Alabamians For Specialty Beer

Stokin’ the Fire – a word of thanks to our sponsors!

By Stuart | Published: August 31, 2010

Free the Hops would like to thank all the folks who made this year’s Stokin’ the Fire team a success! First of all, we couldn’t do anything without our many volunteers whose efforts ensure every Free the Hops event runs smoothly. This event was no exception and the guys who spent the weekend at Sloss Furnaces smoking, grilling and pouring were able to promote the mission of reforming Alabama’s antiquated beer laws to quite a few friends, both new and familiar.

Despite this being only our second year of competition, and having over 80 teams with which to contend, FTH garnered Top 10 finishes in two of the five food categories: 4th place for burgers and 8th place for butts!

Through the generosity of the J. Clyde the team had more than enough pork, chicken and beef to feed attendees, volunteers and, of course, enter the various competitions. Enough food was left over to make a substantial donation to the Jimmie Hale Mission, a charity that cares for homeless men located near Sloss.

Our thanks also go out to Bradley Webb, owner of an awesome smoker who allowed us to borrow it for the weekend, and to Scott Holmes, owner of Charlie’s BBQ in Odenville who introduced us to Bradley when our smoker plans fell through at the last minute.

Did we mention pouring? Thanks to the generosity of Good People Brewing Company, now in their glorious new brewery at 14th St and 2nd Ave S, and Birmingham Beverage, we were able to slake the thirst of many an attendee with samples of Good People’s Hitchhiker IPA and Brown Ale. Quite a few eyes were opened to good beer and the need for continuing reform of Alabama’s beer laws at Stokin’ the Fire this year.

We also want to thank Kimbellee Fipps and all of the other wonderful folks at Sloss for putting this great event on every year. We had a great time and look forward to doing it all over again next year!

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The Gadsden Times: Brewery law overdue for update

By Dan Roberts | Published: July 30, 2010

Thanks to The Gadsden Times for revisiting the the Brewery Modernization Act in the off season.

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A word of thanks to veterans

By Stuart | Published: May 31, 2010

It is all too easy to take public holidays for granted without thinking about what they really mean.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a word of thanks to all veterans everywhere. You gave some, or all, of your life to ensure that we have the freedoms we take for granted today.

To the families of the veterans, thank you for your sacrifice – you lost precious time with your loved ones.

Thank you.

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Thanks to everyone who came out to the Second Annual Rocket City Brewfest

By Dan Roberts | Published: May 14, 2010

I don’t have any numbers, but I am sure it was bigger than last year. Also, of course, there were several beers available at the brewfest that were illegal last time. If you attended, we would like for you to complete our online survey so we can make next year even better. A sincere thanks should go to our more than 250 volunteers for all their hard work.

If you had a great time, or if you’re not in the area and didn’t make the trek to Huntsville, you should consider attending the Fourth Annual Magic City Brewfest, the other major beer festival from Free the Hops. Magic City sold out online last year, so if you want to go I highly recommend buying your tickets in advance.

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The brewfest is today and tomorrow

By Dan Roberts | Published: May 7, 2010

We’ve sold a lot more tickets online than last year, and the layout for the Second Annual Rocket City Brewfest has been expanded to accommodate the expected increase in attendance.  If you haven’t bought online, you should show up early to make sure you get in. This year is going to be a blast!

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Tips for a safe and fun brewfest experience

By Dan Roberts | Published: May 6, 2010

From the Rocket City Brewfest website, with a little bit of tweaking.

Buy your tickets early

The Rocket City Brewfest may sell out this year. Buy your tickets early to ensure that you can attend. Online ticket sales are way ahead of last year. We may not sell out online, but we’re going to be real close to selling out at the gate.

Bring cash for food pairings

There will be food options available at the festival, including several local, independent restaurants that have been specially selected to bring a variety of pairing options with the beers. This year’s participating restaurants will be spread out in the general area and available to all. To enjoy, you will need to pay the restaurants with one or more vouchers that you buy from the brewfest. Vouchers will cost $1 each and most portions should be available for less than 5 vouchers.

Prepare for transportation home after the festival

With so many beers to taste and so little time, make sure you have a safe option for getting home. Bring a non-drinking friend to do the driving, or plan on taking a taxi.

Respect the beer

There’s a reason the Rocket City Brewfest requires all participants to use a small sampling glass provided at entry: so that attendees can enjoy a number of samples of a variety of styles of beer responsibly. Don’t try to sample every beer at the festival, but rather pick some you’re interested in or have never tried before that you’d like to taste. The Rocket City Brewfest encourages responsible drinking and will refuse alcohol to individuals who are obviously intoxicated. For the safety of yourself and others, know your limit and refrain from overindulging.

With the signing into law of Free The Hops’ Gourmet Beer Bill last year, beers with an alcohol by volume (ABV) of greater than 6% are now legal in Alabama and will be available at the Rocket City Brewfest. Beers with a higher alcohol content should be consumed at a slower pace than those that have lower alcohol content. Be sure you know the ABV of the beers you’re drinking so that you can take your time with them. If you’re not sure of a beer’s ABV, ask the server.

Respect the two ounce pour rule

Samples at the Rocket City Brewfest are given in two ounce pours and only in the tasting glass provided at entry. This is a festival and ABC board policy. Do not ask for more than two ounces per sample and do not ask for a beer sample in any container other than the official Rocket City Brewfest tasting glass.

Bring a chair if you’ll want to sit

Seating is very limited at the venue. If you know you’ll want to sit down sometime during a four hour festival, bring a folding chair.

