The South Shelby County Chamber of Commerce met on Thursday, Sept. 6 at First Baptist Church of Columbiana at 11:00 a.m. for their monthly luncheon. The speaker for the occasion was Jason Wilson, founder and owner of the Back Forty Beer Company.
In his early twenties, Wilson would travel to and visit different breweries around the country as a hobby, but never thought of starting his own craft beer company. The idea for Back Forty didn't come to him until he worked in the corporate world as a logistics expert.
In an interview with AL.com, Wilson acknowledged the challenge of starting his own craft beer brewery, noting that “traditional” beer makers typically view the South as having a “historically schizophrenic” relationship with various laws about where and how it can be sold, in addition to Southerners not having the palate to appreciate specially crafted beer. Regardless, Wilson said he persisted with his vision.
The name of the company came from the old agricultural term, “back forty," which refers to the acres of land that are the furthest away from the barn, thought to be the most difficult to farm but in reality are actually very fertile.
With humble beginnings, including not having enough funds for their own brewery, the business officially kicked off with the assistance of a microbrewery in Mississippi that allowed them use their facilities to get products out on the market. By March of 2010, the company had two brews on the shelves, with one, Truck Stop Honey, winning a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival, according to the company's website.
Wilson said at the luncheon that Back Forty Beer Company has grown to be an exceptionally successful business in the almost ten years that it has been running. Being established and based in his hometown, Wilson also looks at what he can do for his community and the people living in it. While addressing the luncheon attendees, he playfully recalled his mindset when he was heading off to college at Auburn University — fully intending to never come back.
However, fast forward a few years later and he’s been Chairman of the Gadsden/Etowah County Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on the Gadsen Commercial Developmental Authority. Additionally, he is also part of the Alabama Workforce Development Council and the Business Council of Alabama Board of Directors, he said to attendees.
In addition to giving background on his past, business and involvement in community politics, he also expressed his philosophy about mistakes being a good thing, because it gives the chance to learn and try again.
Currently, the company has a microbrewery at Sloss Docks in Birmingham. According to their website, this location was chosen because of the view of the nearby Sloss Furnaces and the active railroad. In addition to the microbrewery, it also functions as a restaurant serving pub foods alongside a steady rotation of Back Forty brews.
