Back Forty Beer founder Jason Wilson dead at 46: ‘The captain is down’
From al.com. Hopefully Back Forty has the management in place that will allow it to move forward since people in Huntsville seem to enjoy Back Forty.
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Jason Wilson, the founder of Gadsden’s Back Forty Beer and a city councilman in his hometown, died Wednesday.
He was 46.
Wilson suffered a heart attack Aug. 5, according to a post by his family on his Facebook page.
His Anniston business, Coldwater Mountain Brewpub, announced its temporary closure Aug. 14.
“Sometimes, even the strongest crew can’t keep sailing when the captain is down,” the business announced. “A ship without its captain and rudder may still drift, but there are moments when the right thing to do is lower the sails, secure the lines, and wait.”
In May of this year, Wilson announced on Facebook he was facing several health problems, including congestive heart failure.
“Regardless of what happens, I want everyone to know that I am in the right place,” he stated at that time.
“I believe that God has a plan for me. I am truly blessed by the number of people who genuinely love me.”
Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford called Wilson’s death “a huge loss for the City of Gadsden.”
“Councilman Wilson was a dedicated servant of the people who always had big ideas and could see the possibilities for the city he loved so much,” Ford said.
“The Mayor and Council work together to move the City forward, and it was a pleasure to work with Jason. His passion for Gadsden and his commitment to its people will not be forgotten. Our prayers are with Jessica, his family, his friends, and everyone who loved Jason.”
Wilson was a towering figure in Alabama’s craft beer industry, planting a flag in his hometown of Gadsden even before lobbying efforts by entrepreneurs in Alabama led to the “Free the Hops” movement, which loosened laws over several years to create a booming craft beer culture.
After seven years as a logistics professional for Georgia Pacific, Wilson founded Back Forty Beer Co. in 2009, which began production at Lazy Magnolia Brewing in Kiln, Miss.
He remembered the early days of the business in a 2017 interview.
“My brother was living in Colorado and I would go out there to visit in the late ’90s, early 2000s,” he said.
“The craft beer thing had taken off there, and I thought it was nuts it wasn’t happening in the Deep South. Despite the conception that there’s a lack of culture in the South, specifically Alabama, if you’re from here, you realize so much of our story is told at the dinner table, and food and beverage is a huge part of our culture. That just stuck with me, and by 2008, I was like ‘All right, if nobody else is going to do it, I’ll do it.’”
Still, founding a brewery in the South in the midst of the Great Recession didn’t seem to many like a good idea. Wilson said he thought his mother would cry when he broke the news, before believing he would eventually go into the ministry.
He took the name Back Forty, which is indicative of “the toughest part of the farm,” he said.
“It’s the part that’s farthest from the house, where the tractor breaks down,” Wilson said. “But it’s the most fertile part of the farm, because it’s never been harvested.”
He then built his own brewery in Gadsden in a former Sears distribution building. The business now has locations in Birmingham and Huntsville.
The company got a boost of confidence when its Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale captured a silver medal at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival in Denver in 2010.
Other varieties, such as Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale, Naked Pig Pale Ale, Freckle Belly IPA and Fence Post Session Ale, followed. But Wilson’s vision extended beyond brewing and distribution to food service and producing distilled vinegar.
Conde Nast Traveler anointed Back Forty as one of its best local breweries in the U.S., as chosen by readers, the only brewery named from the South at that time.
In 2014 Back Forty took Small Manufacturer of the Year honors from the Business Council of Alabama and the Alabama Technology Network.
A year later came a proud moment for Wilson, a 2005 Auburn graduate, when the school’s Harbert College of Business named him its Young Entrepreneur of the Year. By that time, Back Forty was the state’s largest brewery, and he served as president of the Alabama Brewer’s Guild.
The company went so far as to lending its name to a Stouffers frozen meal in 2018 and was looking to distribute its beer as far away as China.
That same year, Wilson was elected to the Gadsden City Council, serving on various commercial development boards and other entities, as well as driving historic preservation efforts. He was reelected four years later.
Last year, he talked with AL.com about the changes in Alabama’s brewing industry, with many breweries falling victim to changing tastes and the fortunes of business.
“They got punch drunk on the idea of global distribution,” Wilson said of Alabama’s breweries.
“They all rushed out and got way overleveraged, and I say that about myself. Demand was through the roof, so they were raising capital, growing like crazy but not making any money. They were constantly investing in new markets instead of letting them mature and make a little money.”
Still, Wilson had faith in simple tastes and sound business sense.
“Like I said, there’s this perception of a lack of a refined palate (in the South), but I know plenty of farmers that will pay $65 for a good steak — just don’t make them wear a suit and tie to get it,” Wilson said.
Gadsden City Council President Kent Back said Wilson “was dedicated to making Gadsden better and improving the lives of others. Even in his final days, Jason continued to give to others through his decision to be an organ donor.”
“Jason leaves behind a tremendous legacy of service, a city that he loved deeply, and a void that will be difficult to fill,” Back said.