The Baconalia: Book Review - North Alabama Beer: An Intoxicating History

Me covering the book title (facepalm) with Sarah Bélanger, Kamara Bowling Davis

North Alabama Beer is a tour through the history of beer in an unexpected place: North Alabama. The book is obviously a great read for anyone living in the area, but I venture to think it will be of interest to a wider audience of beer lovers, especially anyone thinking of taking a trip to the area and touring all the breweries we have to offer. The changes Alabama has gone through, especially in the last decade are fascinating to read about and the authors have obviously gone through extensive research and held many interviews.

The first half of the book runs through the history of beer and alcohol in Alabama, from the earliest days before Alabama was a state, through prohibition (which was a lot longer here), and out through the battles Free the Hops waged to enable the sale of local craft beer - ending up with the flourishing craft beer business North Alabama has today. The second half is devoted to stories of how the individual breweries came to be. I felt a little confused because it suddenly changes format from chronological to geographical at this point. While I hope they make this transition a little easier in future editions, it's the only complaint I managed to have about the book, so it's hardly worth quibbling over.

I'm a fan of local Huntsville history, but these ladies managed to dredge up some facts about North Alabama I had never heard before. Perhaps because of the local stigma of any history that might include references to alcohol, perhaps because Bélanger & Davis are excellent researchers, as their extensive bibliography shows. Regardless, the history of beer is the history of mankind - in North Alabama as well as Egypt. Laws and dynasties alike rise and fall in relation to our relationship with booze. This very local book has a grand scope.
This is the first published book for authors Sarah Bélanger and Kamara Bowling Davis, though I doubt you'll be able to tell. They are dropping into the local book scene like:

I bought the book from them in person and my copy is personally signed. We talked about cats and how more women need to be involved in the Huntsville beer scene. Although their main promotional touring is slowing down, they can still be found around town at events selling their book. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram to see where they are going to be next. Go and strike up a cheery beery conversation!