American Craft Beer Week: Where To Celebrate In Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Eighty-five percent of adults age 21 or older, as the Brewers Association puts it, live within 10 miles of a brewery, including the residents of the Birmingham metro area.

With more than a dozen breweries in or near Birmingham, the Brewers Association is urging craft beer drinkers to support local breweries as American Craft Beer Week approaches. The 15th annual weeklong observance will run from May 10-16 this year.

Craft brewing in Alabama could not have been possible without the joint efforts of Free the Hops organization and the Alabama Brewers Guild, who helped get legislation passed in the state in 2007 to open the door for craft breweries.

Jim Perkins of the Alabama Brewers Guild said craft breweries have had am $858 million economic impact on the state.

"It can be even bigger," Perkins said. "And we are working on making that happen."

Perkins said the keys to making craft beer in Alabama a reality were the passing of legislation that allowed the alcohol content in beer to increase to a 13.9 percent maximum, and a bill that allowed local breweries to serve beer in their taprooms.

Currently, customers can purchase a maximum of one case of beer directly from craft breweries, but a bill awaiting Gov. Kay Ivey's signature would increase that limit to three cases per day.

"These pieces of legislation are huge," Perkins said. "They have happened slowly but we are going to continue to work on supporting craft brewing here in Alabama.

American Craft Beer Week in 2021, which takes place 14 months after the coronavirus pandemic began its significant financial impact on local businesses nationwide, presents a prime opportunity to support local brewers, association officials said.

“America’s small and independent craft breweries have faced many hardships over the past year,” Brewers Association marketing director Ann Obenchain said in a statement.

In recent decades, craft beer has become the more popular choice for Americans. Craft breweries in the United States date back to the late 1970s, the first opening shortly after President Jimmy Carter signed legislation that made home-brewing legal in 1978.

Now, craft breweries are opening in communities across America. Small and independent brewing companies accounted for 40 of the top 50 top producing craft brewing companies in 2020 based on beer sales volume, according to the Brewers Association.

Even as in-person craft beer consumption and unique local events were shut down for months following the pandemic’s start, craft breweries in the country provided more than 138,000 full- and part-time jobs in 2020, according to the association.

Insert local reaction from brewer on how coronavirus has impacted business.

Now, with COVID-19 restrictions eased in many areas, 2021’s American Craft Beer Week “is about more than just delicious craft beer,” Obenchain said.

“It’s about community and showing support for hometown taprooms, brewpubs and breweries,” she added.

Breweries in the Birmingham area for either in-person consumption and pickup include:

• Avondale Brewery, 201 41st Street South, Birmingham (opens at 12 p.m.)
• Back Forty Beer Co., 3201 1st Ave. North, Birmingham (opens at 11 a.m.)
• Birmingham District Brewing Co., 2201 2nd Ave. South, Birmingham (opens at 12 p.m.)
• Cahaba Brewery, 4500 5th Ave. South, Birmingham (opens at 3 p.m.)
• Ferus Artisan Ales, 101 Beech St., Trussville (opens at 11 a.m.)
• Ghost Train Brewery, 2616 3rd Ave. South, Birmingham (opens at 12 p.m.)
• Good People Brewery, 114 14th Street South, Birmingham (opens at 12 p.m.)
• Oak Mountain Brewing Co., 110 Cahaba Valley Rd, Pelham (opens at 4 p.m.)
• Oversoul Brewing, 4161 Helena Rd, Helena (opens at 5 p.m.)
• Siluria Brewing Co., 145 1st Ave. West, Alabaster (opens at 4 p.m.)
• Slag Heap Brewing Co., 227 Main St., Trussville (opens at 4 p.m.)
• Trim Tab Brewery, 2721 5th Ave. South, Birmingham (opens at 12 p.m.)
• True Story Brewery, 5510 Crestwood Blvd., Birmingham (opens at 11 a.m.)