BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Beers from more than a dozen craft breweries around the U.S. will be among the new products made available in Alabama next week by the legislature's approval of the Gourmet Beer Bill, distributor Birmingham Beverage Co. said today.

The company, which provides beer to much of the northern half of the state, will distribute about 200 different beers from 13 brewers, with the first new beers available on Wednesday, said Matt Kilpatrick, specialty and imports manager.

Craft brewers typically package seasonal and other short-production run beers in the larger bottles, so most of the beers in question will be new to Alabama beer lovers, he said.

“The cool thing about the large bottle format is, that’s the good stuff,” he said. “A lot of these beers are once-a-year releases.”

The bill that was signed into law by Gov. Robert Bentley in May made legal containers of up to 25.4 ounces. Previously, containers were limited 16 ounces in most of the state. Alabama was the last state to allow the larger bottles. Beer in the larger bottles typically is high-end craft beer that is consumed like wine, with bottles sitting on a table and being shared.

Craft beer represents a small fraction of the overall beer market, and many of the beers that will be available for the first time in the state will come in very small quantities, so the new law isn’t likely to greatly boost revenue at Birmingham Beverage and other distributors, Kilpatrick said. But it’s a big deal for connoisseurs.

“This is a huge, huge deal for the beer community,” he said.

Breweries whose beers will be available: