For the Love of Craft Beer: The Big Beach Brewing Story

Jim and Julie Shamburger have been living in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Area for about twenty years. One of their favorite things to do is travel together – think “beercation”. After traveling to various cities in the United States and abroad, it just didn’t make sense that Gulf Shores didn’t have a brewery. Jim’s daughter, Millie Shamburger, who now works at the Brewers Association in Colorado, gave him a home brewing kit about 7 years ago at which point he decided that if he couldn’t get some of the delicious craft brews he had been traveling around for right here at home, he’d just have to start making some himself. And like that, an obsessive enthusiastic hobby was born, and subsequently, the pursuit of a professional career in brewing.

We sat down with the Big Beach crew, and we're happy to share their story...and that's not just the beer talking.

C360: What’s been your most rewarding moment so far?

Big Beach: Honestly, there isn’t much that matches the feeling of pouring yourself a pint out of your own tap, at your own brewery all born out of a labor of love. Putting this thing together was hard work, and we were up against many challenges from the location to regulatory issues to timelines, and so on. It’s nice to have something tangible, like the actual first pour, to come to fruition after all of this work.

C360: We’d love to hear about the setting of the brewery…why Gulf Shores?

Big Beach: We love this beautiful place and being an ever-growing tourist destination, it felt like a piece was missing. That piece was a brewery, a place where people could learn about small, independent craft beer and what it means to support local business.

C360: It seems like that idea of supporting local and of community is important to Big Beach?

Big Beach: Community is everything for us. That’s why we did this. Sure, drinking isn’t something everyone does, but providing a beautiful space where people can gather and support a small local business is really what this is all about. We want to share with the community the unique opportunity they have to shake hands with the person that brewed their beer, too. You don’t get that with these macrobeer companies like Anheuser-Busch. We think of it similarly to that feeling of community at a farmers market where you get to meet the person that grows your food. How special is that?!

C360: It's definitely a special feeling you get when you're here at Big Beach. Plus, it seems like there’s always an event or something fabulous happening at the brewery. What are some of the best events for locals and vacationers to attend?

Big Beach: We are pretty proud of our monthly firkin tappings on the first Thursday of the month. Our head brewer, Rod Murray (along with us and the input of our managers) come up with some fun, new, limited edition beer styles for people to try. In May, we did a Star Wars themed tapping with Imperial IPAs. People love that kind of stuff, especially beer nerds like us.

C360: Speaking of people who love beer...you hear folks say that the beer industry as a whole is having a “renaissance” or a “revitalization” of sorts. Do you agree with this…

Big Beach: The beer industry has most certainly been undergoing rapid growth. According to the Brewers Association in November 2016, we were at a count of 5,005 breweries in the United States. That’s the first time the number of breweries has exceeded the number we had pre-prohibition. I’d say that indicates a revitalization for sure.

C360: …and are you a part of it?

Big Beach: We’d be silly to think that we don’t play a role in the rebirth of breweries. We are responsible for bringing the first craft brewery to the Alabama beaches. We are proud of that and hope to continue to educate people on their consumer choices about what is craft beer so that this industry can thrive. In saying that, there have been many acquisitions of small breweries across the US by big companies. We encourage folks that support us to educate themselves on which breweries are small and independent and make it a priority to support those over “big beer.”

C360: What sets you apart from other breweries?

Big Beach: We are definitely at a unique advantage because we are the only brewery on the island. We don’t expect that to always be the case, but it is reassuring and exciting to know that we are your go-to spot for craft beer. We have windows that look into our production area so that curious beer-drinkers can watch the process if they wish. Not that it sets us apart, but we are also a family-run business. Our daughter Millie does all of the marketing and web work, and our son, Ryan, was an integral part in bringing the brewery to life, quite literally – he was the project manager for making sure our construction process and operations moved forward seamlessly.

C360: Another way to support local is for customers to bring food into the brewery from area restaurants and stores…are there any pairings you recommend?

Big Beach: Our Mr. Tally-mon Hefeweizen is a wheat beer with fruity notes and little to no hop aroma -  it would pair particularly well with shrimp or oysters. The pale, spicy, fruity and refreshing flavors of the Hefeweizen pair particularly well with the brininess and saltiness of shellfish.

If you were to bring in a picnic with cheese and smoked meats, I’d recommend our For the Love of Mosaic Pale Ale. And lastly, if you like things spicy, the Hundred Daze IPA is a great choice.

C360: So let's talk beer. Tells us about some of the biggest crowd-pleasers at Big Beach.

Big Beach: The Rod’s Reel Cream Ale has been quite the hit, as our head brewer Rod Murray predicted. While there has been a renaissance in craft beer happening across the country for several years, Alabama has just now been feeling the growth of the industry. People in the south love light, easy-drinking beers because it’s so hot. The Rod’s Reel Cream Ale is just that. It’s a clear and crisp beer with little to no hop aroma with a smooth finish.

Our Hundred Daze IPA has been a hit as well, to no surprise. IPAs have been the reigning favorite among craft brewers for years. While there’s lots of competition in the IPA world, we think ours stands out.

It most certainly does! If you want to learn more about Big Beach Brewery, head to BigBeachBrewing.com