The best breweries in Birmingham, Alabama, are Avondale Brewing Company for beer and live music in a restored 1885 building, Cahaba Brewing Company for the biggest tap list in a former cotton gin factory, Good People Brewing Company for a no-fuss pint near Regions Field, and Birmingham District Brewing Co. for an inventive rotating list. Most of the taprooms sit in Avondale and Southside, a short rideshare from each other and from downtown.
Birmingham’s craft beer scene took off in the late 2000s, and today the taprooms anchor some of the city’s liveliest neighborhoods. This guide covers each locally owned brewery in our directory, what to order, when they are open and what to pair them with nearby. For the rest of the city, see our Birmingham, Alabama guide.
Birmingham breweries at a glance
| Brewery | Neighborhood | Known for | Try |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avondale Brewing Company | Avondale | 1885 building, outdoor concert stage | A OK IPA, Spring Street Saison |
| Cahaba Brewing Company | East Avondale | More than two dozen taps in the Continental Gin Complex | Oka Uba IPA, The Lager |
| Good People Brewing Company | Southside | One of the city’s first craft breweries, near Regions Field | Good People IPA, Snakehandler |
| Birmingham District Brewing Co. | The Battery, 2nd Avenue South | A wide, rotating list named for the city’s mineral district | Birmingham Pilsner, Brewbonic |
| Siluria Brewing Company | Alabaster (30 minutes south) | Old post office taproom with a beer garden | Quarry IPA, Buck Creek Stout |
What is the best brewery in Birmingham?
For a first visit, Avondale Brewing Company is the best all-around brewery in Birmingham, because it combines a solid beer list, a historic building and a backyard concert stage in one of the city’s most walkable bar districts. If you care most about the beer itself, Cahaba Brewing Company has the deepest tap list. If you want an easy pint before a Birmingham Barons game, Good People is a few blocks from the ballpark.
Which breweries are in Avondale?
Avondale has two of Birmingham’s best-known breweries, Avondale Brewing Company on the main strip and Cahaba Brewing Company in East Avondale. The neighborhood began as its own mill town and was annexed into Birmingham in 1910; after years of decline it came back around 2011 as one of the city’s favorite places to eat, drink and see a show. Our Avondale area guide lists the rest of the neighborhood.
Avondale Brewing Company
Avondale Brewing Company fills a restored 1885 building at 201 41st Street South that has been railroad worker housing, a bank, a candy wholesaler and the old Long Branch Saloon. Local partners rebuilt it, reinforcing the cracked front facade and installing a German-built brewing system. Today it is as known for its outdoor concert space as for its beer, with touring bands and local acts on the backyard stage.
The house lineup includes A OK IPA, a juicy 7.2 percent IPA with pineapple and tropical fruit; Spring Street Saison, a farmhouse ale with citrus and dried spice; Sour Pash, a hazy passion fruit sour; and Brunch Punch, a low-calorie tangerine shandy. The taproom also pours guest beers from other Alabama breweries. Hours start at noon most days and run to 11 p.m. Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday, with a midweek break. Taproom hours shift around concerts, so check the brewery’s calendar before a show night.
Cahaba Brewing Company
Cahaba Brewing Company started as a three-barrel operation in the Pepper Place and Lakeview district and moved in January 2016 to a 30-barrel brewhouse in the Continental Gin Complex at 4500 5th Avenue South, a former cotton gin factory in East Avondale. Co-founder and brewmaster Eric Meyer still uses the original small system for experimental batches. The taproom pours more than two dozen beers, from flagships to one-offs you will only find at the brewery.
The name comes from the Cahaba River, Alabama’s longest free-flowing river. Try Oka Uba IPA, a 7.5 percent American IPA named for an Indigenous term for the river; The Blonde, a light American blonde ale; and The Lager, an Italian-style lager that finishes dry. The taproom is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday and 3 to 10 p.m. Monday.
Which breweries are near downtown and Southside?
Good People Brewing Company in Southside, near Regions Field and Railroad Park, and Birmingham District Brewing Co. on 2nd Avenue South are both close to downtown.
Good People Brewing Company
Good People Brewing Company has been part of Birmingham’s beer scene since the mid-2000s, when the city had almost no craft breweries. The taproom, at 114 14th Street South a short walk from Regions Field, is a plain brick building with long communal tables. Order the unfiltered Good People IPA, a longtime staple, or Snakehandler, a bigger double IPA with pine, citrus and pineapple. Muchacho is a crisp Mexican-style lager, and the Funk Farm barrel program turns out sour and wild ales for beer geeks.
