As part of a thorough review that the Alabama Brewers Guild and other industry stakeholders participated in, the Alabama ABC Board recently certified several amendments to its rules and regulations. What follows is not an exhaustive list of those changes. Many of the amendments were for style uniformity or to conform to new statutory requirements. Others were not applicable to the mission of the Guild. The following list is, however, a high-level summary of the changes that should be most [...]

The COVID-19 pandemic and response hit craft brewers and distilleries particularly hard. To support our small business distilleries, the Alabama Brewers Guild and the ABC Board partnered to showcase locally-owned spirits at 25 ABC stores across Alabama. The Guild developed these displays and partnered with United-Johnson Brothers of Alabama to distribute to the following ABC locations: # 4: Auburn (1199 S Donahue Drive) # 15: Cullman (705 Cullman Shopping Ctr NW) # 39: Trussville (1873-C Gadsden Hwy) # 45: Huntsville [...]

At the beginning of the session, the Alabama Brewers Guild released a comprehensive reform agenda called Brewery Modernization 2.0. The state legislature passed two key provisions of this agenda during the 2019 regular legislative session, and the Guild is committed to continuing to work to bring common sense reform to the alcohol regulatory system in Alabama.Brewery Modernization 2.0 is an ambitious reform package designed to "clean-up" the law to better account for the current state of the industry and [...]

Excise taxes are probably the least-fun part of the beer industry, but they are important for brewers. House Bill 151, introduced by Representative Nordgren and awaiting a hearing in the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee, would solve a major issue with the ABC beer excise tax when applied to brewery tasting rooms. What is the ABC Beer Excise Tax in Alabama? per barrel when the keg is sold by wholesalers per barrel when [...]

On Tuesday, March 19, Representative Rebecca Nordgren of Gadsden introduced HB151, also known as Brewery Modernization 2.0. This legislation is designed to update and clean-up the Brewery Modernization Act, the landmark 2011 legislation that legalized tasting rooms in Alabama. Brewery Modernization 2.0 is the culmination of almost two years of review of the existing regulatory system. Derrell Winowich, president of the Alabama Brewers Guild and owner of Chattahoochee Brewing Co, remarked, "Tasting rooms have been legal in Alabama for about [...]

C.K. Lichenstein has joined the Alabama Brewers Guild as its first Membership and Operations Coordinator. As the craft brewing industry continues to grow in Alabama, the Guild found that it had an immediate need for a full-time position dedicated to managing its relationships with its members and ensure that it continues to bring value. The Membership and Operations Coordinator will work with brewing and distillery members as well as our industry partners. After first working in the retail tier of [...]

Alabama Crown Distributing is delivering our 2019 Guild Collaboration around the state. Here is where you can find it! This post will be updated as we receive updates. Bitter Constituent is also available on draft and in special crowlers at the host brewery, Common Bond Brewers in Montgomery. North Alabama Below the Radar, Huntsville Das Stahl Bierhaus, Huntsville Liquor Express, Huntsville Old Towne Beer Exchange, Huntsville The Open Bottle, Huntsville Rocket City Craft Beer, Madison [...]

The Alabama Brewers Guild has partnered with NewsTalk WVNN to bring Pints & Politics to the voters of north Alabama. The event will be held in the Gym at Straight to Ale in Huntsville on Friday, May 4 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Pints & Politics is a casual evening where elected officials and candidate for public office are invited to socialize and meet voters in an open environment. Free admission for all. All candidates for public office in the [...]

The Alabama Brewers Guild thanks Governor Kay Ivey for signing House Bill 303 by Representative Daniels. HB303 clarifies existing law by clearly exempting brewery, distillery, and winery tasting rooms from a statewide law preventing alcohol manufacturers from selling alcohol between 9 PM Saturday and 2 AM the following Monday. This decades-old law was designed to regulate business-to-business transactions between alcohol manufacturers and wholesalers. However, there was concern that it could be interpreted to prevent tasting rooms from operating during these [...]