Brewery Tour

Friday was Jessica's birthday and we'd been talking about going on a Brewery Tour for a few weeks so we decided it was the perfect excuse to book it.   The Birmingham Brew scene is booming and can be a little intimidating if I'm being honest.  We like beer but are loyal to our domestic brands.  We were excited to check out the local craft beer without having to think to much about any of it.  We went with Jeremy, Jessica, Matt and Jennifer.  It was the perfect night out with friends.  We had the best time. 

We met Clay, our tour guide, at Railroad park.  He gave us a rundown of the history of the city.  Then we loaded up in his van and headed out.

Our first stop was Cahaba Brewing.  Clay chose 4 beers for our flight and to my surprise I actually liked most of them.  Patrick seriously only drinks Bud Light and he found one he enjoyed as well.  Clay gave a history of the company as well as the building.  He also taught us about each beer we were trying.  (After the first stop we were all convinced the tour was worth every penny).

Our next stop was Avondale.  I'd been to this one before but it'd been a while (also I was pregnant so didn't get to enjoy the beer.).  While Clay ordered our beer and got us a table we walked next door to Post Office Pies and ordered a few pizzas.  After we ordered we headed back to Avondale.  Clay told us all about the three beers we tasted and while we were enjoying them he walked back over and picked up our pizzas for us and brought them back.  After we finished our flight we got a 1/2 pint of whatever we wanted and Clay told us how that beer got it's name.  This was my favorite stop of the night.  The beer and pizza were fantastic.

I may have been overly excited about all the cute little glasses.

The third stop was Ghost Train. It's fairly new to the city and I liked it a lot.  It was very laid back.  They seemed the most excited about showing off their beers.  They immediately brought us a sample and then the flight.  I loved their presentation so much.  You could tell they put effort into it.  The beer was pretty good too!

I liked the two middle ones the most.  I learned that I'm not a huge fan of dark brews or most IPAs

The last stop of the night was Red Hills Brewing Company in Homewood.  We really felt like VIP here.  They were wrapping up a special event and we had the place to ourselves.  By this stop, I was a little tired and wasn't sure I could taste any more beer but I pressed on.  Patrick opted for one single beer instead of another flight. I didn't love those two on the end but I enjoyed getting to try them and learn about them.   

Love this guy and how he's learned to just go with whatever I suggest.  He was pretty sure he was going to hate everything he tried but he found something at each stop that he would drink again.  It was fun to step out of our comfort zone just a bit. 

The tour company we used was Red Clay Tours.  When my sister and her husband, Clay, returned from their trip last year, Clay decided this is what he wanted to do.  He has put so much research, time and heart into this business and it really shows.  It's so much fun watching someone do what they love.  The only decision we had to make was what we wanted on our pizza and I'm pretty sure he would have gladly given us suggestions if we'd asked. (Pizza was not included in the price of the tour but totally worth the twenty bucks)

If you're looking for something different to do book a tour. You won't regret it.