Free The Hops' Gourmet Beer Bill is now law

The Hops have been Freed! Governor Riley signed HB373, The Gourmet Beer Bill, into law on May 22, 2009. On May 27 the first high gravity beers began appearing on the shelves of Birmingham grocery stores, liquor stores, and bars. Other locations throughout Alabama will see these beers arriving in the coming weeks and months. For up to date information about where to find gourmet beers in Alabama, see the "Where the Beers Are" forum of FTH's online community.

Help Us Free The Hops

Free The Hops | Alabamians For Specialty Beer (FTH) is a grassroots, non-profit organization whose mission is to help bring the highest quality beers in the world to Alabama. These beers are commonly referred to as craft beers due to the skill and artistry required to brew them, but they are also appropriately classified as specialty or gourmet. You might think of them as the Mercedes of beers.

In pursuit of its mission, FTH introduced The Gourmet Beer Bill to the Alabama Legislature in 2006. This bill proposed that the allowable alcohol by volume (ABV) in beer be increased from 6% to 13.9%, allowing hundreds of world class beers into the state. FTH pushed The Gourmet Beer Bill for four legislative sessions and finally saw it become law when Governor Bob Riley signed it on May 22, 2009. Since then, numerous newly legal beers have been making their way to the shelves of Alabama's bars, restaurants, and retail stores.

With this major restriction gone, FTH is now looking to the future of specialty beer in Alabama. While many decisions remain to be made, it is certain that FTH will play a continuing role in beer culture and beer education in Alabama. As such, we invite you to view our beer education section which contains an introduction to beer styles, beer and food pairing ideas, and other helpful information. Check out our online community to connect with other FTH members and learn where to find gourmet beers in your area. Also, be sure to check out our restrictions page for an overview of restrictions on beer and brewing in Alabama that still remain.