Archive record · Brewery
Back Forty Beer Company
Gadsden, Alabama, Alabama, USA
- Founded
- 2009
- Archive ID
- TB-55AC28HM
- Last checked
- Not yet checked
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From the record
Summary
Etowah County. Founder: Jason Wilson. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Company began in 2009; first beer released June 2009 via an out-of-state brewing arrangement. Gadsden production brewery first brewed in January 2012. Current site also lists Birmingham and Huntsville brewpubs.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Where it brewed
- 200 N 6th StreetJan. 2012-presentGadsden, Alabama
Primary production brewery + taproom
Operated by Back Forty Beer Company — Gadsden
Site detail
Back Forty brewed its first production batch at the restored 1940s warehouse in Jan. 2012; current Gadsden brewery remains active.
The People
Behind the beer
The Beer Library
Beers
Truck Stop Honey
Year-RoundEnglish Brown Ale
14 IBU. Alabama wildflower honey; Apollo & Willamette hops.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Naked Pig
Year-RoundAmerican Pale Ale
43 IBU. One of Back Forty's first beers; official page lists Columbus & Cascade hops.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Devil's Staircase
CURRENTIPA
Core-rotation IPA on current Gadsden page.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Bama Mosa
CURRENTBrut Ale
Current Gadsden listing; brewed with champagne yeast and orange juice.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Rollin' in the Haze
CURRENTHazy IPA
Current Gadsden listing.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Beach Cat
Year-RoundBlonde Ale
15 IBU. Bright, crisp blonde using Willamette hops and Pilsner/Munich malts.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Italian Pilsner
YEAR-ROUND / SELECT MARKETSItalian Pilsner
18 IBU. Dry-hopped pilsner with Czech Saaz and Saphir hops and Eraclea Pils malt.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Azalea
CURRENT / PACKAGEDFruited Sour Ale
Pineapple, pomegranate and lemon fruited sour; current official product page lists 12 oz cans and keg formats.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Sundown IPA
CURRENT / PACKAGEDIPA
60 IBU. IPA with Elani, Rakau and Nelson Sauvin; double dry hopped at 1.65 lb/bbl according to current product page.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Freckle Belly IPA
HISTORICAL / RETIREDIPA
One of the two new beers released when Back Forty began brewing at its Gadsden facility in January 2012; retained on official retired-offerings page.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Kudzu Porter
HISTORICAL / EARLY GADSDENPorter
Released with Freckle Belly when Back Forty's first Gadsden production batch began in January 2012.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Pipe Dream
HISTORICAL / RETIREDName preserved in Back Forty's official retired-offerings archive; style/specs remain UNKNOWN.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Trade Day
HISTORICAL / RETIREDName preserved in official retired-offerings archive; style/specs remain UNKNOWN.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Paw Paw Peach
HISTORICAL / RETIREDPeach Wheat Ale
Official retired offering; Greater Gadsden describes Paw Paw's as a Peach Wheat Ale.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →The Mandarin Chief
HISTORICAL / RETIREDName preserved in official retired-offerings archive; exact style/specs held.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Fence Post
HISTORICAL / RETIREDSession Ale
Official press archive links the release as Fence Post Session Ale; current retired-offerings page preserves the name.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →New Zealand Double IPA
HISTORICAL / RETIREDDouble IPA
Name preserved in official retired-offerings archive.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Pomereade
HISTORICAL / RETIREDName preserved in official retired-offerings archive; style/specs remain UNKNOWN.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Jalapango
HISTORICAL / RETIREDName preserved in official retired-offerings archive; style/specs remain UNKNOWN.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Grit Kisser
HISTORICAL / RETIREDName preserved in official retired-offerings archive; style/specs remain UNKNOWN.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Barrel Buster Oatmeal Stout
HISTORICAL / RETIREDOatmeal Stout
Name preserved in official retired-offerings archive.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →On the record
Awards
- 2018
Winner — Trade / Export Excellence
Governor's Trade Excellence Awards
- 2014
Gold — Form Innovation
World Beer Championship Packaging Competition
- 2014
Gold — Functional Innovation
World Beer Championship Packaging Competition
- 2014
Overall Best Case — Packaging
World Beer Championship Packaging Competition
- 2014
Winner — Small Manufacturer of the Year
Alabama Manufacturer of the Year Awards
- 2010
Silver
Great American Beer Festival
Only awards we could attribute to a named body and year appear here. An empty section means unresearched, not unawarded.
Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record compiled in Tally's Alabama master, Pass 17 — Blount and outer north-east reconciliation (research workbook), which cited https://www.backfortybeer.com/about for this entry. The cited page has not been opened by the archive.
Tally's Alabama master, Pass 17 — Blount and outer north-east reconciliation (research workbook) · Compiled with ChatGPT web search under the Tally's workbook protocol · 2026-08
CommercialMedium reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19Claim last checked 2026-08-19
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
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