The craft beer industry first took off in Alabama in 2008, with most production breweries based in Birmingham and Huntsville. Now that the state government is slowly easing regulations on craft brewers (well, along with passing other super dumb regulations) the state’s capital, Montgomery, is getting its first production brewery.
Montgomery residents Andrew McNally and Tim Doles have leased space at 424 Bibb St., once the 71-year-old building, to open Common Bond Brewers, which plans to open as soon as the renovation is complete in fall 2017.
In addition to the brewery equipment, the brewery will include a taproom for beer tasting and packaged beer for sale. Common Bond brews will eventually be on tap in Montgomery restaurants and bars and available to purchase in stores.
“Common Bond Brewers will be a new gathering spot for Montgomery residents and will also draw passersby off I-65 into the city, as the property is situated directly off exit 172,” said Moore Co, Realty President Jerome T. Moore III, CCIM, who leased the property and is looking to lease connected space to be developed into a restaurant.
Tim Doles and Andrew McNally plan to open Common Bond Brewers in Montgomery.
With Doles as a business partner, McNally will be the Common Bond brewmaster and oversee the brewery’s day-to-day operations. McNally has an educational and professional background in chemistry and first started translating his skills and experience to brewing in 2010 when he started homebrewing.
“When I first got started, I could spend hours exploring the chemistry of beer,” McNally said. “With encouragement from friends and family, I imagined creating a brewery where I could work with a team to create high-quality beer for Montgomery residents — and eventually to share across the state and region.”
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McNally and Doles plan to begin with production of three flagship beers that McNally has been testing in small homebrew batches over the past couple of years: a West Coast-style IPA, a malty rye amber and a smooth Belgian blond, ideal for those transitioning into craft beer. Additional brews will be introduced seasonally as well.
Working with a brewery branding team from ad agency Lewis Communications in Birmingham, McNally and Doles selected Common Bond Brewers as the brewery’s name because of its connotation with common values and relationships forged over a few pints.
“As much as I love a technically precise brew, what I enjoy even more is the way good beer gathers people together,” McNally said. “I want the beer to help people connect with each other and their community.”
[…] Common Bond Brewers is opening in the forgotten city of Montgomery, Alabama. Maybe the team over there can make the old Alabama adage “don’t go to Montgomery” a thing of the past. […]