5 of Alabama's favorite breweries are teaming up—Everything you need to know about The Brewers Cooperative

Ryan Colvin, operations manager at The Brewers Cooperative. (Emily Phillips / Hville Blast)

The newest taproom at Stovehouse is a project that’s been in the works for nearly three years now.

The Brewers Cooperative represents a statewide partnership bringing Huntsville (and soon, Guntersville) delicious food, beer brewed in-house and an experience like no other. Read on for everything you need to know about the new spot.

Local breweries shine

Ryan Colvin, the operations and general manager of The Brewers Co-op, said that the restaurant truly is a cooperative project.

Right now, the co-op consists of 5 Alabama breweries:

Avondale (Birmingham)
Druid City Brewing Company (Tuscaloosa)
Good People Brewing Company (Birmingham)
Salty Nut (Huntsville)
Straight to Ale (Huntsville)

However, Colvin said the cooperative isn’t exclusive. Eventually, they hope to help shine a light on more hyper-local breweries, providing access to the co-op’s larger marketing and branding influence to bring publicity to smaller brands.

“The best in Alabama are brewing together now, and you don’t want to miss that.”
Ryan Colvin, Operations/General Manager, The Brewers Cooperative

Delicious eats await

Food is a priority at The Brewers Cooperative. “We went above and beyond to find the chefs here,” Colvin said.

Those chefs are Marci Mays, who acts as the catering chef, and Sim Hill, the restaurant chef. You might know Mays from previous work with Old Black Bear Brewery and Taproom in Madison, while Hill helped develop the menu at Straight to Ale’s restaurant, Ale’s Kitchen.

Mays and Hill’s menu is a combination of taproom classics and upscale eats. Mays said she’s looking forward to developing the co-op’s catering menu further, adding more healthy options and vegan and vegetarian selections to the already stellar lineup.

Not sure what to order? Go for the chef’s recommendation: Mays said the Cornbread Salad is the menu item that truly encapsulates her strengths in the kitchen. Cornbread, green onion, dried cranberries, grilled veggies, tomatoes, roast corn, apples and a hard cider vinaigrette over a bed of romaine lettuce make this menu item shine—it’s sweet, savory, and one-of-a-kind.

Brand new brews

Another thing that sets The Brewers Cooperative apart from other local taprooms is the selection of collaborative beers. The five breweries have worked together to come up with unique brews that you can only find at the co-op. Here’s what’s on the menu now:

Distant 85: Hazy IPA with citra hops, 7.2%
Overcast 605: Hazy IPA with centennnial hops, 6.3%
Electric Ale: Hazy IPA with galaxy, citra and el dorado hops, 6.4%
Luck O’ The Co-op: Irish style stout, 4.8%
Co-op Heffe: Light German style hefeweizen, 5.1%
Initiation Lager: Light American lager, 4.8%

You’ll also find a curated selection of all your favorite Alabama craft beers, like