What better way to celebrate the passage of the Gourmet Beer Bill into law than to attend the third annual Magic City Brewfest? The festival is set for Friday, June 5, and Saturday, June 6, at Sloss Furnaces and features more than 200 beers, plus gourmet food from local eateries such as The J. Clyde, Blackwell’s Neighborhood Pub, Big Sky Bread, Bottletree, Moe’s Original Bar-B-Que and others. 

In addition to traditional favorites, attendees can sample beers new to Alabama, including Highland Oatmeal Porter, Monty Python Holy Grail Ale and Wittekerke, as well as many beers that are more than six percent alcohol by volume. These beers include Abita Andygator, Carlsberg Elephant, Rogue XS Imperial Stout and a few beers from Birmingham’s own Good People Brewing Company — Good People Cow Tipper Cream Ale, Fatso Imperial Stout and Snake Handler DIPA. 

Attendees can expect one other change from previous years. In order to comply with the current interpretation of ABC regulations, organizers have agreed to charge one penny per sample. Multiple samples can be purchased at one time (such as paying a quarter for 25 samples). There will be change available on site. 

The weekend will also include live music from Matthew Mayfield, The Big Tasties, The Stop, Matt Mackey & the HomeMade Sauce, Jon Vogel and Justin Davis. Friday’s session is from 7-11 p.m. Saturday’s session runs from 3-7 p.m. Tier Two tickets, which include beer and food, are sold out, but you still have the chance to buy beer-only  Tier One tickets for $22. Purchase tickets and see a complete list of food and beer offerings at www.magiccitybrewfest.com.