Posted Saturday, February 18, 2017 11:44 pm

The owners of Twisted Barley Brewing Company gave supporters a sneak peek of their progress turning an old hotel into a brewpub on Friday. Twisted Barley, located in a 1920-era building on 19th Street West in Jasper, is expected to open later this year. “The timeframe is going to depend on how quickly we can get our licensing,” said owner Mason Boren. “Federal licensing, which we’ve applied for, takes three to five months. State licensing, I’ve heard recently, is tougher than the federal licensing. I’m shooting for five months.” Twisted Barley is expected to sell five different beers, three flagships and two that are experimental or rotate with the seasons. Although Twisted Barley won’t be selling food, customers will be able to enjoy live music and watch their beer being brewed. Boren made his first beer when he was 21 years old. “I Googled how to make beer. I made some beer in a Rubbermaid tub. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great. It tasted like loaf bread,” Boren said. “I’ve been brewing for nine years. I eventually started making good beer and decided I wanted to bring it to the public.” Boren’s blonde ale beer won second place in the Alabama State Homebrew Competition.

He and his wife, Courtney, relocated from Tuscaloosa in order to realize his dream of opening a brewery in his hometown. The couple sold their home, two vehicles and other belongings in 2015 and moved in with Boren’s mother, Margie Bookout. Carolyn Long of the University of Alabama’s Small Business Development Center helped them with a business plan that was necessary to secure funding from an area bank. They secured a two-story building in downtown Jasper that has been a hotel and a hardware store in the past but has been vacant for several years. On Friday, Walker County Chamber of Commerce president Linda Lewis linked Twisted Barley with the recent revitalization of downtown Jasper. “We are thrilled to have you as one of our newest businesses in the community,” Lewis said. Jasper Mayor David O’Mary also offered the city’s support as the Borens work to get the brewery up and running. “I can remember when revenuers used to cart ‘entrepreneurs’ off to jail. To show you how things change, today we can have a brewpub on the Main Street of Jasper. I’m excited about it,” O’Mary told the couple.