I am coming to Birmingham AL
 

I will be there Friday afternoon on the 29th Of July.

When I am on vacation I always prefer to sample the local micro brews. What is the local favorite micro brew and is it available at the gas stations or do I need to find a liquor store?

If any fellow Pelicans would like to get together for dinner and a local good restaurant close to the interstate coming from Birmingham going to Savannah please let me know. I don't know what motel I will stay at that night. I feel sure I can find a good place along the interstate. Whatever place it is, it has to have a good parking lot. I will be in my 911 and that means no cramped parking lots.

I will be happy to buy you a (one) beer!

Barber Motorsports Park : Home
Porsche
You gotta see this place....

Great idea. Are they open on Friday evenings? I will check out their hours.

I just checked. Rats, they close at 6:00 PM!

Take the 911, or is that the 1911.

I don't have a 1911.
I will be driving the 911.
I don't want to need to call 911

Hwy 280 south from 459 is the very busy hotel/restaurant row area. I have stayed here numerous times. Lots of restaurants but I don't know them enough to recommend one. After the dip near the top of the 1st hill keep your eyes left & you will probably see an older 911 parked in the liquor store. fwiw

Ian

Right now I am leaning toward a Hampton Inn on Grants Mill Rd. Hopefully there is a decent place to eat and a place to buy some local micro brew.

I stayed in that one once. It's on a hill iirc. Not much around. Fast food etc on Crestwood. I have also stayed at the Mountain Brook & Colonnade Hamptons.

Ian

And beware, I-20 from Birmingham to Oxford is often thick with troopers. And unless they have finally repaved, the last 10 miles to Oxford is a pita. Pavement seams that will drive you crazy. The left lane is better.

Ian

Thanks for the heads up.

Google is making Leeds look more civilized. More places to eat around there for sure, several BBQ joints pop up. I always try to eat at a local restaurant rather than the franchise operations.

I guess my dream stop would be a brew pub with great food and next door to a nice quiet motel. :D

I backroaded once on Cahaba through Leeds to get to I-20. I remember a nice road but it was early am . . .

Have fun in Savannah. I know some great bbq in Charleston but I haven't been to Savannah in years.

Ian

Try Hwy 280 in Birmingham. It is a non stop street of local restaurants and hotels. Been 6 years since I lived there but was always great place to eat. Jim and Nicks BBQ is good.

BREW PUB? IN ALABAMEE?

good friggin' luck.

I think Coors or PBR is their high class stuff last time I was there for extended times for work.

Many dry counties too, you gotta realize you're in the bible belt of jesus thumpers. no booze served even in resteraunts on Sunday.

I went up to Lynchburg Tenn to tour the Jack Daniels Distillery, and you couldn't legally buy JD within a 10 mile radius of the factory any day of the week.

maybe you'll find something rare, but as I said good luck for "good" beer on tap.

The deep south might surprise you now, Dave

Dave's Pub

Stillwater

When I went to Birmingham on my 1st trip (in modern times) about 8 years ago, my dealer took me to an excellent Lebanese restaurant. This sophistication is mixed in with a big dose of the old timey south but its not all pork & grits & moonshine anymore.

Ian

You obviously haven't been to Alabama since the ...1960s or so. I was there about three weeks ago (July 4th) and enjoyed some really good draft beer...at a restaurant...on a Sunday!!

People in Alabama even wear shoes now. You'd be shocked.

I'm guessing that its been a while since you've visited. True there are a lot of rural counties that are dry, but Birmingham has had Sunday sells for at least the last 10 years.

actually yeah I was there in the 60's, and also about 10 years ago so I will admit that.

I'm speaking from Huntsville and Decatur Alabama from experience. Maybe Birmingham is the big town.

I'm sure they're selling Hustler and Playboy out in open sight at the 7-11 or AM/PM too now?


I think Alabama and Mississippi are both tied for lowest income per capita, and last time I heard they still rejected a state lotto as it was sinfull........I could be wrong.

http://shark-tank.net/wp-content/upl...-c10230417.jpg

yeah back in the 60's growing up I still remember black and white waterfountains, for both kind of folk.


No it wasn't "right" then, and we've all come a long ways...............

I'm tipping a Rolling Rock Pale Ale in your Direction, maybe a Red Hook later tonight.

Being born and raised in Decatur, I'll admit that you're not far off. Decatur just got draft beer about 5 years ago. Huntsville is farther ahead and about on par with Birmingham. Birmingham has a metro population of about 1 to 1.5M last I checked. Still don't get the lotto thing either. Per capita income in Huntsville is a lot higher than the rest of the state and a lot of places in the country.

Dude, Huntsville had beer in the 60's, you just had to buy it from the "ABC" stores (Or drive to Bullard's liquor store at the "county line past the "new airport"). I enjoyed a nice microbrew in Huntsville a few years back, "Old Towne"...I was sad to see them close. It was also served @ Big Ed's Pizza.

Oh, and you COULD buy JD at the distillery during the bicentennial in the commemorative bottles. I had one blow off the pewter/cork stopper in the trunk of one of our Acuras in downtown Nashville a few years back when it was sitting in a hot parking lot. Man, did that car smell good for a few days!
(Those who take the factory tour might still get a glass of "Jack Yellow" at the end of the tour.

Use to be a brewery, Magic City brewery just east of downtown. The Five Points had nice eateries and bars. Use to hang out down there a lot.

Also try to hit Dreamland BBQ for ribs and a loaf of white bread.

In Hoover try La Dolce Vita in the strip mall just south of the Gallaria. It use to be smaller when I ate there every Friday night. Great veal.