For the first time, shoppers can find Good People in grocery stores from Birmingham to Huntsville starting today.

That's not a commentary on grocery employees or shoppers, but rather a milestone for the growing Birmingham brewery. Good People Brewing Co. began canning two of its beers last week, and the first 800 cans will be showing up by the six-pack in grocery stores and other outlets.

The India Pale Ale and the Brown Ale are the first beers that Good People is canning. Its other styles of beer remain available in draft at certain outlets.

Canning was always the goal when Good People converted a large warehouse next to Railroad Park into a brewery last year. It installed its canning machinery earlier this year and got it running flawlessly this month.

"This is the milestone that takes it to the next level for Good People," said Michael Sellers, co-owner of Good People. "If you want to be viable for the long-haul, you have to move into either bottles or cans."

Sellers said the company chose to go with cans, bucking the bottling trend that that most craft beer and specialty brewers follow. While bottles make it easier to change beer styles and labels on a production line, Seller said bottles allow more light in, which can hurt the quality of the beer. Plus, cans are easier to recycle and store and are allowed in more places, such as beaches, pools and public venues.

Jason Malone, the other co-owner of Good People, said getting the first cans to stores is a significant step for the company, but it is going to take a few canning runs and distribution deliveries before the brewery is able to hit its stride.

"It still feels like every batch we make is critical to our inventory," he said. "It's almost like we've put in so much hard work so we can start working a whole bunch more."

Malone said the goal now is to start selling canned and keg beers at a consistent rate that will allow the brewery to run in more of a cycle instead of simply trying to feed demand. That consistency will allow the brewery to add workers and expand its distribution and offer other styles in cans, he said.

The canning machinery is able to produce 30 cans per minute. Sellers said he believes Good People is the first craft beer to be canned in the Southeast and the first beer to be mass produced in cans in Alabama.

Good People decided to go with its IPA and Brown styles because they are the most popular. Customer demand will help determine which styles get canned in the future, they said.

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