We were thrilled to hear that Gov. Riley signed the "Free the Hops" bill, raising the alcohol limit on beers sold in the state from 6% to 13.9%. It's taken five years, but the Alabamians for Specialty Beer group finally did it.

You can get some of those specialty, over-6-percent beers at the Third Annual Magic City Brewfest in just a couple of weeks. Enjoy 200+ beers, gourmet food and live music at Sloss Furnacec on Friday, June 5 starting at 7 p.m. and Saturday, June 6 starting at 3 p.m. Local brewery Good People Brewing Co. is brewing a Rye IPA just for this event.

More info at http://magiccitybrewfest.com/.