Magic City Brewfest beer list is live!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Checkout the over 200 beers from 60+ breweries on the Brewery ...read more

Have you seen Indiana Krunkles?

Thursday, February 23, 2012

He's elusive but a few of the guys over at Terrapin have met him and brewed some of his recipes though others at Terrapin are a bit dubious.  Hear what they have to say about the rumors here. I heard that Indiana Krunkles will be at Magic City Brewfest.  Let's hope you get to meet him ...read more

Alabama Brewers Guild Endorses Brewery Modernization Act

Thursday, February 23, 2012

From their press release this afternoon. Thank you, Alabama brewers.

On April 5th, 2011 The Brewery Modernization Act, Senate Bill 192, passed the full Senate by a vote of 24-5. The goals of this Act are to allow Breweries to sell their product on-premise, like a brewpub, and/or to wholesalers, and to remove the crippling restrictions that impair the ability of the Breweries in Alabama to compete with their out of state counterparts. In many states, ...read more

Free the Hops boycotts Anheuser-Busch and their distributors

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Unfortunately, powerful special interests occasionally seem like too much to overcome. This time it’s Anheuser-Busch and their distribution network in Alabama. It has become increasingly clear to us that they have been working hard to defeat our bills over the last few weeks. This all started when Doug Bailey, a high-powered lobbyist with Anheuser-Busch, came to Alabama and started drumming up opposition to our Brewery Modernization Act. The Alabama Wholesale Beer Association is not opposed to ...read more

Free The Hops’ Blog

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Stay up to the date with everything FTH by reading our blog. read more

Beer Education

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Beer education is an important part of Free The Hops' mission.

We want you to know and understand the wondrous complexities of beer: its history, why the balance of ingredients like malt and hops changes the flavor, how to tell the difference between a lager and a pale ale, how beer should be served, and how best to enjoy it.

On these pages, we provide you with some beer basics: beer styles, ideas for beer and food ...read more

Aren’t the hops already free?

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Think again. You probably already know that in pursuit of its mission, FTH passed The Gourmet Beer Bill in 2009. This bill changed the allowable alcohol by volume (ABV) in beer from 6% to 13.9%, allowing hundreds of world class beers into the state. Since then, the shelves of Alabama's bars, restaurants, and retail stores have added scores of new beers and the variety available to consumers has exploded.

But more needs to be done. In ...read more

Tips for a Fun and Safe Brewfest Experience

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Buy your tickets early.

The Magic City Brewfest is likely to sell out so buy your tickets early to ensure that you can attend.

Eat.

Drinking on an empty stomach is a recipe for disaster. You should eat before and during the fest. A large carbohydrate-filled meal works best. Eating slows down the absorption of alcohol by your system and will help you avoid inebriation.

Designate a driver.

With so many beers to taste and so little time, make sure ...read more