Alabama has become a hotspot for craft brewing, home to more than 30 breweries, including nationally-known operations such as Good People Brewing and Back Forty Beer Company. These breweries offer unique craft microbrews, public taprooms and restaurants, and a wide variety of special events, including live music performances and festivals.
Avondale Brewing Company
Avondale Brewing Company was opened by Coby and Hunter Lake and strives to reflect the folklore of the Birmingham region with its creatively-titled brews.The brewery was voted as the city’s best local brewery in 2015 by Birmingham Mag. Its taproom, which is housed within a historic downtown building that formerly housed a historic post office, firehouse, bordello, and the popular Long Branch Saloon, is open daily for tastings and to-go sales, including drafts of the taproom-exclusive Train Hopper Pale Ale and Streetcar Kolsch. Other year-round offerings include the brewery’s Spring Street Saison, Miss Fancy’s Tripel, Battlefield IPA, Vanillaphant Porter, and Mill City White Belgian Wheat.
Avondale Brewing Company, 201 41st St S, Birmingham, AL 35222, Phone: 205-777-5456
Back Forty Beer Company
Back Forty Beer Company is named for the agricultural term referring to farm backlots, a reference to the state of Alabama’s underutilized potential as a craft beer mecca. The company was founded by Jason Wilson and Jamie Ray and released its first brew in the summer of 2009. Today, it offers a taproom and brewpub restaurant located within a historic renovated 27,000-square-foot warehouse in Gadsden and is renowned for its handcrafted ales, including its Truck Stop Honey Brown, which received the silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2010. Other year-round offerings include the brewery’s Naked Pig Pale Ale, Freckle Belly IPA, Paw Paw’s Peach Wheat, and Cart Barn Light. Food menus are changed weekly and highlight contemporary American gastropub fare with a Southern twist. In summer of 2018, a second location was opened at the Sloss Docks in Birmingham.
Back Forty Beer Company, 200 North 6th Street, Gadsden, Alabama 35901, Phone: 256-467-4912
Big Beach Brewing
Big Beach Brewing was opened by Jim and Julie Shamburger and is Alabama’s southernmost brewery today, operating an open-air taproom at Orange Beach within the heart of Gulf Shores. 12 beers are tapped at any given time, including the brewery’s year-round Hundred Daze IPA, Rod's Reel Cream Ale, Dixie's Heart Irish Red Ale, and Small Town Brown Ale.
Handcrafted in-house lemonade is also available as a non-alcoholic beverage option. Fireplace seating is offered, along with a large family-friendly front yard area. Though the brewery does not serve food, delivery service from several local restaurants is available, and visitors may bring their own food to the taproom. Live music is presented several nights a week, and brewery tours are available at the top of each hour.
Big Beach Brewing, 300 E. 24th Ave, Gulf Shores, AL 36542, Phone: 251-948-2337
Black Warrior Brewing Company
Black Warrior Brewing Company was opened in November of 2013 by Joe Fuller, Eric Hull, Wayne Yarbrough, and Jason Spikes. The Tuscaloosa brewery is housed within a renovated former barbershop facility on University Boulevard and offers open taproom hours seven days a week, with extended hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
Brews include the company’s Apricot Wheat Pale Wheat Ale, Bama Blonde Ale, Crimson Ale Red Ale, and Broad Street Brown Brown Ale, with rotating seasonal and limited edition brews offered periodically. Brewery tours are available on Saturday afternoons, with private group tours available by appointment depending on brewing schedules. Game tables and flat screen televisions are offered at the taproom, and weekly special events include team trivia events.
Black Warrior Brewing Company, 2216 University Blvd, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, Phone: 205-248-7841
Cahaba Brewing Company
Cahaba Brewing Company was founded in 2011 and opened to the public the following September at a location on Birmingham’s Third Avenue South. In 2016, the brewery moved to a new 51,000-square-foot location within the Historical Continental Gin, which features a 30 bbl brewhouse and a taproom with a covered patio.
The brewery’s classic year-round styles include its Liquidambar American-style amber ale, its Ryezome rye stout, its Oka Uba IPA, and its Fraxinus Maximus double IPA. Seasonal offerings include a Kiwi Kolsch, an Oktoberfest, and an Irish stout, while specialty brews include an American brown ale, a barrel-aged IPA, and a Single Hop Series. Brewery tours are available during the taproom’s normal operation hours, and private special events such as weddings, reunions, and corporate events may be booked by contacting the brewery directly. In June, the brewery presents its CahaBAZAAR artisan market event, which showcases local artisan vendors, food trucks, live music, and an annual limited release beer brewed specially for the event.
