New Orleans beer used to be synonymous with Dixie and Jax. Those breweries are no longer in residence, but in recent years, a new wave of creative craft brewers has rushed in to fill the void. Best of all, almost all of them offer tours and tastings. Here’s a rundown of the South Louisiana suds being poured around town to help you decide which local brews to sample.
Abita Brewing Company (Abita Springs, LA) – The Abita Brewing Company started making craft beer in 1986, before it was popular, and is now the largest and oldest craft brewery in the Southeast. Locals born in the ‘80s and beyond grew up on Abita Amber, by now well-entrenched as NOLA’s ubiquitous local beer. Meanwhile, cracking open an Abita Strawberry at a crawfish boil to usher in spring has become an annual rite of passage. For dark beer lovers, Abita Turbodog is a must try.
The brewery is located on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, less than an hour’s drive from the French Quarter, and offers multiple tours every week. Abita produces an extensive line of lagers and ales complimented by ample seasonal selections. And if you visit Abita Springs, you can also take a roll or a stroll on the Tammany Trace, a 31-mile biking and walking path, which passes right through town.
Bayou Teche Biere – (Arnaudville, LA) Nestled in the small Cajun country town of Arnaudville, Bayou Teche was founded by three brothers on a worthy mission “to craft beers that complement the cuisine and lifestyle of Cajuns and Creoles.” Their signature brew, LA 31 Bière Pâle, is a highly-recommended take on the pale ale. Also check out their inventive selections like Courir de Mardi Gras, an “artisanal version” of a French farmhouse ale known as Biere de Mars (March beer). And if you’re lucky enough to find yourself at a crawfish boil, you naturally must try Bayou Teche’s Saison D’Écrevisses, or crawfish season.
If you’re taking a day trip to Cajun country, about two hours from the city, Bayou Teche brewery tours take place Tuesday through Saturday and are also available in French. While in Arnaudville, you can also check out the local artists, musicians and dining, or simply mill about the small town. If you’re quiet, you might overhear some of the locals speaking Cajun French.
NOLA Brewing – (New Orleans, LA) After Dixie beer left town following Hurricane Katrina, NOLA Brewing set up shop on Tchoupitoulas Street and became the only brewery inside the city limits. Their name aptly stands for New Orleans Lager & Ale. Of their ales, NOLA Blonde is the most popular and for good reason. You can also try NOLA Brown, Hopitoulas, 7th St. Wheat, and creative seasonals like Hurricane Saison and Flambeau Red. Look out for their brews on tap or in a can. The city of New Orleans currently has no glass recycling, so NOLA Brewing doesn’t bottle their beer as part of their sustainability efforts.
The NOLA brewery is located uptown in the Irish Channel neighborhood, and free tours are offered every Friday at 2 p.m.
Other South Louisiana offerings you may see around town include Covington Brewhouse, another North Shore operation that makes their own Covington Strawberry ale with local berries. Compare it with Abita Strawberry on a spring day and see which brew gets your vote. You can also check out Covington’s Bayou Bock, a beer billed as “lively as a Cajun two-step.” Tin Roof Brewing Co., out of Baton Rouge, marks another entry in the local canned beer market. A stand-out among their creations is the summer seasonal Not Too Sweet Watermelon Wheat. The Parish Brewing Company of Broussard, LA, in Cajun country, is making a name with their flagship beer Canebrake, a wheat beer brewed with Louisiana sugar cane syrup from nearby Abbeville. In true DIY fashion, Parish Brewing was started by a guy working out of his garage. Finally, Chafunkta Brewing Company in Mandeville, LA, rounds out the North Shore brew scene with some interesting craftbrew styles not seen as often as your standard blondes and ambers, including Voo Ka Ray IPA (an Imperial IPA), Old 504 (a robust porter), and Kingfish Ale (an American cream ale).
You should be able to find all the beers described at bars and restaurants throughout New Orleans. Expanding local breweries that you may see on the menu in the near future include NOLA’s own Cajun Fire Brewing Co., Mudbug Brewery from Thibodeaux, and 40 Arpent, brewing in Arabi.
If you’re looking for a place to try beers from multiple local breweries in one setting, you can’t go wrong with The Avenue Pub or Cooter Brown’s, both located on the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line, or The Bulldog on the #11 Magazine Street bus line. If you can’t decide, go take a brewery tour and try everything.