Drink water

Drinking alcohol dehydrates your body which can make you feel pretty bad. Drink water to help detoxify and keep you hydrated. The Rocket City Brewfest will have water on hand, but it’s not a bad idea to bring your own refillable (non-glass) water container.

Appreciate the beer you’re drinking

Take time to really taste each beer. Note the color, smell, taste, and texture. Try to pick out the individual flavors in the beer. You might taste grapefruity bitterness or chocolately sweetness or any number of other flavors. Notice how one style differs from another. You might even want to write down the name of the beer and make notes so you’ll remember to buy it later. Appreciating craft beer is what festivals are all about.

Be patient

Beer festivals can get crowded. You will likely have to wait in a line for some beers. Be patient and remember to respect those behind you by not lingering at a crowded booth.

Thank a volunteer

These folks work hard to help make the festival a good time for everyone. Show them your appreciation.

Bring cash for accessories

You’ll want to buy a festival t-shirt, cap, or one of the many other items for sale. Bring cash as plastic may not be accepted.

Educate yourself

One of the best ways to have fun at a beer festival is learn in advance about the beers and beer styles you will be sampling. Learn the difference between an American Pale Ale and a Russian Imperial Stout or a Belgian Tripel and a German Rauchbier. Know what colors, smells, and tastes to expect (and not expect).

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Rocket City Brewfest is next weekend

By Dan Roberts | Published: April 30, 2010

RCBF 2010It’s almost time! The Second Annual Rocket City Brewfest is on the evening of Friday, May 7 from 7-11pm and the afternoon of Saturday, May 8, from 3-7pm.

I am personally most excited to see the lineup from Straight to Ale. As of this time, Huntsville’s new brewery does not plan to be at Birmingham’s Magic City Brewfest. They’re going all out just to make sure they have enough beer for their hometown festival. So sorry to all you fine folks in the rest of Alabama, but you’ll need to make the trek north to taste Alabama’s newest craft brewery. Straight to Ale will be featuring two all-day taps – their Wernher Von Brown Ale and Monkeynaut IPA – plus 7 limited batches to include two firkins, three “test batches” of their coming lineup, and two barrel-aged, small batch experiments.

Olde Towne will also be rolling out a new batch of their limited production but popular Emancipation Ale – a Double IPA. Our friends at Yazoo, Lazy Magnolia, Great Divide, and Erie are also bringing a few surprises.

In many cases, these limited release beers are unavailable outside of the brewfest. In other words, there will be several beers that you will only be able to sample at the Rocket City Brewfest. That’s pretty cool. A list of all the known special batches is available on the website. Their “release times” will be scheduled throughout the day both sessions, and a schedule card will be available when you come in the gate.

We’ve got all of our volunteers, our participating restaurants and caterers, our entertainment lineup, and almost all of our beers. Expect a few last-second labels to be added in the next few days.

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Dead this year

By Dan Roberts | Published: April 23, 2010

Most of you know by now that we the Alabama House didn’t make it to the second Special Order Calendar, and thus the Brewery Modernization Act never came up for a vote. Since the legislative session is now over, we’re dead this year. It came a long way for its first year, but in the end we just ran out of time for our final vote.

The Brewery Modernization Act is a no-nonsense bill that would have created jobs and made Alabama more competitive in a growing industry, all at no cost to the public purse. It’s disappointing that our legislators in Montgomery couldn’t even get to it, especially in the current economic climate.

Free the Hops will continue in the struggle. It takes time and is often frustrating, but we’ve already shown that we can bring common sense to Alabama’s beer laws.

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The 30th Day

By Dan Roberts | Published: April 22, 2010

SB153 (Homebrew legalization) is dead in committee. Despite Chairman Morrow’s efforts, the House Tourism and Travel Committee didn’t have enough people show up to have a quorum to give it a favorable report. There’s simply no way this is going to happen this year.

SB328 (Brewery Modernization Act), however, is still kicking. We have high hopes of coming up for a vote some time today… the last day.

I can tell you that I know a ton of you called and emailed your representatives in Montgomery, and your efforts have made an impact. I can’t guarantee anything, but I have high hopes. We’re definitely on the radar. As of this posting (all things politics are subject to change), we have a spot on the second Special Order Calendar for the day. Traditionally, the last day of the session lasts a long time as all the unfinished business is being handled. As long as the members of the House find no reason to filibuster and stall away today, the Brewery Modernization Act should come up for a vote.

If you pray, pray for a productive day in the Alabama House of Representatives.

If you would like to watch sausage legislation being made, you can listen to the live audio of the House session at the legislature’s website

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Buy tickets for the Rocket City Brewfest

By Dan Roberts | Published: April 21, 2010

RCBF 2010Tickets for the Second Annual Rocket City Brewfest are now available through Ticketmaster. We have also posted the Ticketmaster fee schedule on the event website to help avoid any surprises.

This year’s brewfest will feature old favorites as well as a host of new breweries and  beers that have been made available since last year’s Gourmet Beer Bill became law.

We’re also very excited to be one of the first locations to feature Huntsville’s new craft brewery – Straight to Ale. In addition to their two initial, regular offerings, Straight to Ale plans to bring a limited amount of several special brews that will only be available at the Rocket City Brewfest. These include cask-conditioned versions of their regulars, barrel-aged one-offs, and a few “advance batches” of their coming regular lineup.

In addition to Straight to Ale’s limited selections, we are also expecting a few special releases from breweries such as Olde Towne, Good People, Yazoo, Lazy Magnolia, Highland, and more. These releases will be spread out across the session, and we will provide information about the schedule to our guests at the brewfest. Any release will be available in equal quantities for each session. Expect an initial listing on the RCBF website in the coming days.

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