When it comes to craft breweries, Alabama is home to quite a few of them. One of the state's best hidden gem craft breweries to open to the public is Goat Island Brewing. To learn all about Goat Island Brewing, which many people believe is the best brewery in Alabama, take a look below.
Goat Island Brewing is a locally owned craft brewery in Cullman, Alabama. It's an absolute must-visit for beer connoisseurs.
Established in early 2015, this award-winning brewery got its start when a pair of beer-loving friends came together to share their love of craft beer with the public.
From Belgian and German, to English and American, Goat Island Brewing offers all kinds of ales and lagers. In fact, there's something available for all beer connoisseurs at this amazing brewery.
So, the next time you're passing through Cullman and craving a delicious craft beer, consider stopping by Goat Island Brewing. After all, "Life's too short to have baaaad beer!," right?
For more information about Goat Island Brewing, including hours, you can view the Goat Island Brewing website and the Goat Island Brewing Facebook page.
Have you ever been to Goat Island Brewing In Cullman, Alabama? If so, what did you think about it? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Unless you've been under a rock for the past 15 years, you know about how craft breweries catalyze neighborhood revitalization, spark new business development, and inspire tourism. It's especially impactful when you have a brewery that's established itself as an entertainment destination along with producing award-winning beer. Case in point: Avondale Brewing Company, a top music venue in Birmingham, Alabama.
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Most credit the 2011 opening of Avondale Brewing Company as a big player in revitalizing the Avondale neighborhood, which started as a company mill town in the late 1800s. It thrived in the early 1900s after the city annexed it, and yet fell into a high-crime, run-down area by the 1970s. Today, Avondale is considered one of the best places to live in Birmingham.
The brewing company is located in an 1885 building that fell into disrepair by the late 1980s after housing many businesses over the century before, including a bunkhouse, bank, confectionary, and saloon.
A pair of brothers, Colby and Hunter Lake, joined two more partners, Chris Donaldson and Craig Shaw, to launch the brewery business in 2010. They welcomed their first customers to the taproom a year later.
Fun facts about the brewery's logo: It features Miss Fancy, an elephant resident of the first Birmingham Zoo that was located in Avondale Park until it closed in the 1930s. According to James L. Baggett writing for Alabama Heritage, she was sold to a circus that renamed her Bama and brought her out on their circuit two of the four years they had her. At that point, she was sold to a zoo in Buffalo, New York, where she lived until her death in 1954.
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In 2016, the brewery opened its first Sour Room focusing on sour ales and cocktails. After operating in another location, it moved next door to the main brewery in 2019. In between, a development group bought the brewery property as part of a package deal in 2017. A few years later, fellow Birmingham brewers Good People Brewing Company purchased the business and continues to preserve the brand.
In 2021, the brewery opened a new feature next to Sour Room – Cinderella Story, a space with a state-of-the-art indoor HD Golf simulator. You can book your tee time online and then check in with the bartender at Avondale for access.
Even with these fabulous indoor spaces, Avondale Brewing's backyard is its most popular draw, whether for daytime lounging, special events, movie nights, festivals, or music.
Avondale Music hosts a packed schedule of nationally touring artists and local bands on the main outdoor stage and smaller, indoor venue called "The Upstairs." The backyard venue holds about 3,000 people, making it a much more intimate outdoor setting for bands you'l also see playing much larger amphitheater shows.
You can find operating hours and all of the latest concert dates for this top music venue in Birmingham, Alabama on the Avondale Brewing Company website or the Avondale Music dedicated Facebook page. The company also has individual Facebook pages for the brewing company and Sour Room.
Have you seen a show at Avondale Brewing Company? We'd love to hear all about it and who you're planning to see next. If you're looking for a great place to stay while there, check out this cozy cottage in the heart of Avondale.
Have you ever wanted to sample moonshine? If so, you're in luck because there are a few places that will allow you to give it a try right here in Alabama! One of these places is Murder Creek Distillery. Tucked away in Foley and sitting right by the water, Murder Creek's southern-inspired, house-made Alabama moonshine is all distilled, mixed, bottled, and labeled right on site. While this local "speakeasy" doesn't have a secret entrance, confidential password, or escape route out through the basement, this one-of-a-kind distillery doesn't serve up your typical moonshine either, that's for sure! Check it out:
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Murder Creek Moonshine can be found at Downtown OWA in Foley.
The history of Murder Creek in Brewton, Alabama is pretty legendary in itself, the name dating all the way back to the Revolutionary War. But the distillery is still relatively new.
Brewton was one of the distillery's original two locations.
Since opening for business in 2018, this family-run distillery has attracted travelers, locals, and curious beverage seekers alike because of its unique selection of house-made moonshine.
But this isn't any ordinary moonshine. In fact, the distillery offers a variety of delicious, specialty moonshine flavors that are constantly changing, such as Peach Cobbler, Southern Cherry Bombs, Alabama Apple Pie, Dixie Chocolate Mint, and many more. Yes, even Dill Pickle!
If you're unfamiliar, traditional moonshine is a descendant of whiskey. Distilled and unaged, it differs greatly from fermented and brewed beverages, such as beer and wine. This process makes moonshine quite a bit more potent than its other beverage counterparts. Every bottle at Murder Creek is distilled in small batches using a multiple-step process. This rigorous distillation method ensures high purity and clear, delicious taste.
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Murder Creek Distillery invites everyone ages 21+ to come and try one (or more) of these flavors in their state-of-the-art tasting room.
The next time you're in Foley, be sure to visit Murder Creek Distillery if you've always wanted to try some real Alabama moonshine. With such a variety of flavors, you won't be disappointed!
Have you ever been to Murder Creek Distillery and sampled one (or more) of their delicious moonshine flavors? What's your favorite?
If you love the outdoors, consider visiting Graham Creek Nature Preserve while in Foley. And speaking of gorgeous spots by the water... this beach house just a short way from Foley might just be calling your name!
