DECATUR – Craft brewing has made a boom in recent years since legislation passed allowing breweries to sell directly to customers, and north Alabama has seen a lot of progress. Huntsville alone has more per capita beer enterprises than any other part of the state. There’s even a newly renovated building on Governors Drive that houses a couple of microbreweries: Campus 805, formerly Stone Middle School.
Here’s the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association's list of the nine best craft brews in north Alabama.
1. Truck Stop Honey – Back Forty Beer Company, Gadsden
Truck Stop Honey is a medium-bodied English brown ale brewed with Alabama Wildflower Honey, roasted malts and fresh hops. The balance of sweet wildflower honey and earthy hop aromas come through in every batch. Whether preparing a delicious meal or sitting fireside, Truck Stop Honey will always keep the good times rolling! www.backfortybeer.com
2. Workman Alabama Common – Blue Pants Brewery, Madison
It stands in the category of a lighter bodied, less bitter, pale ale. www.bluepantsbrew.com
3. Yellowhammer White – Yellowhammer Brewing, Huntsville
The Yellowhammer take on the Belgian white is a little different. Instead of the more traditional hints of orange and coriander, the Yellowhammer White derives a hint of spice from Kaffir lime leaves and fresh ginger. A perfect beer on a hot day. Alc. 4.8%. www.yellowhammerbrewery.com
4. Monkeynaut IPA – Straight to Ale, Huntsville
Albert. Able. Gordo. Miss Baker. Bonny. Goliath. Between 1948 and 1961 these primate pioneers and others bravely went where no man had ever gone before, paving the way for manned U.S. spaceflight. This hoppy little monkey of a beer is a tribute to those Simian heroes of yesteryear. It has a citrusy, floral hop aroma, a strong malt body and a crisp finish.www.straighttoale.com
5. Hop Naughty – Salty Nut Brewery, Huntsville
An IPA that weighs in at 7.0% ABV and boasts a range of hops that puts it at 70IBUs, this IPA will go down smooth. This brew has a pleasant citrus/piney aroma so pleasing your nose won't want your mouth to steal the moment! A woodsy initial taste leaves just the right amount of bitterness lingering on your palate; it finishes smooth with pleasing tones and urges you to have another! Feelin' Naughty? www.saltynutbrewery.com
6. Faceplant IPA – Main Channel Brewing, Guntersville
This IPA is brewed with a day on Lake Guntersville at its heart. Locally known as “Faceplant,” pair this IPA with a wakeboard tournament in Spring Creek. www.mainchannelbeer.com
7. Imperial IPA – Mad Malts Brewing, Huntsville
A really big IPA. This is the biggest and hoppiest beer we have brewed to date, hopped at every stage of the brewing process. The hops and sweetness are balanced even with the huge hop additions. The only thing missing is the hop harshness found in some IPAs. A big bold IPA with copious amounts of hop flavors. www.madmaltsbrewing.com
8. Richter’s Pils – Goat Island Brewing, Cullman
This antique light golden pilsner is influenced by German and American traditions, much like the German immigrants that founded Cullman, Alabama in the late 1800s. A local merchant found a hand written beer recipe in the attic of his old downtown building in Cullman. The recipe was found with other personal items of William Frederick Richter, who owned Richter’s Saloon in the late 1800s. The mixture of English and Old German was eventually translated and resurrected. www.goatislandbrewing.com
9. The Swamper – Singing River Brewing, Florence
A pleasantly bitter-sweet black ale with a fresh-roast coffee-like flavor and aroma, and a rich, malty body. A great choice for lovers of Porter, Stout and other black beers. British ale yeast, American Pale Ale malt, German Munich and British crystal, chocolate and black patent malts, American Apollo and British Challenger hops. www.singinriverbrewing.com
To learn more about the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA), visit www.NorthAlabama.org.
