USA, GA & AL: Atlanta’s Monday Night Brewing considering brewpub in Birmingham, Alabama

An Atlanta brewery wants to open a brewpub in Birmingham, but it’s waiting to see what the Alabama Legislature does with a pending piece of legislation, AL.com reported on March 20.

Monday Night Brewing is eyeing a brewpub as part of the Denham Building development by Atlanta’s Third and Urban, which will include more than 86,000 square feet of office, retail and restaurant space. In addition, 72 urban-style loft apartments will be constructed as part of the larger project.

The product of three friends’ love of beer and conversation, Monday Night Brewing began after founders Jonathan Baker, Jeff Heck, and Joel Iverson met in a Bible study group through Atlanta Westside Presbyterian Church. On Monday nights, they would brew beer in Heck’s backyard as a way to get to know each other better. By 2011 they were introducing their own brand. They now have two locations in Atlanta - their original brewery and taproom, and a barrel-aging and souring facility.

“It’s about providing a place for meaningful conversations and relationships to develop over really great beer,” he said.

The beer began appearing in Alabama in 2014, and is also sold in Tennessee.

The brand offers a distinctively-named portfolio of beers, such as I’m On a Boat Golden Ale, Dr. Robot Blackberry Lemon Sour, Han Brolo Pale Ale, Slap Fight IPA, Blind Pirate Blood Orange IPA and Drafty Kilt Scotch Ale, with additional seasonal and limited release series.

“Alabama was the first state we expanded to outside of Georgia,” Heck, the CEO, said. “It’s been a great market. It’s close to Atlanta, and we’ve had a lot of people from Alabama visiting our taprooms. We think it’s a city where there’s a lot of great revitalization going on. It’s a population that loves craft beer, so we want to continue our investment in a cool, dynamic city in the southeast.”

The legislation the company is watching is HB 151, or“Brewery Modernization 2.0″ as supporters are calling it. It calls for several tweaks to existing craft beer and brewery regulations, and the Alabama Brewers Guild says it would make it easier to attract expansion projects from out-of-state companies. Specifically, the bill would, among other measures, allow brewery owners to own brewpubs.

The bill is currently in the House committee on Economic Development and Tourism. Sponsor of the legislation is Becky Nordgren, R-Gadsden, who chairs that committee.

“Obviously, it’s not going to be possible to do it unless this legislation gets passed,” Heck said. “We know (Third and Urban) from Atlanta, and this looks like a great fit for what we do. This is a really cool, compelling physical space in the city, and we have the framework of a deal in place.”

Heck said Monday Night Brewing would take about six to nine months to get up and going in Birmingham, if the bill becomes law. The Birmingham project would be different because of the food component, Heck said, but the location would also be focused on the brand’s core portfolio.

22 March, 2019