American Craft Beer Week: Celebrate with Five New Orleans Beers

I love beer and I love New Orleans, so nothing pleases me more than being able to order my favorite beer in my favorite bar and know that it was brewed in my hometown (or, close enough to my hometown). American Craft Beer Week is coming up (May 16-22), and many New Orleans bars are hosting cool events throughout the week to celebrate their love for their favorite craft beers. So I think it’s time to introduce you all to my five favorite local-ish breweries and my favorites of the beers they brew.

1. Abita. Abita is perhaps the most easily recognized when you mention Louisiana beers. I really enjoy Abita and, in fact, the Abita Amber was one of the first beers I drank when I began enjoying beer. And, to this day, it’s probably one of my favorite go-to beers when I’m just not interested in trying something new. Abita has seven flagship brews, five seasonal brews, three harvest brews and three “big” brews. I attended an Abita Beer Dinner last year where I had the pleasure of tasting a “Barney” — half Purple Haze and half Andy Gator. If you’re an adventurous beer drinker, and you’re in a bar that serves both on tap, I recommend trying that. If not, go for an Amber, you can’t go wrong.

2. NOLA Brewing. The New Orleans Lager and Ale (NOLA) Brewing Company was founded in 2008 and has since been brewing fantastic, innovative and down right delicious beer. They started with two flagship ales — a blonde and a brown — and now brew four beers year round as well as four seasonals. My personal favorites from NOLA Brewing are the NOLA Brown, which is just a light, tasty brown ale, and the 7th Street Wheat made with lemon-basil. If you’re a true craft beer aficionado, a NOLA Brewing beer is something you can’t afford to miss while you’re in New Orleans.

3. Covington Brewhouse. Covington is probably most well known for their Strawberry Ale which is made with real strawberry puree. The beer is a classic cream ale and is nothing short of delicious. When you enjoy one, you’ll notice a nice froth and the slightest pink-ish hue on this golden ale. You can get a Covington Strawberry, which is brewed at Heiner Brau in Covington, Louisiana, on tap at many of the bars in New Orleans. But, if you’re looking for some on-the-go, you’re in luck! Covington recently started bottling their Strawberry Ale and you can pick up a pack at Whole Foods, Rouses and other local grocery stores.

4. Lazy Magnolia. Lazy Magnolia isn’t actually brewed in the state of Louisiana, but since I went to college in Mississippi, I kind of consider it a “home brew.” Plus, it’s about as close to Louisiana as you can get on the coast of Mississippi. Lazy Magnolia has been creating and distributing delicious craft beer since 2003. I’ve tasted almost all of their beers, but am partial to their Southern Pecan and the Jefferson Stout. The Southern Pecan is a brown ale and Jefferson Stout is a sweet potato cream stout. Need I say more?

5. Bayou Teche. Bayou Teche Beers can be spotted by their signature paddle tap-handle and white label with an isolated green rendering of the State of Louisiana. Often mistaken as “LA 31,” because of the reference to Highway 31 which runs through Arnaudville in Southeast Louisiana, Bayou Teche has been brewing unique beers for the last two years. The Bayou Teche story alone is enough to encourage you to try one, but the taste is enough to keep you coming back. Their most popular is the Bière Pâle, which they call a “Louisiana Pale Ale.”

There are a ton of amazing beer-centered events happening at local New Orleans bars to celebrate American Craft Beer Week. Be sure to check some of them out, try some new bars and some new craft beers! And while you’re in New Orleans, and in the mood for some beer adventures, head over to Abita Brewery or NOLA Brewing’s Brewery for tours of their breweries. Abita has tours Mon. – Wed at 2PM and Sat. at 11AM, 12PM, 1PM and 2PM.  NOLA Brewing has tours on Fridays at 2PM

These are my favorite local beers. What are yours?

 

Tagged as: Abita, Bayou Teche Brewing, Beer, Covington Brewhouse, Heiner Brau, Lazy Magnolia, NOLA Brewing