A pint at Good People Brewing Co. in Birmingham, Ala.

After operating for two years in the Five Points South area of Birmingham, Good People Brewing Company relocated to its current location near Railroad Park.  After moving into a former warehouse, the company former Auburn University graduates Jason Malone and Mike Sellers started has blossomed into one of the biggest craft breweries in Alabama.  Despite its tremendous growth, Good People remains true to its roots as a brewery aiming to serve Alabama and neighboring states where you can find “good people” drinking great beer.

Upon arriving at the brewery, I met with sales team manager Stefano Daneri.  We immediately dove into a tour of the production side of the brewery.  I was fortunate to tour the facility on a Friday afternoon, but the brewery regularly runs tours on Saturdays at 1, 2, 3, and 4 p.m.  Tours cost $15 per person and include a collectible glass and a pint of beer.

There is a LOT to see on the tour, so even if you’ve been on brewery tours before you are likely to see and/or learn something new here.  However, some things remain the same like seeing a canning line, fermentation tanks, and freshly kegged beer.

Some of the unique things my wife Katie and I saw on the tour include the brewery’s quality-control lab.

A quality-control laboratory isn’t unique to Good People, but it is bar far the largest I have seen at a craft brewery.  In particular, it was interesting to see the refrigerator, which holds a sample from each batch of beer brewed over the last three months.  A sample is kept for testing in case there are problems with the beer after it has been packaged and distributed.

Although not unique, it was interesting to see the brewery’s original system that was used when they operated at Pickwick Plaza in Five Points South.

Seeing the original system, which is still used for small batches, provides a lot of perspective about how much things have changed for Good People Brewing Co.  The quality of beer has not changed though, so it was with a view of the original system that we moved to the taproom to enjoy some fresh suds.

With a facility in a former warehouse, it is difficult to capture the entire taproom in one photo because something is automatically left out of the visitor’s eyesight.

As a geographer, the mural of Alabama and its counties caught my eye.  I have visited the taproom multiple times, but somehow had never paid attention to the mural until this visit.  Not only is it cool geographic artwork, but it illustrates the brewery’s commitment to its home state.

Speaking of cool artwork, the brewery has a VERY extensive merchandise offering that occupies a corner of the taproom.

However, we came for beer not to buy merchandise.  Although there is plenty of cool merchandise available for purchase.

Good People Brewing is one of the largest (by volume) brewery’s in the state, so it is extremely easy to find their beers at restaurants, bars, and stores.  So when constructing our flight, Katie and I focused on the variety of taproom-only beers available on the day we visited.  We opted for the IPL (an India pale lager), HoDo Brown, Test Batch IPA, and Hazy Pale Wheat.  I enjoyed all of them, but the HoDo Brown was by far my favorite.  It had roasted notes and was quite smooth.  If you prefer more “traditional” beer choices, don’t fret.  The taproom carries the brewery’s mainstays and seasonal beers like their IPA, Bearded Lady, Muchacho, and others.

The taproom is usually quite crowded on the weekends, but there is plenty of outdoor space for visitors to utilize.  Good People has a covered patio where they offer yoga in the evenings (although that was not happening when I visited), and there is a courtyard in front of the building, too.

Although we arrived too early to enjoy it, the brewery has a daily rotation of food trucks that park near the courtyard to serve visitors.  The weekly list is usually posted on the brewery’s social media sites at the beginning of the week, and also each day.

Although people can easily find beer from Good People across Alabama and the region (as the brewery recently started distribution in Georgia and Tennessee), it is more than worthwhile to visit the taproom.  It is an active and exciting atmosphere with plenty of seating options, a beer list that caters to beer drinkers seeking something familiar and those searching for something new, and a great view of the Birmingham skyline.