Cahaba Brewing Company, 4500 5th Ave South Building C , Birmingham, Alabama 35222, Phone: 205-578-2616
Fairhope Brewing Company
Fairhope Brewing Company was the vision of Michele and Brian Kane, who first envisioned opening a local craft brewery to service the Lower Alabama region while living in Alaska. The pair recruited Mobile homebrewer and beer columnist Dan Murphy and Free the Hops president Gabe Harris and opened the brewery in December of 2012, making it the region’s first production craft brewery since the Prohibition era. Its taproom, which opened to the public in 2013, now serves six year-round brews, including the brewery’s (Take The) Causeway IPA, Cheap Sunglasses Kolsch, Everyday Blonde Ale, Fairhope 51 Pale Ale, I Drink Therefore I Amber, and Judge Roy Bean American stout. Tours of the brewery are offered on Saturday afternoons, and periodic public special events include Trivia in the Taproom and Bluegrass Jam events.
f="https://www.fairhopebrewing.com/" target="_blank">Fairhope Brewing Company, 914 Nichols Avenue, Fairhope, AL 36532, Phone: 251-279-7517
Folklore Brewing and Meadery
Folklore Brewing and Meadery was constructed on its owners’ former 1960s-era family farm and is the first production brewery in the city of Dothan since Prohibition. The speakeasy-style taproom cultivates a casual, intimate atmosphere and crafts brews based around the concept of local Alabama folklore. Year-round brews offered at the taproom include the brewery’s Wiregrass Wheat Ale, Grateful Red Ale, Front Porch Pale, Snipe Hunt IPA, and Shadowcaster Porter. Seasonal and one-off exclusive brews are also served periodically, along with a variety of meads, hard ciders, and sparkling wines crafted by the company’s Folklore Meadery line. The adjacent weekend-only Fly By Night Grill brewpub serves a variety of contemporary American gastropub fare, including craft burgers, build-your-own-topping nachos, gourmet fries, and bar-style appetizers. Periodic special events include Growler Thursdays, Trivia is Brewing nights, and an annual Spring Music Folk Fest.
Folklore Brewing and Meadery, 153 Mary Lou Ln, Dothan, AL 36301, Phone: 334-702-2337
Ghost Train Brewing Co.
Ghost Train Brewing Co. was established in 2014 by former Cahaba Brewing Company partner Taylor DeBoer. Since 2015, the brewery has sold their unique bottom-fermented lagers, such as their Go-Devil Golden Ale, Dark Ride Belgian Strong Ale, Switchman’s Stash India Pale Lager, Ghost Train Craft Lager, and Terminal Station Brown Ale. In October of 2016, the brewery’s taproom was opened at the former Cahaba Brewing taproom site on Third Avenue in Birmingham. Today, the taproom serves the brewery’s year-round beers, along with a series of weekly one-off small batch brews and craft spirits. Public special events offered at the taproom include food truck nights, live music performances, and trivia events.
Ghost Train Brewing Co., 2616 3rd Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233, Phone: 205-201-5817
Goat Island Brewing
Ghost Train Brewing Co. was formed in the wake of the Cullman region’s devastating April 2011 tornado, which caused its founders to reconnect their former high school friendship and rekindle their passion for homebrewing classic American and German beer styles. Together with four other partners, the pair opened the new brewery in 2015. Today, the brewery offers a wide variety of draft styles at its taproom, which is open to the public Mondays through Saturdays. Year-round brews include the award-winning Richter’s Pils and Sipsey River Red, both of which have been honored with gold medals at the Alabama Craft Beer Championship. Seasonal brews include the brewery’s Colonel’s Fest Bier, Peace Love and Hippieweizen, Duck River Dunkel, and Blood Orange Berliner Weisse.
Goat Island Brewing, 1646 John H Cooper Dr SE A, Cullman, AL 35055, Phone: 256-747-5556
Good People Brewing Company
Good People Brewing Company is Alabama’s largest and oldest currently-operating brewery, crafting a variety of unique brews out of their Birmingham Parkside District facility since 2010. The brewery’s taproom is open to the public seven days a week, with first-come first-served Saturday afternoon tours offering free pints and collectible glasses. Year-round brews offered at the taproom include the brewery’s standard Pale and Brown Ales, along with its Urban Farmer Farmhouse Ale, Snake Handler Double IPA, Coffee Oatmeal Stout, Bearded Lady American Wheat, and Muchacho Mexican-style lager. Its JUCO Session IPA, Hitchhiker IPA, Mumbai Rye IPA, and Denim Downhiller Winter Ale are also available seasonally.
