Birmingham breweries offer Alabama libations, food and fun for World Games visitors and locals
Birmingham area breweries are a great way to beat the heat and get a taste of the Magic City. (contributed)
Few businesses offer a truer flavor of a place – and its people – than a local brewery. With their egalitarian crowds; beers named for cultural landmarks or reflecting local history, flora or fauna; multiple televisions tuned to what matters right here, right now; and enough space to host a team or two or three, breweries always beckon visitors.
Luckily, Birmingham has a lot of them, with plenty of cold beer to please the diverse crowds converging on the city for The World Games 2022.
The city was a little late to the craft-brewing scene, but a resolute “Free the Hops” movement in the mid-2000s resulted in changes to state laws and local breweries quickly became viable businesses. Making up for lost time, Birmingham is now attracting national attention. The city made Thrillist’s roster of 13 U.S. Destinations That Are Secretly Hiding Incredible Beer Scenes. Several local breweries have won national awards for their beers. As a bonus, most offer delicious food in addition to their highly varied, hyperlocal craft brews.
Here’s some of Birmingham’s most popular public houses near The World Games venues, along with suggestions for what to drink (and eat) once you get there. Oh, and their merchandise makes for great souvenirs.
Cheers! And welcome to Birmingham!
The owners of this brewery helped usher in the Birmingham craft-brewery scene and, for that reason and more, Good People is beloved. The slogan at this brewery in the heart of Birmingham’s Parkside District is “Drink Great Beer. Be Good People.” Their merch (especially the “Have a Good One” T-shirts and hats with the signature yellow truck) are seen all over the country. The unfiltered, dry-hopped IPA is the brewery’s flagship beer. It’s also the No. 1 selling IPA in Alabama the past 10 years. Like things hoppier? Try Good People’s trademark Snake Handler Double IPA. The pale ale here is a hit; so is the Good People Muchacho Mexican-style lager. There are several seasonal and limited-release brews, and they have a popular barrel-aged sour beer program, too. Outside food is permitted, and there are rotating food trucks Monday and Tuesday, but you’ll want to stop by HotBox at Good People, which serves amazing food Wednesday through Sunday from a cool Airstream trailer. The arrival of HotBox at this brewery was a “game-changer,” says one bartender, noting that people often come for dinner and stay for a beer. The menu changes weekly (sometimes daily, so follow them on social media for updates), but the (gluten-free) Lemongrass Fried Chicken is a signature item. They also have a great currywurst, a VooDoo burger with candied jalapenos, Korean barbecue eggrolls and disco fries of the day.
Monday Night Social Club is Alabama’s first location of Atlanta’s Monday Night Brewing. Monday Night Brewing grew out of an Atlanta Bible study, and this brewpub outpost in Birmingham is a bit of an experiment (it’s the first location with a full food and beverage menu). There are 25 brews on tap, including house-made beers, small batch IPAs, barrel-aged and sour beers from Monday Night’s Garage in Atlanta, guest taps from local breweries and a full bar with wine and cocktails. Popular brews include Dr. Robot (a tart, fruity sour), Slap Fight (West Coast IPA), Drafty Kilt (a smoky Scotch ale), Space Lettuce (double IPA) and Blind Pirate (blood orange IPA). There are plenty of limited-release and seasonal brews, too. The food is nearly as much of a draw, and the breakfast burrito (on the brunch menu) was named one of the “Best in the World” by the digital publication Far & Wide. You’ll find salads and bowls made with fresh, local ingredients; dips and homemade chips; and Cajun-seasoned pork rinds with a poblano crema. There are a variety of tacos here including chorizo, cauliflower, steak, shrimp and fried mahi options. The “Beeria Tacos,” though, are a must. This is pork shoulder braised in a spicy Drafty Kilt consommé and fried crisp with cheese on a corn tortilla and served with a side of consommé and pickled red onions. There’s a nice kids menu, too. And the large outdoor space with games has a great view of frequently passing trains.
