Customer Reviews Have Crowned This Brewery Near Regions Field One Of Alabama's Best

Depending on where you live, it may feel like there are craft breweries everywhere. Heavy-hitter states like Vermont, Maine, and Colorado have had skin in the microbrew game for decades. Alabama has far fewer options, ranking close to last in terms of craft breweries per capita. Still, that shouldn't stop you from cozying up to a cold one there. According to customers, Good People Brewing Company, a Birmingham institution across the street from Regions Field, is one of the best breweries in the state.

"Some of the finest craft beer I have experienced anywhere in the country. The coffee/oatmeal stout was the best," one TripAdvisor reviewer asserts. "The atmosphere is laid-back and welcoming, with plenty of space to hang out both indoors and outside. The beer selection was excellent — I appreciated the number of IPA options," reads another TripAdvisor review. 

Since Good People is only distributed in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, and Mississippi, it's mostly a local gem. Alabama state law keeps the brewery from shipping alcohol, so you'll have to visit in person or find it somewhere in the region for a taste. If you do go to the brewery, keep an eye out for hard seltzers and draft cocktails that you'll only find in-house.

The beer is reason enough to visit Good People Brewing Co., but its proximity to Regions Field (they're a five-minute walk apart) gilds the lily. Nestled downtown in the Parkside District, Regions has been the home field of the Birmingham Barons since 2013. Don't let their minor-league status deter you — Regions was named Ballpark of the Year by BaseballParks.com in its first season.

Good People has its own interesting history. Owners Jason Malone and Michael Sellers met at Auburn University in the early '90s, and left their jobs in 2006 to open Good People. Home brewing in a garage evolved into a proper business in 2008. Today, it's the oldest Alabama brewery in operation, and the biggest. In 2024, Good People sold 19,700 barrels (via Axios Huntsville), technically making it too big to be a microbrewery.

Good People brews several types of beer, but its most famous is Good People IPA, an unfiltered, dry-hopped number that some consider the signature beer of Alabama (it's been the most popular IPA in the state for at least a decade). IPA loyalists also love its Snake Handler DIPA, which has a higher ABV and more bitterness. For a lighter take, there's Hazy Snake and the easy-drinking Pale Ale. For minimal bitterness, turn to the Muchacho Mexican-style lager. The brewery also has a Funk Farm series of sour ales available for taproom tastings.