Ghost Train Brewing Co.

Ghost Train Brewing Co. is a brewery founded in 2014 by Taylor DeBoer, a former partner in the Cahaba Brewing Company, and Patrick Small.

The business began operating in 2015, selling bottled beers produced under contract at the Crooked Letter Brewing Co. in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. In October 2016 Ghost Train opened their own brewery and tap room in Cahaba's former space at 2616 3rd Avenue South. Ghost Train is currently the only local brewery producing bottom-fermented lager-style beers.

In early 2017 the brewery resumed packaged beer distribution, utilizing a mobile canning contractor. Later that year they doubled their brewing capacity with larger tanks and added an in-house canning line and a small distillery.

In 2022 the brewery opened a new public space in the M2 development at 3501 1st Avenue South. As planned, the M2 space can hold 1,000 patrons and features 3 stages for entertainment acts. The tap room includes a spacious outdoor area along the Hugh Kaul Trail, dominated by the 450-foot long "I Love Birmingham mural" commissioned by Freshwater Land Trust on the back wall of the Lee-Rodgers Tire Co. building.

Pandemic-related delays impacted the move to M2 and interrupted production brewing in the first half of 2022. Mounting debts forced the company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in 2023. The brewery's former 3rd Avenue South location was initially to be converted for use to experiment with microbrews and other creative drink projects. Ghost Train later sold that location to Uproot Brewing Company.

Beers

• Flagship beers
  • "Go-Devil Golden Ale"
  • "Dark Ride" Belgian Style Strong Ale
  • "Switchman's Stash India Pale Lager" (IPL)
  • "Ghost Train Craft Lager"
  • "Terminal Station Brown Ale"
• One-offs
  • unique small batch brews are released at the tap room each Wednesday
• Spirits ("Ghost Train High Proof")
  • craft vodka
  • craft botanical gin

References

• Poe, Kelly (October 13, 2017) "First Look: Ghost Train Brewing nearly ready for Oct. 22 opening." The Birmingham News
• Poe, Kelly (January 12, 2017) "Ghost Train Brewing Co. relaunching beers in cans next week." The Birmingham News
• Thornton, William (October 27, 2017) "Ghost Train Brewing eyes expansion, distilled spirits." The Birmingham News
• Godwin, Brent (December 14, 2018) "Birmingham brewery eyes large expansion project in North Avondale." Birmingham Business Journal
• Gervais, Gabriella (December 2, 2021) "New Ghost Train Brewing location coming to Bham in 2022." Bham Now
• O'Leary, A. J. (June 26, 2023) "Bham brewery reorganizing business amid bankruptcy filings." Birmingham Business Journal

External links

• Ghost Train Brewing Co. website