Good People Brewing Company, 114 14th St S, Birmingham, AL 35233, Phone: 205-286-2337
Mad Malts Brewing
Mad Malts Brewing was formerly known as the Brew Stooges, rebranding in 2015 due to the former company name’s similarity to the popular Three Stooges vaudeville comedy team. Today, the brewery serves its classic brews under brand-new names, including popular brews such as its Agaric Amber Ale, Double Cherry Sour, Harvest Yam Ale, Oked Double Rye, and Pumpkin Madness. Its Huntsville tap room is open to the public Wednesdays through Sundays, offering a variety of year-round, seasonal, and one-off exclusive brews for pints and tastings. The brewery’s beers are also tapped at a variety of restaurants and bars throughout the Huntsville region.
Mad Malts Brewing, 109 Maple Ave NW, Huntsville, AL 35801, Phone: 256-503-2233
Main Channel Brewing
Main Channel Brewing was Guntersville’s first craft brewery when it opened its doors to the public in 2015. The brewery was started by brothers Brett and Clay Smith and Clay’s wife Sarah and offers a variety of brews themed after local Lake Guntersville themes. Its taproom is located within the city’s former Jitney Jr. store, which served as a popular teen hangout in the mid-2oth century, and is open to the public on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Year-round brews served at the taproom include the brewery’s 358 Imperial IPA, Choppy Water Wheat, and signature amber and blonde ales. Standard and seasonal beers by the brewery are also served at a variety of local Marshall County restaurants and bars.
Main Channel Brewing, 2090 Gunter Ave, Guntersville, AL 35976, Phone: 256-960-5070
Old Black Bear Brewing Company
Old Black Bear Brewing Company was the vision of Madison couple Todd and Dawn Seaton, who originally began the company as an offshoot of Gadsden’s Back Forty Beer Company in 2010. Since 2014, the brewery has operated a taproom and restaurant at the former Western Auto building on Main Street. The brewpub restaurant is open Tuesdays through Sundays and serves a variety of contemporary Southern dishes, including chicken and waffles and burgers topped with homemade pimento cheese. Standard brews include the brewery’s Rockledge IPA, Cave City Lager, Speckled Trout American Wheat, and OktoBearfest. The brewery is committed to environmental conservation practices and has released a limited-edition Conservation Series of beers, with proceeds benefiting environmental charities.
Old Black Bear Brewing Company, 208 Main St, Madison, AL 35758, Phone: 256-850-4639
Red Clay Brewing Company
Red Clay Brewing Company is an Opelika brewery opened by Alabama natives Kerry McGinnis, John Corbin, and Stephen Harle. The brewery derives its name from the region’s rich natural red clay and takes its inspiration for its beers from local culture and tradition. Its Big Swamp Oatmeal Stout is a reference to the city’s indigenous Muskogee name, while its Hop Jubilee Imperial IPA draws upon the local tradition of late-night jubilees at Mobile Bay. Other year-round brews include the brewery’s Hay Shed Saison, Half Time Hefeweizen, Southern Bumpkin Sweet Potato Brown Ale, Long Pine Pale Ale, and Lakeside Cider. Personal and large pizzas are also served at the brewery’s taproom, which is open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays and may be rented for private special events. For adventurous visitors, a spicy pizza challenge dares diners to down the spiciest pizza the brewery’s kitchen can concoct in exchange for a free pizza and pint.
Red Clay Brewing Company, 704 N Railroad Ave, Opelika, AL 36801, Phone: 334-737-5409
Rocket Republic Brewing Company
Rocket Republic Brewing Company was founded by a pair of Huntsville couples with experience in homebrewing and rocket engineering, leading to brews with aerospace-themed styling and names and a “one small sip for man, one giant taste for mankind” motto. The brewery’s steampunk-designed taproom was opened to the public in March of 2015, a year and a half after the brewery’s launch. Drafts and to-go beer is sold at the taproom seven days a week, with sales of up to 288 ounces allowed per person, per day. Flagship brews include the brewery’s Apollo Amber Ale, Mach 1 IPA, Solar Sour, Terrestri-Ale Belgian Tripel, and Vapor Trail Cream Ale, while specialty infusions include a Cosmic Cookie Brown Ale and a Vaporita Lime Cream Ale. Barrel-aged ales and limited releases are also available exclusively at the taproom, which hosts events such as yoga classes, game and trivia nights, singles socials, and live music performances.
