BEER POLL

Wish You Were Beer, the first craft-only beer store in North Alabama, held its grand opening Aug. 17 at its new location in Madison. (Lucy Berry | lberry@al.com)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- In 2009, Huntsville seemed about as likely to become a craft-beer hot-spot as the daughter on that TBS family comedy "The Bill Engvall Show" did to become one of the biggest movie stars on Earth.

Four years later, Jennifer Lawrence – little Lauren Pearson on "The Bill Engvall Show" – is doing pretty well. And the Huntsville area is home to at least seven beer ventures that have brews available at local bars and restaurants and/or retailers, with an eighth, Rocket Republic Brewings, set to debut their AstroNut Brown and Vapor Trail Cream Ale on draft Sept. 6 at The Nook.

The state legislature's 2009 passage of the Gourmet Beer Bill, which increased Alabama's alcohol by volume limit from six percent to 13.9 percent, was the lightning that ignited the craft beer wildfire. The new law facilitated Alabama production of the many inherently higher ABV styles, from India Pale Ales to tripels to dubbels, beer connoisseurs relish – and beer makers want to produce.

The Gourmet Bottle Bill, permitting the sale of bottles up to 25.4 ounces, passed in 2012, facilitating retail sales of the 22-ounce "bombers" which work particularly well for higher ABV brews.

According to a

Alabama Brewers Guild marketing analysis, the amount of beer brewed in the state has doubled each year since 2009.

OK, enough with the history lesson.

We want to know which of the seven currently operating Huntsville area beer makers produces the best beers. We're not referring to a single beer style or product, such as Straight to Ale's Monkeynaut or Yellowhammer's White or Blue Pants' Pinstripe Stout or whatever. We're asking which local company's entire line of brews is the tastiest and most happening.

And yes, I know some of the below ventures are contract brewers, employing another brewery's equipment and often the labor to produce their beers.

Not concerned with the process here, just the result. The beer.