This brewpub, alongside Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, is known almost as much for its delicious gourmet pub food as for its popular beers. Executive chef Russ Bodner’s full-service Back40 Kitchen features one of Birmingham’s favorite burgers: the Back40 Cheeseburger (two patties, American cheese, pickles, onions and aioli). There’s an excellent kale salad (with shredded cabbage, peanuts, cilantro, mint, Parmesan and an Asian vinaigrette). Back Forty has an inviting wraparound porch (with rockers) and the large, kid-friendly garden is the perfect place to watch trains go by. There’s a private event space, a large dining room-taproom, an indoor stage, a 20-foot projection TV screen and plenty of parking. You’ll find a variety (some 25 at any given time) of American and European-style craft beer, all brewed on-site. The Naked Pig Pale Ale, this brewery’s first offering, is still wildly popular. So are the Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale, the Freckle Belly IPA and Paw Paw’s Peach Wheat Ale. There are lots of rotating, seasonal brews, too. By the way, the name comes from the traditional farm term for the 40 acres of land farthest from the barn (and often the hardest to maintain). It’s a nod to Birmingham’s slow start in the craft beer movement and the success it’s become because of dedication and hard work.
Located in 51,000 sprawling square feet in the historic Continental Gin Complex east of Avondale Park, Cahaba Brewing Co., with “passion like a river flows,” is named for the nearby Cahaba River. (It’s the longest free-flowing body of water in Alabama and its spring-blooming Cahaba lilies are both beautiful and rare.) You’ll find pinball and Skee-Ball machines, plenty of televisions and a private event space inside the 6,000-square-foot taproom. And the huge, shaded patio beckons everyone (kids and dogs are welcome at Cahaba). Numerous taps serve Cahaba staples like Blonde, Oka Uba IPA, Pale Ale and Lager, as well as seasonal, pilot and small-batch brews like the Seasick Record Session IPA (a collaboration with a local, independent record store), Steel Cut City Oatmeal Stout, Event Horizon Hazy IPA and Squeeze the Day Blueberry Lemon Sour. They mix cocktails from the bourbon, vodka, gin and rum they distill. Plan to eat here. The Current at Cahaba is a food truck that is permanently parked on the patio. Chef Ben Menken’s menu changes often, but he always has the big, juicy Smash Burger with two patties, provolone and cheddar cheeses, fried shallots, homemade pickles and comeback sauce (eat it upside down; trust us). He offers a soft, giant pretzel with homemade mustard or beer cheese; bratwurst with sauteed onions, kraut and grainy beer mustard; crispy, beer-battered onion rings with that homemade comeback sauce; tacos; wraps; salads; and sharable nachos loaded with things like pulled barbecue pork, pickled jalapenos and carrots and house-made pico. Cahaba Brewing is a thoughtful community partner. There are monthly Goodwill Game Nights that benefit area charities and nonprofits. Local community events – ranging from blood drives to food truck festivals to art shows – have a home here, too, throughout the year. This brewery can host a crowd; they are expecting one when they team up with Redmont Distilling Company (the official vodka of The World Games) for a World Games Block Party on July 16.
In 2019, TrimTab was named one of America’s Top Breweries, out of more than 7,000 others. The brewery, established in 2013 in Birmingham’s Lakeview District, specializes in “expressive IPAs, experimental stouts and fruited sours,” as well as an encouragingly positive approach to life. “Create a world you love,” is the brewery’s motto, and there’s lots to love here – from core brews like the award-winning Paradise Now raspberry Berliner Weisse and the wildly popular IPA with notes of orange marmalade, rose petal and peppercorn, to the classic and crisp 205 Pale Ale. There’s a Gallery Series of small-batch, experimental beers and the Beach Club rotational series of tiki- and island cocktail-influenced fruited sours. The Tasting Gallery here is also an art gallery for local artists, an event space and a music venue. The patio has covered and open-air seating, and there are tables and chairs in the warehouse, too. Here’s another reason to visit TrimTab: Uncle G’s Pizza truck. This Detroit-style pizza is, in a word, amazing. And the thick slices with caramelized edges are proof that it’s deliciously hip to be square. Try the Cool It Down with whipped ricotta, mozzarella, fresh basil and a drizzle of hot honey or the garden-fresh Dal Giardino with garlic ricotta cream as a base, three cheeses, mushrooms, spinach and red onion. And the bright, simple margherita is awesome. (In case you’re wondering, the name of this brewery comes from a piece of equipment on ships and aircraft – the trimtab – that, while small and unassuming, is what makes the rudder move and, thus, determines the ship’s course. Small things, like a great craft beer and a tasty, square slice of pizza, can make a huge difference.)
