Birmingham’s Sloss Docks breaks ground on Back Forty micro-brewery

Yesterday, as the temperatures got a bit cooler, an excited bunch of folks lifted their shovels and broke ground for Sloss Dock’s newest tenant, and the state’s oldest packaging brewery, Back Forty Beer Company.

Back Forty joins Steris in this first phase of the Sloss Docks redevelopment.

Back Forty Beer Co. of Gadsden, AL is responsible for some of the south’s finest beers; Truck Stop Honey, Naked Pig and Freckle Belly. They call their creations ‘Liquid Folk Art.’

The Birmingham location is the first of several satellite micro-production breweries designed to take our great beer to local markets and to test new beers that are only available on-site and distributed locally. Similar to the Gadsden operation, Back Forty Birmingham will also be family friendly with an active tap-room and outdoor area, live entertainment and a full restaurant. – Jason Wilson, Founder and CEO, Back Forty Beer Company

The Back Forty project will take up 6,200 square feet of the Sloss Dock development with a planned opening of May 2018. Well known, executive chef, Russ Bodner will be whipping up casual and creative pub fare for Back Forty.

The space will have an urban, chic feel with the back bar open to the brewery and kitchen with wood-fired oven, so that customers can watch our brewers and chefs at work. Custom farm tables are being built by Arcadia Salvage for inside and porch seating. –

Doug Brown, Owner and CEO, Back Forty Beer Company – Birmingham

The outdoor beer garden, designed by Macknally Land Design,  will have dramatic views of Sloss Furnace and fountain and will also be a great destination for train watching.

The name Sloss Docks might initially bring to mind a more industrial, commercial-use space. The space Back Forty is taking was an old warehouse for UAB.

Across the country, we have seen revitalization projects create wonderful community spaces out of forgotten industrial or commercial sectors. We asked Callan Childs of Sloss Real Estate to explain their exciting vision:

We are changing the use of this building from a traditional warehouse to a use that brings people to it. Given its proximity to Sloss Furnaces and Pepper Place, there are many types of tenants that could be a good complement to our vision for the redevelopment. We are open to possibilities, but one consistent factor that we look for in all of our tenants is that they operate at the highest level in what they do. Back Forty is the perfect example. – Callan Childs, Sloss Real Estate

What are some tenants you would like to see join Back Forty and Steris at Sloss Docks?