Alabama beer named one of the best to drink on St. Paddy’s Day

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March 17, 2015

GADSDEN, Ala. — Business website Inc. wants you to put down your Guinness this Saint Patrick’s Day and pick up a beer brewed in Alabama instead.

The website found beer made by 5 craft breweries from across the country that they think you should give a try on this beautiful day, and one of them is the Back Forty Beer Company in Gadsden Alabama.

Gadsden, Alabama-based Back Forty Beer Company was founded in 2009 by Jason Wilson, a former logistics and supply chain director for paper manufacturer Georgia Pacific.

Named after an old agricultural term referring to the 40 acres of land situated furthest from the barn, Back Forty specializes in southern-inspired interpretations of classic beer styles.

“Our strategy was, we were going to come to the market with a brand that was unpretentious and that said loud and clear from day one that we are the deep south,” says Wilson, who is president of the Alabama Brewers Association.

Back Forty’s flagship beers include Naked Pig Pale Ale, Freckle Belly IPA, and Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale, which is brewed with wildflower honey and won a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival.

During the past five years, revenue has grown from $52,000 to $2.2 million. “This year, we’re trying to take a breath and get ready for the next leap,” Wilson says.

Today, Back Forty is the largest producer of alcohol in Alabama, producing more than 30 percent of all beer brewed in the state, and has distribution throughout the Southeastern U.S.

Alabama’s expanded craft-brewery laws have brought a boom in the industry to the state. This year the Alabama Brewers Association, and other proponents of craft breweries still see a lot of room for strengthening the new and popular economic sector.

Despite the massive growth seen by Alabama’s craft brewers, the state ranked 50th in per-capita economic impact from the craft beer industry. The Alabama Brewers Guild estimates that 3,000 jobs and $284 million from craft beer could be added to the Alabama economy if production reached the national average.

According to craft breweries, that could be reached by reforming some of the state’s more archaic alcohol laws.

So, when you decide to drink in honor of the Irish today, why don’t you consider throwing back a cold one from Sweet Home Alabama?