Birmingham Beer – A Heady History of Brewing in the Magic City

Birmingham Beer
144 Pages
ISBN 1626194564

Less than fifteen years after the birth of Birmingham, its brewing history began, and soon saloons dotted nearly every corner. Prohibition, however, decimated the brewing scene for eighty-five years. Although national Prohibition began in 1920, Jefferson County voted to go dry in 1907. Alabama beer saw a brief resurgence after the Brewpub Act of 1992, as craft beers popularity grew nationwide. But the brewpubs and breweries that emerged struggled against the states restrictive laws, which included such stipulations as locating brewpubs in historic districts and limiting beer bottle sizes to sixteen ounces. By the time grass-roots lobbying organization Free the Hops formed in 2004 to fight those restrictive laws, every Birmingham brewery had closed. Join author Carla Jean Whitley as she uncovers the struggle to make local beer a Birmingham staple.

Carla Jean Whitley

About Carla Jean Whitley (Birmingham, Alabama Author)

Carla Jean Whitley

Carla Jean Whitley is a writer and editor who is curious about the intersection of culture and community. She shares those stories through the written word as well as audio, video, social media, speaking engagements and teaching. That includes her role as features editor of the Glenwood Springs (Colorado) Post Independent, as well as past experience at AL.com, Birmingham magazine and the University of Alabama. Whitley co-hosted and produced the Triple Take podcast, and is the author of three books, “Birmingham Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in the Magic City,” “Muscle Shoals Sound Studio: How the Swampers Changed American Music” and “Balancing Act: Yoga Essays.”

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