I have two absolute, drop-dead favorite brands of beer,
Four Peaks and
Abita. Now, Four Peaks is a local brand. They don't have a brewery tour, just an adjoining restaurant. Ha, JUST an adjoining, like that's a crime. It's an excellent beer, and I'll cover it in more detail later. Abita is a Louisiana-based brand, brewed in (of course!) Abita Springs, north of New Orleans... a loooong ass way north of New Orleans. Sure as hell felt long the first time that I toured the brewery.
Here's a little back story. I've been visiting New Orleans for going on ten years now, at least once a year. I have friends who live there, and even more that come there to meet up, hang out, see the sights for a few days, like you do. They began touring the brewery in '06, and it became an annual thing for most everybody to have a shuttle take them across the lake to the brewery. Me, I kept sleeping in... sleeping it off. A flat tire in '08 kept me from making it then. Last year I finally joined everybody for the tour. Well worth the repeat visits!
The entrance was through an open patio decorated in the same architectural style as the rest of the French Quarter, balconies with rod iron railings and gas lit lanterns on each side of the upper story windows. Red brick fences and clay fountains bubbling away, and more rod iron patio seating. The Abita logo was set as a tile mosaic in the sidewalk through the gate. Past the patio was the
Tasting Room, the combination gift shop/waiting area/all-you-can-drink-tap for visitors going on the tour. The gifts were pricey, the seating was leather and overstuffed, and the beer was practically endless. The waiting area was made to look like a pub, with a polished dark wood countertop, stools and a long mirror framed by the same polished wood opposite the seating, and right behind the taps, with the Abita brand etched into the glass. All of their various beer products, be it the Amber, the Purple Haze, the IPA or even the ever-so-delicious Andygator, were available for the visitors to sample as often as they liked (cups were included). Can you tell which one was my personal favorite? Oh yes.
Andygator was a gold colored ale with a sweet taste, sweeter than I've been accustomed to tasting in beers, with a fruity aroma and no bitter finish. I like beer with a little sweetness to it, so this one truly stood out ahead of all others in my recollecting. And smooth, it was almost like water it was so easy to drink. The
Amber was hoppier, very close to my tolerance for hops before it becomes the last thing I drink, with a modest bite to it at the end. And I don't mind telling you that it tapped my sobriety on the noggin fast. The
Purple Haze was not as sweet as the Andygator, nor as smooth. I'd actually call it a fruitier version of the Amber, with a lighter finish that was quite nice altogether. The
Restoration Ale, another pale ale, was agreeable, but it doesn't stand out. The ingredients list it as having a mix of "Pale, Lager, Crystal and Cara Pils malted barley," and it shows because I could only see it as a middle-of-the-road brew. Actually, Restoration would be a good starter beer for someone getting to know the Abita brand. The
Jockamo IPA was friggin' harsh, very hoppy, very bitter finish, were it a wine I'd call it full bodied because it was almost as thick as an oatmeal stout. Think of taking your coffee black, no sugar, with a finish like something charred by the fire, that's my impression of the IPA. My least favorite, I would say it's for someone with a developed pallet, who likes it that way, perhaps both. As for me, for fuck's sake, it turned me off ALL IPA's.
Now I quite like oatmeal stouts, depending on the occasion, for the rich creamy consistency where the bite is fully complimentary to the chocolate-nutty taste. I've yet to try Abita's
Turbodog, which is their oatmeal stout (and wouldn't you know, it's also one of the four Abita beers that actually makes it this far west!), I'll have to write that up sometime.
The brewery tour was prefaced by a video that was played in the Tasting Room, complete with lights dimming, about the history of the brewery. The music was a generic hometown tune, suitable for framing the narrative that emphasizes the importance of local business, quality ingredients, and brewers you could relate to, even (haha) see yourself having a beer with. Hell, if it'd been a presidential candidate I was ready to vote for it. It wasn't long enough to be boring, so no worries about losing interest while the lights are low. The only true complaint I would leverage at the intro video is that you couldn't get more beer while it was playing! However, you could refill it in the brief window between the end of the video and the start of the tour, and you could bring your beer with you.
The interior of the actual brew
ery, named
The Cellar, was like some sterile, chrome temple to the gods of alcohol, high ceilings to accomodate the massive metal silos where fermentation was taking place. Lean in close and you can hear hymns sung to Ninkasi. Or Drinkasi, Ninkasi's rascal of a li'l bro. There were touches to the decor that made it a little, I don't know, homey to everyone coming through. There were banners suspended from the ceiling to denote the mash tun, the lauter tun, and the merlin kettle, all mounted around a raised platform with a sign overhead reading "Brewhouse." Behold, Drinkasi's alter! Leave the votive offerings at home.
If you have the opportunity. if you're in Louisiana, by all means. GO. You'll be glad you did! Just be sure you have a designated driver, it's a long way to go and after sampling all of Abita's stock you're not gonna be in driving shape. Myself, I'm absolutely planning to go back the next time I'm in New Orleans, and I'll be working to add the OTHER Abita landmark, the original brewhouse which is now the
Abita Brew Pub. I had no idea it even existed until I looked up the Abita website. Well, the tour guide did explain that the current brewery wasn't the original, but he failed to explain that it had been made into a restaurant. Wouldn't that make for a fine capper to an afternoon of free beer, lunch where it all started.
Oh yes, there will be an Abita Brewery Tour update late this year. There's still so many brews I've yet to taste!
On first pour, this beer has a mostly clear and golden color
typical to most other lagers. The head is thin and quickly disperses, though it
leaves a white ring clinging along the glass. The locally-grown peaches come
through the bouquet with the subtlety of a chainsaw. How many peaches did they
pick, a million? Millions of peaches, peaches for me (to drink). It's certainly
peachy-keen, both in aroma and flavor. The sweetness is muted, but the overall
fruit flavor remains with the pale malt of the brew lending a dry almost effervescent crispness in
the finish. It's light on the tongue, strong with flavor without being sweet,
and easy to drink. With an ABV of 4.5%, it's an excellent beer to relax with on
a hot day. Or even a chilly evening, since we're well into fall as I write
this.
