Photo by Erin Nelson.
Scott Worthington, co-owner of Steele Hall Brewing, pours a glass of the Camellia IPA at the brewery. Steele Hall Brewing has 15 options for guests and brews all beer in-house.
Trussville has a new place to belly up to the bar for a nice cold one. Following months of planning and renovations, Steele Hall Brewing opened for business in the spring and has developed a reputation for its innovative craft beer, as well as its fun and relaxed atmosphere.
The brewery is the brainchild of Eric Mitchell — a 2006 graduate of Clay-Chalkville High School — and Scott Worthington — a 1999 graduate of Chelsea High School — who caught the microbrewery bug while students at Auburn University.
“We were both home brewing in college and it just kind of fell in place after that,” Worthington said. “I fell in love with making craft beer and it just evolved from there. I fell in love with the environment as well.”
The friends each made their way to Charlotte, North Carolina, following graduation, getting involved in the city’s microbrewing scene. They initially found jobs working at a brewpub.
After approximately five years, the pair moved on to other opportunities, Mitchell leaving first for Pinehurst Brewing Company and Worthington for Heist Brewing. However, the friends kept in touch, often discussing plans to move back home and start their own brewery.
“Both of us being from the Birmingham area, we knew that we wanted to move back and do something like what we've done here at Steele Hall,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell and Worthington moved into the location most recently occupied by Slagheap Brewery, which closed in mid-2022. However, the building dates back to the city’s early days, serving the community as the Trussville Ice House for decades.
Fortunately for Mitchell and Worthington, the building was not only in great shape but was already configured for a brewery and needed only minor renovations.
“We were able to reuse all of the brewing equipment for our own agenda,” Mitchell said. “Most of the work was done to the exterior of the building, except for the parking lot and turning it into a nice little hangout area.”
What the owners hope will set them apart is their inventive approach to brewing craft beer, even though the market is crowded. Mitchell and Worthington are interested in experimenting with different types of hops and styles.
"It’s definitely getting harder to stand out these days, trends are getting hyper-focused on two or three different styles. But within those parameters there is a lot of variance," Worthington said. "I think we tried to just push the boundaries on finding the perfect blend between in-your-face flavor and drinkability.”
“We want you to remember our beer but we also want you to be able to sit and drink three or four in a sitting and not get tired of each individual beer that we make,” Mitchell added.
Steele Hall Brewing opened “under the radar” April 21, just hours after passing final inspection.
“We had all our permits and everything in place, so we scrambled to get whoever was available on our staff that day,” Worthington said. “We opened on three hours' notice, just by word of mouth and friends and family.”
While it’s only been a few months since the doors opened, Steele Hall has already established itself within the Trussville Entertainment District and the entire community that both Mitchell and Worthington now call home.
“We're happy to be here and happy to be part of this community,” Mitchell said. “It's what we set out to do; focus on being a community brewery and the entertainment district just gave us the best platform to showcase who we are.”
Steele Hall is located at 227 Main Street in downtown Trussville and is open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 3 to 9 p.m., Fridays from 1 to 10 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 7 p.m. Learn more at steelehallbrewingco.com.
