lake Birmingham's Sloss Docks breaks ground on Back Forty micro-brewery — Back Forty Beer comes ot Bham. Via- Twitter.

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

back forty sign Birmingham's Sloss Docks breaks ground on Back Forty micro-brewery — www.backfortybeer.com

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.

russ Birmingham's Sloss Docks breaks ground on Back Forty micro-brewery — Executive Chef Russ Bodner. Photo: Becca Francis.

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

Sloss Docks Back Forty Beer Co. Rendering Birmingham's Sloss Docks breaks ground on Back Forty micro-brewery — Rendering of Sloss Docks Back Forty brewery project.

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.

sloss furnace 1 Birmingham's Sloss Docks breaks ground on Back Forty micro-brewery — Sloss Furnace. Via –
www.onlyinyourstate.com

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