Back Forty Beer Co

Back Forty Beer Company is a production brewery in Gadsden and the home base of a brand with brewpubs in Birmingham and Huntsville. The name comes from the farming term for the 40 acres farthest from the barn, land that is hard to work and often overlooked but highly fertile, a metaphor the brewery applies to craft beer in the Deep South. Founder Jason Wilson started the company in 2008, when Alabama law still barred beers over 6% ABV and brewery tasting rooms, and brought in brewmaster Jamie Ray to develop recipes. Short on funding, Back Forty first brewed at a Mississippi microbrewery and released Naked Pig Pale Ale in June 2009. Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale followed in 2010 and took silver at the Great American Beer Festival, which helped fund the Gadsden brewery. The Gadsden taproom serves food and hosts events.