ounces (in other words, no bombers or growlers). All of the activities that cultivate the culture needed for craft beer to take root, grow, and thrive were off the table. Fortunately, this is no longer the case. Through intense lobbying by the Alabama Brewers Guild, the Alabama legislature has taken the handcuffs off the state’s craft brewers and set them loose to create some of the best beers the South has ever tasted. The craft brewers of Alabama have wasted no time. Back Forty Beer Company has tripled its production capacity and is contract brewing for several smaller brewers who are faced with the still-to-be-amended laws that restrict investment in brewing operations. Back Forty isn’t alone in Alabama. Brewers like Railyard Brewing Company in Montgomery and Good People Brewing Company, Avondale Brewing Company, and Cahaba Brewing Company in Birmingham are quickly moving to fill the void and answer the strong demand for high-quality, locally brewed beer. Back Forty has expanded its distribution and can be found throughout the Florida Panhandle—on tap and on the shelf—and as far away as New York and California. They’re even growing their own hops and producing their own honey. As of 2014, I think it can safely be claimed that Alabama is now on the beer map, producing medalwinning beers that rival those from any other state or region. I’m seeing Back Forty tap handles more and more, and they have distribution in several large supermarket chains. They make a good beer and, maybe more important, they’re leading the charge of the craft beer movement in the Deep South.
B A S M AT I ’ S 850.267.3028 3295 W County Highway 30A , Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 V IE Z INE .C OM | 41