Bug 'n Brews Crawfish Cook-Off

Fairhope Brewing Company is hosting the Bugs 'n Brews Crawfish Cook-Off this Saturday, May 25 from 4 - 8 pm. This event, put together by the Bama WINErs is a charity event benefiting the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Cook-Off Trophy The Crawfish Cookoff will pit three contestants, who each claim to make the best crawfish in the world, against each other. But we all know "there can be only one" and that one will be taking home a trophy, fabricated by Anytime Welding's James McMahon, to prove it.

The event will also feature live music, a silent auction, and a raffle. Silent auction items include two sets of weekend passes to Bay Fest, two sets of VIP Bay Fest Passes, and other great items.

The children of St. Jude will receive all the profits from admission fees, silent auction revenues, and raffle proceeds.

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $20 or at the event for $25. You can also purchase tickets by contacting Daphne at (251) 233-7500 or bamawiners@gmail.com.

Your ticket purchase gets you entry into event, all-you-can-eat crawfish, and a raffle ticket. As the ticket purchase price is entirely donated to St. Jude, they are tax deductible.

Event Summary
Event: Bug n' Brews Crawfish Cook-Off
Location: Fairhope Brewing Company
When: Saturday, May 25 from 4 - 8 pm
Cost: $20 in advance, $25 at event
Purchase: Online, call (251) 233-7500, or email

Fairhope Brewing Announces Grand Opening Day

Fairhope Brewing just opened their doors to the public last month but there have already been a few changes worth noting. They have expanded the taproom hours which is now open:

• Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 4pm - 10pm
• Friday and Saturday 12pm -10pm
• Sunday 12pm - 7pm.

When they first opened, Fairhope Brewing had two of their flagship beers, Everyday Ale and Section Street Wheat, ready to go. Both Painted Black and Fairhope 51 Pale Ale are now available, so they have all four of their flagships beers on tap at the brewery. Their website describe these beers as:

Painted Black

The Painted Black IPA is one of the first examples of this new style to emerge from the South. It combines the dark-as-night color of a stout with a prominent "Northwest" hop aroma — citrusy, piney, and resinous. The body has some sweet malt flavors, with just a hint of roastiness and toasted malt. (7% ABV)

Fairhope 51 Pale Ale

Fairhope's No. 51 is a classic American pale ale, brewed with a combination of American-made Falconer's Flight hops and German hops. Named for being the 51st recipe entry into head brewer Dan's beer notebook, this pale ale is packed with hop flavor but not overly bitter. Though this crisp, flavorful beer was 51 in Dan's notebook, we expect it to be your top choice for a pale along the Eastern Shore. (5.8% ABV)

Fairhope Brewing has announced that their Grand Opening will take place on Saturday, February 16th from 4-10pm. During the Grand Opening, they will be pouring their four staple beers along with six specialty beers from their pilot system (released throughout the day):

• French Quarter Porter
• Fairhop #1
• Banana Nut Muffin
• Double Dry Hop 51
• Belgian Wit
• Imperial Honey Wheat

Attendees will be able to purchase a commemorative glass filled with the beer of their choice for $5. Refills of the commemorative glass, for any beer being poured, will only cost $3. Food vendors will be attending as well so that you will have the opportunity to pair their beer with food. Musical entertainment for the event will provided by Brett LaGrave.

So plan a trip out to Fairhope Brewing, try their beer, pick your favorite and bring a growler of it home. That way you will already know your favorite flagship beers and can concentrate on the pilot beers, entertainment, and food while at the Grand Opening.

Fairhope Brewing Company's Opening Weekend

We've been following Fairhope Brewing Company's progress as they've worked diligently to open their brewery, looking forward to the day we could drop by and try their brews. Well, the wait is finally over. Fairhope Brewing Company will open for business this Sunday, January 6th at 4pm.

Two of their four announced flagship beers will be available. The following descriptions are from their website:

Everyday Ale

Fairhope Everyday Ale is made to pair with those gorgeous Eastern Shore days along the bay. Handcrafted with British Maris Otter malt and Kent Golding hops, this well-balanced English-style golden ale packs a lot of flavor into a beer without a lot of alcohol. (4% ABV)

Section Street Wheat

We thought we were settled on three year-round beers, but when the FBC founders tried the pilot batch of Section Street Wheat, we liked it so much that we added it to our regular lineup. It's a traditional wheat beer to the core, crafted with organic pilsner and wheat malts from Germany and a moderate dose of hops from the Czech Republic. German wheat yeast provides a distinctive flavor to the final product, which weighs in at 5 percent ABV.

They will also be open at 7:00 pm on Monday, January 7 with all four of their TV's tuned to the Alabama vs. Notre Dame BCS Championship game. Until their Grand Opening, they will continue to operate on a limited Happy Hour schedule of Thursday through Saturday from 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm.

Soon you will also be able to try their other two flagship brews, Painted Black IPA and Fairhope's No. 51. You can read more about all four of their flagship beers over on their website. They have also announced that in the future they will include a pilot series (special, limited edition styles, brewed in small quantities) of beer called the Jubilee Series.

FBC is located at 914 Nichols Avenue, Fairhope, AL (a block off Highway 98). You can find out much more about the brewery, the FBC team, their beer, and even buy FBC gear at their website. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

FBC will thankfully be filling the obvious lack of a craft brewery in Lower Alabama and is a welcome addition to the craft beer community in our region. If you can't make it Sunday, start planning now to make the trip to Fairhope and support this new local brewery.