![]() With more hands, and moving production brewing up to Huntsville, the gregarious Hicks can spend more time as the friendly face of Druid City Brewing Co. “He was kinda struggling, being a one-man show.” “I tell you what, Bo is a great friend of mine, and one of my favorite people in the brewing industry,” Perry said. Little will change for the immediate future, except workload, though a couple of brand names, though not flavors, shift: The Downtown North Porter will become Parkview Porter, and Lamplighter IPA will segue to Moonlighter.īefore Hicks opened Druid City Brewing Co., he was already a craft beer fan and homebrewer, as well as pot-stirrer with the Well That’s Cool collective, creating Tuscaloosa events such as Suds of the South to introduce regional beer flavors to the Druid City. “I’m excited to get back to the creative side,” Hicks said. The need to produce its most popular core IPAs, wheats and porters for mass sales left few hours to experiment with seasonal or special flavor craft brews. will be able to re-introduce previously retired lines. With extra hands in tanks, Druid City Brewing Co. can enjoy its products in the Parkview taproom, or in local restaurants and bars, but being contained to kegs only, their brews haven’t traveled far.īy January or February, expect Druid City Brewing Co.’s smiling crescent moon logo - an adaptation of Alberta’s famous neon Moon Winx sign, with permission from artist Glenn House - canned with a couple of its more popular flavors, on store, club and restaurant shelves. Due to limited space at Druid City Brewing Co., bottling has been a rare, limited-edition hand-made event. The new venture will spread Druid City Brewing Co.’s brews throughout the state, via Straight to Ale’s packaging and distribution systems. Straight to Ale resides at Campus 805, a re-purposed former middle school sporting four themed taprooms and Ale’s Kitchen, serving upscale pub food blended with international cuisines. Several of Straight to Ale’s 14 regular brews, such as Unobtanium Old Ale, Laika Russian Imperial Stout, Juicy Bunny Pale Ale or Chill Pils Pilsner, have been sold at Tuscaloosa pubs, restaurants and stores. It produces and packages not only beer, but wine, cider, mead and spirits, including rum, whiskey, gin, vodka and absinthe. The Rocket City business opened as one of the first three microbreweries in Alabama in 2009, then expanded in 2016 into a 45,000-square foot facility. ![]() operates three barrels for production, where Straight to Ale currently has 30. “They’re 10 times or so bigger, if not more than that,” Hicks said.įor comparison, Druid City Brewing Co. The venture will bring hands-on assistance for Hicks, who’s been putting in 70-plus-hour weeks, up before dawn to start brewing, since he and partner Roberts opened for business in 2012, with a taproom introduced the following summer.ĭue to economies of scale, Straight to Ale can introduce efficiencies to the Druid City Brewing Co. “We don’t want to change the identity (of Druid City Brewing Co.), but get Bo the help he needs.” ![]() “I count this more as a partnership than an acquisition,” said Straight to Ale owner Dan Perry. With more employees, Hicks will have time to introduce new flavors, and plan and promote music and other events. will introduce packaged products for sale, distributed throughout the state. But with Straight to Ale’s assistance, Druid City Brewing Co. He and co-owner Elliot Roberts still have stake in ownership, and Hicks will still be running the joint. “They saw that our brand was really strong,” he said, “and with their expertise, we’ll be able to really grow.” co-owner Bo Hicks said, an expansion for both breweries. It’s a good thing, Druid City Brewing Co. A concoction five months in the cooking froths to a head as Huntsville-based Straight to Ale acquires Tuscaloosa’s Druid City Brewing Co.
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