FLIGHTS: Trim Tab Brewing Co. in Birmingham, Alabama

(Photo by Bo McMillan)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—The logo for Trim Tab Brewing Co. is “gravitational nectar.” And when visiting Birmingham, Alabama, in summer, one wonders if that statement is meant more to describe the melting customers for whom the beer is a blissful salvo than the drinks themselves. That heat will turn you to a puddle. Thankfully, each beer at Trim Tab (2721 5th Ave. S), as well as the plentiful air conditioning in the cool, ‘70s-era artist salon feel of its “tasting gallery,” seems crafted to assuage that. Tastes are $2 per 4-ounce pour, but Trim Tab is a relative newcomer, so only expect a few taps.-Bo McMillan

*Bourbon Barrel-Aged Rye Brown
6.5% | Bourbon Barrel-Aged Brown Ale

A cola-colored beer with a nose that brings to mind unsweetened cocoa, vanilla, oak, toasted coconut and the burnt bits in a pan of brownies. The taste that follows is delightfully restrained, with bourbon kissing a crisp profile of cherry pits, burnt sugar and almonds, all underlaid by gentle tartness. Very effervescent and surprisingly quaffable in the Alabama heat.

Raspberry Berliner Weisse
5.2% | Berliner-Style Weisse

This strawberry blond beer is hazy enough to inhibit seeing through the 4-ounce tasting glass, but don’t be mistaken—it isn’t heavy at all. Not quite as tart as one would expect from the style, but the beer doesn’t suffer for it. The taste is reminiscent of sourdough toast smeared with raspberry jam, and a slight diacetyl presence supplies welcome butteriness on the finish.

Uncle Stan’s Gluten-Free Pale Ale
4.5% | American-Style Pale Ale

Any skepticism one might have disappears with the first sip of this corn-yellow pale ale. The nose is floral, with hints of butter and Granny Smith apple skin, and the taste matches with a heightened presence of lemon and honeysuckle.

Trim Tab IPA
6.5 % | India Pale Ale

Opens with a floral and fruity nose that betrays the beer’s hint of syrupiness. The taste rings of mangoes, white pepper and candied orange peel, and, with slight warming, a hint of Vidalia onion. The most viscous of the beers sampled, but still a quenching drink on a hot day.

*Order the full pint