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Danny Sample, who co-owns the Siluria Brewing Company with his wife, Tammy, pours up a sample of one of the company’s brewed-on-site beverages on the afternoon of Oct. 31. The brewery will open to the public on Nov. 10. (Reporter Photo/Neal Wagner)

The first meeting of the Shelby County VFW will be at Siluria Brewing Co. (File)

By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – During their friends and family preview night on Oct. 30, Siluria Brewing Company owners Danny and Tammy Sample had to take a moment to step back and reflect on the journey they’ve been through over the past few years.

As Danny Sample’s retirement from the U.S. Army was approaching in June of 2016, he and his wife began contemplating what they were going to do afterward. During their travels, they had come to appreciate small, local breweries and the entire concept behind craft brewing.

Following a yearlong journey to transform the former Alabaster Post Office at 145 First Avenue West into the Siluria Brewing Company, it almost seemed surreal to see visitors filling the building.

“It’s our creation. It’s a great feeling to be able to bring our vision to life and create what we hope our friends and neighbors will enjoy,” Tammy Sample said. “We want to be a comfortable, cozy place.”

After receiving its Alcoholic Beverage Control manufacturing license from the City Council during a recent meeting, the Samples are ready to open Siluria Brewing to the public during the company’s grand opening on Saturday, Nov. 10, from 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

When visitors enter the main door, which is adorned with a large historic photo of employees at the old Siluria cotton mill, they are greeted by a large L-shaped wooden bartop under pieces of tin roof from Tammy Sample’s father’s barn, a variety of seating options ranging from standard tables to old church pews and an open, welcoming environment.

Much of the wood used in the building was original to the structure or is recycled from various sources, including the shipping crates the stainless steel fermenters arrived in.

The Samples and their friends did most of the renovations to the old Post Office themselves, and the task was extensive. Several interior walls were removed to make the space more open, old floor tiles were removed, the HVAC and electrical system was gutted and replaced and an Alabama veterans’ group helped with demolition and with transforming a large roll-up door to a sliding door for the venue’s private meeting room.

The entire brewing process is visible from the main guest area, and the Samples have transformed the building’s back loading dock and surrounding area into a stage and outdoor seating space. Most of the interior walls feature dimensional patterns, and were discovered behind a layer of sheetrock when initial demolition began.

When the brewery opens, it will have a blonde beer, an India pale ale and a non-alcoholic root beer on tap, and will also have soft drinks, water and coffee available. The Samples are planning to add a hefeweizen and stout soon, and will have a Saison available in the spring.

Danny Sample said they plan to rotate their beer offerings regularly, but likely will keep a couple of their most popular beers on tap year-round. Siluria Brewing will not have a kitchen, but food trucks will make regular appearances to feed hungry patrons.

For the Samples, who have lived in Alabaster since 1999, and have had two children graduate from Thompson High School with a third attending there now, opening in the city was a no-brainer.

“We are rooted in Alabaster, and we want this to help make the city more of a destination,” Danny Sample said.

“I’ve told people, ‘I wanted to give y’all what I would want when I go out and visit a brewery,’” Tammy Sample said.

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