Rocket Republic Brewing Company, 289 Production Ave, Madison, AL 35758, Phone: 256-325-4677
Singin' River Brewing
Singin' River Brewing was the vision of Muscle Shoals natives Rob and Michelle Jones, who moved back to the Florence area to raise their family together. Their brewery, which opened to the public in 2013, is named for the region’s Singing River and is part of the North Alabama Craft Beer Trail, offering tastings and tours at its Florence taproom Tuesdays through Sundays. Flagship brews include the brewery’s IPAcolypse NOW, Handy’s Gold Blonde Ale, and Swamper Porter, while seasonal offerings include unique brews such as the Tiger Chainsaw Arms Belgian Abbey Tripel-American IPA hybrid, the 2016 recipient of the Alabama Craft Beer State Championship’s gold medal for Brett and Belgian style beers. Weekly events include Hops and Hymns nights, College Street Farmer’s Markets, trivia nights, and Sunday Dog Day pet events.
Singin' River Brewing, 526 E College St, Florence, AL 35630, Phone: 256-349-2294
Straight To Ale
Straight To Ale is located within Huntsville’s Campus No. 805, a former high school academic and athletic center that has been converted into a dining and entertainment complex in 2014. The campus features several local breweries, restaurants, and retail spaces within a renovated 13-acre urban park space known as S.R. Butler Green. Straight To Ale Brewery, one of the complex’s flagship breweries, was founded in 2009 and is one of the state’s largest production breweries today. Its 45,000-square-foot campus offers beer, cider, mead, and distillery production facilities, an international-style Ale’s Kitchen scratch-made gastropub, and the Ronnie Raygun’s pinball arcade and pool room. Year-round brews served at the brewery include its Lily Flagg Milk Stout, Brother Joseph’s Belgian-style Dubbel Ale, and Monkeynaut IPA. Public special events at the brewery include trivia, karaoke, and Homegrown Comedy nights, live music performances, and free weekly brewery tours.
Straight To Ale, 2610 Clinton Ave W, Huntsville, AL 35805, Phone: 256-801-9650
TrimTab Brewing Company
TrimTab Brewing Company was the vision of founder Harris Stewart, a homebrewer and University of Alabama law student who was inspired to open a brewery based off of the idea of the ship and aircraft trimtab component, popularized as a metaphor for a small but vital source of drive and engineering by 20th-century visionary Buckminster Fuller. The brewery’s first beer, its Pillar to Post Rye Brown, was originally offered in 2014. Since then, its lineup has grown to encompass three year-round offerings, including its flagship TrimTab IPA and its Paradise Now Raspberry Berliner Weisse, the 2017 Great American Beer Festival bronze medal winner within the fruited wheat category. Seasonal offerings include the brewery’s Rescue Ship Pale Ale, Imperial City Olde Ale, and Bankston 88 Belgian Wheat Pale Ale. Periodic DJ nights and special events are offered at the brewery, including trivia nights and food truck pop-ups.
TrimTab Brewing Company, 2721 5th Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233, Phone: 205-374-8749
Yellowhammer Brewing
Yellowhammer Brewing is part of Huntsville’s Campus No. 805 development, a renovated high school academic and athletic campus that has been converted into a dining and retail community space. The campus was developed by architects and designers Matheny-Goldmon and was recognized by the city’s Historic Preservation Consultant for its adaptive reuse of an important community space. Yellowhammer Brewing serves as one of the campus’ flagship restaurants and breweries, opened to the public in 2010 and offering Belgian and German ales with a unique Southern twist. Flagship beers include the brewery’s Yellowhammer Belgian White, Midnight Special Black Lager, Hops Fell Hop Lager, Rebellion Red Lager, and Cheatin’ Heart IPA. Small-batch vodka is also distilled at the brewery, and wood-fired pizzas are served at the taproom by Earth and Stone Wood Fired Creations. A bierhall and biergarten at the taproom also serve as public and private special event space.
Yellowhammer Brewing, 2600 Clinton Ave W, Huntsville, AL 35805, Phone: 256-489-3510
