For The Love of Beer (and Wine)!

With so many exciting new developments in Huntsville and Madison, I wanted to showcase three venues that I think everyone should experience, especially those who enjoy craft beer and fine wine!

Church Street Wine Shoppe

Location: 501 Church Street, Huntsville, AL (across from the Convention and Visitors Bureau and next to The Eaves)
Hours: Monday – Thursday (11 am – 10 pm), Friday – Saturday (11 am – midnight), Sunday – Closed

Church Street Wine Shoppe is a great addition to Huntsville because they are always working to have the most unique selection of wine and beer around!

They were the first wine venue in the world to taste the French Red Blend ‘Leap of Faith’ – a Cotes du Roussillon and they are always working to bring new wines to town. They were also the first in Alabama to feature Peirson Meyer Wines in a tasting!

Church Street Wine Shoppe may have a surprise for Craft Beer lovers by mid-year so stay tuned!

Enjoy wine & beer in house:

• 30+ wines available by the glass or in “wine flights” (2oz pours of any 4 wines)
• 3 taps of local beer and over a dozen canned/bottled craft beers
• Great tapas menu created by The Eaves

To go:

• Extensive selection of wine by the bottle. PRO TIP:  If you’re looking for something new and they sell it by the glass, and you ask nicely, they’ll usually let you try a taste before you buy!
• Bombers and 6 packs of craft beer, or bring your own growler and fill it with one of the local beers on tap.
• Fun goodies like gourmet gift baskets and locally made beer and wine holders.

Events:

• Wine Love Wednesday (1st Wednesday of each month) – Wine tastings + food pairings from The Eaves. Tickets:  $30 (purchased through Homegrown Huntsville)
• April 16 – Wine tasting + Tapas to benefit Military Child Education Coalition, $30 (purchase tickets at The Shoppe in advance or at the door
• June 6 – Take the Church Street Wine Bus to Lake Guntersville City Harbor Crush Wine Festival – Tickets are $100/person and include a private wine tasting, admission to the festival and a boxed lunch from The Eaves, and more. Purchase your bus pass.

Old Town Beer Exchange (OTBX)

Location: 301 Holmes Avenue East, #150, Huntsville
Hours: Opening the 2nd week of April!

Once open, hours will be Monday-Wednesday (11am-9pm), Thursday-Saturday (11am-10pm), closed Sunday

I am so excited about the upcoming opening of Old Town Beer Exchange in Downtown Huntsville! This tasting room meets bottle shop is going to be really unique.

The details the owners have put into the ambiance is amazing: the bar is 180 year-old heart pine and the tables and chairs are handmade.

Beer knowledge is so important to them that employees will have to pass the Cicerone server exam (a beer certification program that educates servers in order to enhance the beer experience for consumers).

They’ve promised to focus more on “high-end, difficult-to-find beers” (especially some of the more obscure sours and Belgians that many people in our area haven’t been exposed to), and will also bring Huntsville unique wines that even their distributors are excited about!

Enjoy beer/wine in house or take it to go:

• 32 taps of draft beer (a large portion of those will be local) which can be purchased by the glass or in 32 & 64oz growlers
• Shelves filled with 4,000 bottles of beer and wine, all of which can be consumed in house or taken to go.

Located in the newly expanded Arts and Entertainent District in Downtown Huntsville, on Thursdays (5 – 11 pm) and Fridays-Sundays (12 – 11 pm) you can purchase a (purple) glass of your favorite beverage from OTBX and enjoy it while perusing the square, shopping in Greene Street Market, sitting in Big Spring Park, etc. (and since you can also buy growlers of beer to-go….we’ll let you do the math).

Rocket Republic Brewing Company

Location: 289 Production Ave, Madison, AL 35758
Hours: (subject to change so check website): Thursday (4 – 9 pm), Friday (4 – 10 pm), Saturday (4 – 10 pm)

The Rocket Republic taproom is a huge open area that has a very “steampunk meets space exploration” vibe.

Located in Madison near the FedEx shipping center, they  will have the following beers on tap all the time:

• Vapor Trail Cream Ale
• Mach 1 IPA
• AstroNut Brown
• Peanut Butter AstroNut Brown
• Terrestri-Ale Tripel.

They will also be the occasional Randall to showcase the great flavors in these classic beers, as well as taproom exclusives. They’ll also frequently have food trucks and live music at the taproom. Follow them on Facebook to keep informed of these developments.