6th Annual Stokin' the Fire BBQ & Music Festival

Congratulations to the Free The Hops team who placed 4th in Burgers and 8th in pork butts at Sloss Furnaces' 6th annual Stokin' the Fire BBQ & Music Festival, an impressive achievement with over 80 teams from all over the South!

4th Annual Magic City Brewfest

The Magic City Brewfest was another huge success this year. Free The Hops would like to thank everyone who worked the event; some of you put in many, many hours over the weekend. And thank you to all those who attended - the atmosphere was wonderful both days, and we had lots of positive feedback.

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.