Avondale Brewing knows how to host a crowd, with an indoor taproom, a private event space, a sophisticated Sour Room and the popular backyard patio with its own bar and a large event stage. This brewery was bought by Good People in 2017, so you’ll find both brands here. Avondale’s Spring Street Saison (classic farmhouse ale) is a hometown favorite, so is Miss Fancy’s Triple (named for a beloved elephant who used to live in Avondale Park when it was the city zoo). The A-OK IPA is a core favorite, along with the refreshingly tart Sour Pash. There are visiting food trucks here like Tuff Love Provisions with its Really Great Nachos (homemade chipotle crema and pico with pork, chicken or steak) and Smoked Pork Sammie (sesame Asian slaw, yum yum sauce, Asian BBQ and pickles on a brioche bun). You can pick up an order from the nearby Post Office Pies or SAW’s Soul Kitchen to sample some of Birmingham’s favorite foods. Post Office Pies has hand-tossed, wood-fire pizzas and fresh salads, all made with locally sourced ingredients. We love the margherita with homemade Pomodoro sauce, roasted cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, Parmesan and fresh basil. SAW’s is known for its smoked chicken with Alabama white sauce. And you’ll want to try the Pork n’ Greens mashup of smoky barbecue pork and collard greens atop a mound of cheesy McEwen & Sons grits.
Birmingham District Brewing Co.
At this microbrewery in The Battery retail development on the city’s Southside, you can have your beer with a side of history. Before it became a banking- and healthcare-focused city, Birmingham was a coal-mining town. (It got the nickname “The Magic City” because of the rapid mining- and iron-fueled growth of the city in the early 1900s.) Birmingham District pays homage to that heritage, and you won’t have to dig deeply into the rotating selection of beers to find a favorite brew. The unfiltered, American-style Birmingham Pilsner is a local favorite; so is the sweetish Vienna-style Pecan Lager. There are several New England-style hazy IPAs here – the smooth Fallen Rock, the juicy Lose Your Way, the soft, pillowy (low alcohol by volume) Pulp – and a popular traditional Irish Stout. You’ll find a couple of locally beloved restaurants nearby. Wasabi Juan’s specializes in tasty, easy-to-eat Asian-Mexican fusion with (raw and cooked) sushi ingredients rolled “burrito style” in soy wraps and nori. The Rick Roll has grilled steak, spicy tuna, cream cheese, ninja sauce, unagi sauce and Dorito crunch. The Rainbow is tuna, salmon, crab, spicy mayo, cucumbers and avocado. There are crunchy tacos made with spicy tuna, shrimp ceviche, steak and more. Around the corner, you’ll find Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken. Based in Memphis, Tennessee, it’s a Southern soul food treat. You can get individual pieces (breast, thigh, leg, wing, tender) with your choice of sides including greens, fried okra, french fries and whole jalapenos. Plates come with baked beans, slaw and white bread (the white bread is a Southern tradition). Don’t miss the fried pickle spears and fried green tomatoes. Take your foods right back into the comfortable taproom at Birmingham District or onto the light-strewn shaded patio. Birmingham District Brewing Co. is “a family-owned business that’s very family-friendly,” says head brewer Jimmy Sumpter. Kids and dogs are always welcome.
Beer for the People! Plus cocktails and music and games and more. Ghost Train started with a small brewery on Third Avenue South; they still have that location, and the stylish, two-level, open shipping container outdoor seating setup is cool. You’ll also find OffBeat Sandwiches inside the location, near the fermentation tanks. The husband-and-wife team of Christopher and Krista Stewart serves shrimp po’boys; a Bama Boy po’boy with smoked chicken and Alabama white barbecue sauce; fried green tomatoes and fried pickles; rubbed, smoked, fried and dressed wings; and a shrimp burger. Ghost Train recently opened a second location on First Avenue South near Avondale, and it’s something else entirely. This state-of-the-art brewery has more than 96 taps, a fancy cocktail bar, and a large outdoor patio area along the bike-friendly Hugh Kaul Trail with shaded seating, a cool hammock and a huge Instagram-worthy mural. There’s also lots and lots of event space. Founded in 2014, the brewery boasts Alabama’s first and only high-efficiency brewing system, allowing them to produce more with less impact on the environment. Core beers include the wildly popular, mixed-berry Kaleidoscope Kettle Sour; Select Blonde Ale, Gulf Coast IPA; and a (99-calorie) Light Lager. Look for seasonal beers like the Judge Juicy IPA and a variety of small-batch beers on tap rotation. Ghost Train partnered with a distillery in Mexico in 2017 to make their own Proven Spirits vodka and tequila and now use them in all their made-to-order craft cocktails. The Ohemgee vodka and tequila canned and ready-to-drink cocktails are popular, too. There is a rotating cast of food trucks pulling up in back with tacos, barbecue, hot dogs and more. Every week sees Trivia Taco Tuesday with drink specials and a visiting taco truck. Both the new and the original Ghost Train locations are dog- and family-friendly.
