supports a Joe Anevski ownership story.
Source: Parkersburg News and Sentinel, October 28, 2024; Garden & Gun, November 19, 2024; Brilliant Stream, July 2017
North End Tavern remained a licensed tavern through West Virginia's early prohibition by operating as a food and soft-drink business.
The reviewed source set does not document how this specific tavern operated, if at all, during West Virginia's Prohibition era. The business's 1899 origin is credible, but its Prohibition continuity requires original licenses, directories, tax records, and newspaper research.
Source: No independently reviewed NET-specific Prohibition record located
The NET survived because it added a new reason to visit without discarding the neighborhood tavern that came before it. Joe Roedersheimer preserved the pub’s local identity after buying it in 1978, then used early craft brewing to make the business distinct in 1997. Roedy's Red became the emblem of that transition: a house beer linked to a century-old tavern rather than a new standalone brewery. The current Joe–Chip–Chris team keeps the place rooted in Parkersburg while giving it a product people seek out across the state.
North End Tavern began as a Parkersburg neighborhood pub in 1899. Joe Roedersheimer bought the tavern in 1978 after working there as a young bartender, and he added an on-site craft brewery in 1997. The NET's flagship Roedy's Red amber ale has been brewed there since 1997, and the tavern is now operated by Joe, his son Chip, and head brewer Chris Hopkins.
North End Tavern & Brewery is widely called West Virginia's oldest continuously operating brewery because it began brewing on site in 1997. The 1997 start is well supported, but this review did not complete a statewide brewery-license, closure, and competitor comparison. Its oldest-brewery title is plausible but unresolved.
North End Tavern has a credible 1899 neighborhood-pub origin and is often described locally as West Virginia's oldest tavern. However, this review did not inspect original licenses, Prohibition records, closure history, or all older West Virginia tavern claimants. The state-oldest tavern title is unverified.
North End Tavern added an on-site craft brewery in 1997. Its flagship Roedy's Red amber ale has been in production since that year, making the 1997 brewery date distinct from the tavern's 1899 founding.
Joe Roedersheimer owns North End Tavern & Brewery with his son Chip involved in operations, and Chris Hopkins serves as head brewer. Joe bought the tavern in 1978 and added the brewery in 1997. The precise legal business entity, property ownership, and ownership shares were not reviewed.
Yes. North End Tavern & Brewery is an active Parkersburg restaurant and brewery at 3500 Emerson Avenue. Its official site lists current food, house beer, catering, and event operations; check the current schedule directly because Sunday hours vary seasonally.
3500 Emerson Ave, Parkersburg, WV 26104
(304) 428-5854
The NET operates as a Parkersburg restaurant and brewery with house beer, catering, and events. Current official hours list Monday–Saturday 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sunday hours vary seasonally, so confirm before visiting.