By Michaela Bankston
Photos by Kathleen Ivy
As the summer sun beats down, friends gather at picnic tables to consume hearty burgers and cold beers. Others stand around high-top tables sipping margaritas until their tacos arrive. Parents enjoy a drink while watching their children run around until it is time to sit and order dinner. Live music fills the air as friendly dogs patiently wait for crumbs to fall their way, and that is just outside.
Inside Ferus Artisan Ales, the light is a little dimmer, but the vibe is just as high. Eye-catching decor and cheerful hosts greet guests. Laughs abound as second and third rounds are ordered and the food arrives.
“We just want people to come in, have a good time, enjoy the food and enjoy the beer,” Operations Manager Randall Norman said.
Looking through the glass wall behind the bar, floor-to-ceiling vats fill the room. With these tanks, Head Brewer Matt Risner employs a mixture of art and science to turn bags of grain into the crisp beverage the brewpub is known for.
Risner fell in love with brewing as a volunteer at another place before quickly rising up the ranks, and then he started with Ferus before they opened.
“It’s more for the love of the beer and love of the craft and what we do,” Risner said. “I’d much rather do this all day long and have fun doing it.”
After he completes his job, the chilled beer journeys from the back of the brewpub all the way to the bar via lines above. A bartender pulls the tap, and each guest’s desired drink flows into a glass.
At any given time, Ferus has around 20 different beers on taps. Their core beers include six different lagers, a couple ales and hoppy beers, a dark beer and seasonal sours. The other taps rotate depending on season, special events or other ideas Risner has brewing.
For those who prefer a liquor-based drink, Bar Manager Laura Dewberry has curated a menu of cocktails that do not take a back seat to the beer. Dewberry said when she first started, Ferus only had well liquor, but now has more of a full bar.
“We’ve expanded our bar program to have something for everyone now, as opposed to when we first started, it was strictly beer, mostly,” Dewberry said. “Now we have a partner that pairs with our beer in our cocktail program, and they work nicely together.”
Ferus uses scratch-made syrups to craft each cocktail. They have their standard cocktails and rotate new ones each season. Some of the most popular include margaritas, rum punch, Ferus Mule and Feral Peach Tea—their play on a Long Island. Dewberry’s personal favorite is the jalapeño margarita, which she warns “is not for the weak.”
The current featured cocktail menu includes six signature cocktails each crafted by a bartender. Dewberry’s concoction is a dirty, filthy martini. For the summer, they have also added a new blackberry margarita.
To further the partnership of tasty beer and exquisite cocktails, Risner has begun incorporating bartenders into brewing some days.
“I show them the process, so they can educate all the customers that we have of how this is done,” Risner said. “I think it’s just very important in the craft beer industry to do that.”
Regardless of what someone wants to drink, a knowledgeable bartender is there to help. More than that, they can offer a warm smile and conversation.
“You come here, you get to drink something delicious, but you also have somebody that feels like your friend behind the bar,” Dewberry said.
Whether one arrives at dinner time or comes to day drink, once their stomach starts to rumble, Head Chef William Thompson and his crew have guests covered. Thompson started working at Ferus about a year and a half ago, but his love for restaurants began years before at a restaurant that let him come in and clean when he was only in middle school.
“That’s when I started falling in love with being in the restaurant industry,” Thompson said.
That love led him to earn a culinary degree and eventually to Ferus where he has expanded the menu to include more dinner options, such as pork tenderloin, beef tenderloin and salmon.
“That’s just to give them the variety they deserve,” Thompson said.
Of course, they also have more traditional bar food, including several different types of burgers, pickle-brined chicken tenders and pretzel sticks. For a guest avoiding animal products or someone just wanting something different, they offer fried buffalo cauliflower, Thompson’s favorite menu item, and a vegan barbecue sandwich.
Thompson also encouraged guests with food allergies to inquire about options. He said he can break down anything on the menu, give the finest options and even make gluten-free chicken tenders.
“That’s important to me because my mom has a lot of food allergies,” he said.
In addition to the everyday menu, Thompson creates weekly lunch specials and fish specials for dinner that often include a different touch on classic dishes with an added impactful flavor.
“My goal here is to keep bringing them new flavors that remind them of home,” Thompson said
Ferus truly has something for everyone and enough space to accommodate them all. With the summer heat and concert season in full swing, there are even more reasons to get out. Whether looking for dinner on Tuesday or a full Saturday out, bring the kids–or don’t–and enjoy the experience.
Ferus Artisan Ales is located at 101 Beech St., Suite 111 in Trussville. It is open Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. For more information or to see upcoming events, visit ferusales.com.
Chef’s Picks
Starter
Fried Green Tomatoes
-served with succotash and remoulade sauce
Entree (Dinner Menu)
Maple Bourbon Salmon
-served with green beans, rice and a bourbon sauce
Dessert
Cheesecake
-silky caramel apple cheesecake with a cream icing on top
Summer Drink Picks
– Laura’s Dirty Filthy Martini
– Brittany’s Strawberry Mojito
– Mitch’s Coconut Lemon Sour
– Blackberry Margarita
– Underworld Hazy Tropical Double IPA
– Bock to The Future