There is no kitchen, but Los Valedores Tacos serves as the resident food partner Wednesday through Sunday, when outside food is not allowed; earlier in the week you can bring your own. The taproom closes at 10 p.m. on weeknights, midnight on Friday and Saturday, and 8 p.m. on Sunday. Our Southside area guide has more nearby.
Birmingham District Brewing Co.
Birmingham District Brewing Co. opened in 2018 inside The Battery, a mixed-use entertainment complex at 2201 2nd Avenue South. Its name honors the Birmingham mineral district, where iron ore, coal and limestone sit close enough together to make iron and steel. The list is wide and changes often: Birmingham Pilsner, an unfiltered American lager; Bravo, a Mexican lager; Lose Your Way, a hazy New England IPA; and Brewbonic, a Czech dark lager whose sales help a local nonprofit, plus rotating sours and fruited beers. It hosts regular trivia nights. Hours were not confirmed when we last checked, so look at the brewery’s social media before you go.
Is there a brewery worth the drive outside Birmingham?
Yes. Siluria Brewing Company in Alabaster, about 30 minutes south in Shelby County, fills the former Old Alabaster Post Office on 1st Avenue West. It was started by an Army veteran and his wife who homebrewed for years before opening. It has a beer garden, a small stage for local musicians and a weekly Wednesday bingo night, and it is pet friendly. Try Quarry IPA, Lady Grace Pom Wheat or Buck Creek Stout, and ask what is freshest, because the taps rotate. It is closed Sunday and Monday. If you are hiking at Oak Mountain State Park, Creekside BBQ in Pelham pours Alabama craft beer, including Avondale, on a covered patio over Bishop Creek.
How do you plan a Birmingham brewery crawl?
Start in Avondale and end in Southside, and use a rideshare between neighborhoods. A sample afternoon and evening:
- Early afternoon: Barbecue lunch at Carlile’s Barbecue on 6th Avenue South (weekdays only), or a burger at Black Market Bar & Grill in Avondale.
- Mid-afternoon: A flight at Cahaba Brewing Company in East Avondale.
- Late afternoon: Avondale Brewing Company, then a walk through Avondale Park.
- Dinner: Southern comfort food at Kuntry Kitchen near Avondale Park, or tacos at Good People.
- Nightcap: Good People in Southside, or a cocktail at The Marble Ring back in Avondale.
For more food to pair with your beer, see our guide to the best barbecue in Birmingham, and if you want a full neighborhood rundown, read our Birmingham neighborhoods guide.
Tips for visiting Birmingham breweries
- Do not drive between stops. Use a rideshare, or base yourself in one neighborhood and walk.
- Check event calendars. Concerts at Avondale and game nights near Regions Field change hours and crowds.
- Ask about food. Not every taproom has a kitchen, and some rotate food trucks or partners.
- Take some home. Good People sells growlers and cans to go, and Cahaba’s beers are distributed across Alabama.
Are there more breweries in Birmingham?
Yes. Birmingham and its suburbs have more taprooms than we currently list, and we add businesses regularly. The Birmingham food and drink page shows the latest. For breweries across the state, watch for our upcoming guide to Alabama breweries.
FAQ
What is the oldest brewery in Birmingham?
Of the breweries in our directory, Good People Brewing Company is the longest running, dating to the mid-2000s when Birmingham had almost no craft breweries. Its taproom is on 14th Street South near Regions Field.
Which Birmingham brewery has live music?
Avondale Brewing Company has a backyard concert stage that hosts touring bands and local acts. Siluria Brewing Company in Alabaster also has a small stage for local musicians.
Does Good People Brewing serve food?
Good People does not have its own kitchen. Los Valedores Tacos serves as the resident food partner Wednesday through Sunday, and guests may bring their own food on other days.
Where is Cahaba Brewing Company?
Cahaba Brewing Company is at 4500 5th Avenue South in East Avondale, inside the historic Continental Gin Complex. It moved there from Pepper Place in January 2016.
Can you walk between breweries in Birmingham?
Within a neighborhood, yes. Avondale Brewing sits on the walkable 41st Street South strip, and Good People is a short walk from Regions Field and Railroad Park. Between neighborhoods, take a rideshare.