One of the great benefits of the exponential explosion of craft brewing across the country is that beers are starting to come from just about everywhere. It doesn’t have to be just Germany, Milwaukee, Colorado, etc. There is a beer-splosion happening in our backyards … and thank goodness for that. Aside from the new obvious places like Asheville, NC, we are now seeing great beers in Wauconda, IL (Small Town Brewery), Loudonville, OH (Tree House Brewing), Hampton, GA (Jailhouse Brewing) or even Gadsden, AL that brings us today’s gem.
This is another treasure I found while looking for my next credit in the Taco Mac Brewniversity club. I needed something I had not sampled before, and if a name like Back Forty Truck Stop Honey doesn’t stop you in your tracks, I don’t know what will. Now doing some research on the Back Forty Brewing Company, I absolutely love the names of the beers: besides the Truck Stop, we also have Naked Pig, Kudzu, Fence Post and Freckle Belly. I have only tried one of these so far, but based on my experience with Truck Stop, I’ll work on the other four.
Winners of the Great American Beer Festival silver medal, Truck Stop Honey is Back Forty’s version of a brown ale, and yes it is brewed with actual honey from Alabama. BFTSH is a medium to light beer with a light brown color. It is exceptionally smooth and a little on the sweeter side. It is almost completely devoid of any bitterness, making it entirely drinkable and enjoyable and another great choice for your friends who may not be as beer-venturous as you.
As Back Forty has increased production, their distribution capabilities have expanded beyond northern Alabama, allowing much of the southeast to be able to find their products. Their handy mapping tool makes it very easy to determine where/if you can pick up some of your own. I highly recommend giving this one a try. I cannot (yet) vouch for their other four offerings, but I will conquer them all very soon, probably starting with the Kudzu Porter!