This brewery in Hoover (a softball’s throw from the Hoover Met sports complex) is the area’s newest (it opened in March of this year), but they’ve hit the ground running and have become a popular hangout spot for nearby families. “We are incredibly family-friendly,” says taproom manager Jess Pascu, pointing out the “golf cart parking only” area. From the train logo on the beers to the names of those beers to the materials used to furnish the taproom, “there’s always something in the hopper” at this brewery, which honors Birmingham’s beginnings as a mining town and, especially, the role played by Brock’s Gap, a pass across the nearby ridge of Shades Mountain used by native Americans and early western settlers, and the railroad. The beers are brewed with more than 17 different hop strands from New Zealand, Washington and other parts of the world, but a high gravity wort is the backbone of what they do. Popular core brews include Amplification (amber), The Sugar Cat (raspberry Weissbier named for the owner’s wife), Andrew’s Ale (Belgian Witbier named for the owner’s late brother-in-law), Elvira (vanilla milk stout named for one of the area’s most famous mines), Hopnoculum (East Coast hazy IPA), Station 459 (pilsner named for the nearby interstate highway) and Going Going Blonde (ale). Brock’s Gap Brewing Company was built to be a space for large social gatherings with several different areas to kick back and relax, from the bright, spacious taproom, to a vast outdoor space with games, to a private event room, to the mezzanine, which looks down on the fermentation tanks. And you’ll find a rotating collection of food trucks pulling up outside, like DixieDogs N Coneys (the chili cheese coney is popular and there’s a new burger), Uncle G’s Pizza, Wasabi Juan’s, Alabama Peanut Co. (a Birmingham tradition since 1907 with roasted and boiled peanuts), and Porky’s Pride Smokehouse (smoked pork, brisket and turkey sandwiches, as well as barbecue hot tacos). The brewery is teaming up with the city of Hoover for a World Games Block Party on July 8 with live music.
This brewery in Pelham, near Oak Mountain State Park, opened in 2021 and features a 15-barrel brewhouse. There are a variety of house-made beers here, including classic styles like the Oak Mountain Blonde Ale, the Stober Vienna Lager, a German Hefeweizen and a West Coast IPA. Try the Oak Mountain PeachMaker wheat beer for some nice, local flavor. The Spelt Farmhouse Ale is a Belgian-inspired farmhouse ale reminiscent of a Belgian Saison; for this one, OMBC uses an heirloom-type wheat called “spelt” that has been cultivated since 5000 B.C. There is a rotational series of hazy IPAs, and Daydreamz Hazy New England-style IPA is currently on tap. “Our international guests should enjoy the Pelham Pilsner, one of the brewery’s core beers. This is our take on a German pilsner. Pilsners and light lagers are some of the most popular beers in the world,” says head brewer Clay Baldwin. There are fun, experimental brews, too, like the Special Chocolate Nocturnal (house imperial stout with chocolate and Madagascar vanilla) and a fruity Moon Safari sour (made with mango, pineapple, kiwi, papaya, banana and toasted coconut). You’ll find 15 to 20 draft beers on tap at any given time, as well as “guest” can or bottle selections, like Goat Island Brewing’s Blood Orange Berliner-Weiss sour and Sloop Brewing Co.’s low-ABV Confliction sour. There’s wine here, too, with half-price bottles on Wednesdays. And they have a house-made root beer, as well. A thoughtful food menu includes a variety of dishes made to order including an extra-large pretzel with cheese (or Dijon or Parmesan garlic), quesadillas (chicken and roast beef), a variety of sandwiches, including a chicken Caesar wrap and a club wrap, a meaty Peavine hoagie (named for a moderately challenging trail with a lovely waterfall in a nearby park), a classic French dip and a melty grilled cheese on panini. There are hot dogs and hamburgers, too, and various food trucks show up on busy nights.
