For the Love of Beer: Huntsville Beer Week 2014

Guess what beer lovers? Next week is Huntsville Beer Week!

Huntsville Beer Week is the creation of Free The Hops and the Alabama Brewers Guild to promote our local craft beer scene. It is a week filled with events throughout the city and county where all manner of retailers, organizations, and breweries collide to make “local” and “craft” beer mean something to the masses.

Now that Huntsville Beer Week is in its 4th year, we can expect even bigger and better events than before!

Huntsville Beer Week Badge

One super exciting development this year is the creation of a “Huntsville Beer Week” badge on Untappd!

If you are a craft beer connoisseur and aren’t already using this amazing smartphone app to track all your favorite beers, this week would be a great time to start!

Check out the requirements for earning this badge here.

What do you need to know about Huntsville Beer Week?

First, expect a great selection of local beers (and maybe even special deals) at the following retailers, all week long:

1892 East Restaurant & Tavern
Anaheim Chili
Bandito Southside
Below the Radar
Blue Pants Brewery
Drake’s
Fire House Pub at Redstone Arsenal
Huntsville Brewery
Mellow Mushroom Jones Valley
Mellow Mushroom Providence
Pie in the Sky
Salty Nut Brewery
Stem & Stein
Straight to Ale
The Brew Stooges
The Nook
Vintage Wine & Cigars
Wish You Were Beer
Yellowhammer Brewing

Next, check out the following beer related events during Huntsville Beer Week:

Southern HOPSpitality: Huntsville Beer Week Kickoff

Friday, September 19: 6:00 – 11:00 pm
Straight to Ale Brewery
Cost: $20 (limited number available) – Get tickets here.

A beer festival designed to celebrate craft beer and to kickoff Huntsville beer week.

Southern HOPSpitality is bringing together comedians, fire dancers, musicians and beer enthusiasts to promote the efforts of Free the Hops and local brewers who continue to put Huntsville higher on the National Beer Map!

The perfect way to start a beer event is by laughing, so two local comedians Stephen Claybrooks and Patrick Cunningham will begin the night. Then, Shelly Colvin, a Huntsville native and rising star will be performing, followed by Dirt Circus rocking into the night!

And if that wasn’t enough, there will also be fire dancers, Johnny Rehm and Katie Brigman, performing their illuminating talent two different times!

There will also be a mystery beer tasting with prizes.

The Return of Tobacco Road

Saturday, September 20: 2:00 – 10:00 pm
Yellowhammer Tasting Room
Cost: FREE

This is Yellowhammer’s Fall Release of Tobacco Road Imperial Amber Ale. Plus: Tobacco Road firkin and small batch Hoppy Pale Ale. Live “down home” blues with BrothaRic & Chickenbone Reunion starts at 6:00 pm. I Love Bacon food truck will be on site.

Blue Pants Oktoberfest

Saturday, September 20: 5:00 – 11:00 pm
Blue Pants Brewery

They’ll have three different German beers on tap (Oktoberfest, Kolsch, Rauchbier), Rocket City Brass Band providing authentic German music, and a hog roast!

You’ll also get a chance to purchase your own Blue Pants German beer mug!

Beer Style 101 Class

Tuesday, September 23: 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Pie in the Sky Pizzaria (8141 Hwy 72, Madison)

Pie in the Sky will have 10 Straight To Ale brews on tap that representatives from Free The Hops will use to illustrate the differences in styles, how to pair beers with food, and what to expect when you order them!

Flights will be available during the event. A handout will be provided.

Free The Hops will take Q&A on each style and expect this to be interactive, so don’t be shy! This is your chance to ask all those questions about craft beer!

The beers offered for this class are as follows:

Velvet Evil (Old Ale w/Chocolate, Raspberry, and Coffee)
Hellfire (Belgian Strong Ale (Quad)
Olde Towne Pumpkin (Seasonal Pumpkin Ale)
Gorillanaut (Imperial IPA) Unobtanium (Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Ale)
I.S.S. Rum (International Space Saison aged in Rum Barrels)
Vern’s Wheat Wine (Wheat Wine)
Brother Joseph (Belgian Dubbel)
Monkeynaut (IPA)
Rocketbock (Dopplebock)

Pumpkin Idolatry Release Party

Wednesday, September 24:6:00 – 9:00 pm
Wish You Were Beer (7407 Hwy 72, Suite G, Madison)

Wish You Were Beer and Straight to Ale have collaborated to create this delicious Pumpkin Stout (6% ABV), available exclusively at Wish You Were Beer! This smooth spiced beverage is exactly what you need to celebrate Fall and Beer Week! Lots of other great local beers will also be available so come try some out and purchase a growler of your favorites!

A Celebration of Vern Wolff!

Thursday, September 25: 6:00 – 10:00 pm
Straight to Ale Brewery
Cost: FREE
Food Truck: Cafe Neon Lily

Join us as we celebrate the home brewer behind Vern’s Wheat Wine, Mr. Vern Wolff. Vern has won over 300 blue ribbons and gold medals in beer, mead, and wine competitions throughout the world, and has quite a story to tell! Meet the man behind this delicious beverage at this casual “meet and greet” event.

Salty Nut Tap Takeover

Thursday, September 25: 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Wish You Were Beer

Come try a large selection of Salty Nut Brewery creations!

Mercury Rising Chili Festival

Saturday, September 27: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Mercury Rising Chili Festival
Big Spring Park (Downtown Huntsville)
General Admission Tickets: $15 (purchase online here)
Brew Pass: $10 at the gate (includes 2 pours, 2 samples, and a souvenir mug)

Leadership Huntsville/Madison County is proud to announce their partnership with the Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) association and Free the Hops for their 1st annual Mercury Rising Chili Festival.

The festival will include chili tastings, local craft beers, live entertainment, and a kids’ zone. All proceeds from this event will benefit the programs of LHMC.

Support Local Craft Beer

Oh, I almost forgot, the last thing you should know about Huntsville Beer Week is- it is an excellent week to spend some quality time with your favorite people, sharing your favorite beverages.

Try creations from all 8 of our local breweries next week, and support this exciting, ever-growing industry in Huntsville!