location: birmingham, alabama
website: backfortybeer.com
work took us to b’ham last week + i had the idea to look for a casual lunch. there are a lot of up + coming breweries in the area + it’s exciting to see an area like this starting to find momentum from small local businesses like these. there were a few that stood out to us, but when mc said this spot was in the “backyard” of a historic iron furnace site, it was decided!
located in an old train warehouse now covered on one side with creeping fig + big block letters, back forty sits beside one of the oldest remaining foundries in the united states. it was pretty surprising to find ourselves sitting next to something that produced the bulk of the iron used in this country since the turn of the century. as designers, we so value visiting a space that has had many lives because there are so many details that stand out + it always gets us talking shop…even on our lunch break.
they had a great selection of beer + good food options too. the kids had a hotdog + hamburger while mc + i shared the farro bowl. there were other families + groups of friends lunching together as well + it was nice to see the space that this business carved out for community among residents + visitors alike.
as we so often do, we sampled a flight of their seasonal offerings to get a feel for their range of brews. the hefeiweisen provided a crisp, refreshing sip so appreciated in the southern summer heat + the others were also smooth, well-crafted beers. there’s a lot of effort that goes into making good, drinkable beer with character + we appreciate seeing that with every micro-brewery we come across in our travels–creativity loves company!
mc also loves to find places to peruse + source vintage decor for our home + we both get design inspiration from these visits as well. while in birmingham, we made a pit stop on the way home to this antique treasure trove just around the corner from lunch. we also stopped for a hike on the way back…take a deeper look at our summer hike that brought our encounter with the iron belt full circle.
pencil + ink creative 