American Craft Brew Week: May 13th-19th

Click here for a full list of New Orleans American Craft Beer Events.

Or, select a photo for a specific event calendar:

Bugs & Brew, pt.3

Bugs & Brew was awesome! It was a bit windy, but that beats the heat. Mardi Gras World is a fantastic venue. The venue allows for things to be spread out a bit, so it didn’t feel too crowded.

The crawfish was great. The teams went all out. Some were also serving jambalaya and pastalaya. The best lagniappe that I got with my crawfish was an oyster on the half-shell. We were also looking for crawfish that included boiled mushrooms and asparagus. Those are a must for me. I also like artichoke, but I didn’t see any. One batch I ate was loaded with oranges, giving the crawfish a very distinct taste. Like I said, the crawfish was good.

The music was also good. I’m now a huge fan of Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes. The music was chill. It complimented the event well. Other events I’ve been to have had bands that were way too loud, and lacking talent, which really takes away from an event.

And, now, for the beer. As always our local breweries did an incredible job. Gnarly Barley brought two great beers, their Radical Rye PA and Catahoula Common. Chafunkta brought both Voo Ka Ray Imperial IPA and Old 504 Porter, which are two of my favorite local brews. NOLA brought their blonde as well as Flambeau Red Ale, which I think is the best beer I’ve had by them.

I had a great time. Let’s do it again next year.

Bugs & Brew

Life is good. I just got back from Tin Roof. I went down there this evening for Taco de Paco and beer, which was amazing.

In other fantastic news, tomorrow is Bugs & Brew, which I have been waiting for. Fifty teams will be competing at boiling crawfish, and all seven (fully licensed) Louisiana breweries will be present. And, supposedly (I’ll believe it when I see it), the only beer that will be available is local beer. I’ve never been to an event in Louisiana where Bud Light didn’t make an appearance, but here’s to hoping. I can’t wait for this event. It’s going to be awesome.

Cask Garden—Dig It.

Stone just posted a video featuring their brewer’s cask program. You should check it out here. It’s not long, but it highlights a program that will make you salivate. It also shows that Stone upholds the idea that “fizzy yellow beer is for wusses,” as cask ale is not yellow or fizzy.

There are so many things that are great about casks. First, they’re history. They’re tradition. When you think of the legacy of beer, our nation’s founding fathers, the Geats and Danes of Beowulf, the Egyptians, they were all brewing cask ale. It was simple. No fuss. Second, the small size allows brewers to play around with flavors. It’s difficult to experiment with large batches. You could potentially pour a lot of money down the drain if your unique flavor combination was not as successful as you had hoped. But, there’s no fear with the smaller size. Third, cask ale is delicious.

According to Nora’s Beer Blog, Bugs and Brew will have cask selections from Bayou Teche, Covington, NOLA, and Parish. I can’t wait. I don’t run unless something is chasing me, but say the word “cask,” and I start moving. I love casks.

Louisiana Craft Scene

This article from New Orlean’s Gambit by Nora McGunnigle, of nolabeerblog.com, is great. She covers what seems to be an exhaustive list of Louisiana breweries. I haven’t heard of any others. There’s a lot of good things happening around the state.

NOLA Hopitoulas IPA

Check out my review of NOLA Brewing Co. Hopitoulas IPA at RateBeer.com.

I’m really excited that Portobello’s Grill is now carrying this in a 16 oz. can. It took me a while to convince some that we could sell a canned beer. Now, I need Baton Rouge beer geeks to help me out by buying it, so I’m not proven wrong.

Get Your Growlers Ready

Earlier this year, the Brewers Association posted an update on brewing guilds in Louisiana and Mississippi. To find the article, written by State Brewers Association Coordinator, Acacia Coast, click here. The update bears good news for our local craft industry.

We can be sure our local guild is moving things in the right direction. The current President of the guild is Andrew Godley, owner of Parish Brewing Co. David Blossman, owner of Abita Brewing Co. is serving as Vice President. Blossman has long been successful in the craft industry, even when there was very little craft industry to speak of in Louisiana. Godley is brewmaster and owner of one of the fastest growing breweries in the state, opening in 2008 and extending its ability to distribute both bottles and kegs to the larger metropolitan areas earlier this year. Bottom line, these guys know what they’re doing and are both excellent choices.

Other good news stemming from this update is that LA ATC has stated that breweries and pubs may sell, from their brewery, as much as one-tenth of their beer for “off premises consumption.” This would allow local breweries to have taprooms that could sell anything from a taste to a keg. This has been a piece that was significantly lacking in our local beer market. In both California and Colorado, I’ve enjoyed walking into a brewery taproom and getting a growler filled, so I could bring it home for later, and—since I was there—I’d grab a pint or two as well. This is a huge marketing opportunity for local brewers. One of the best ways to advertise a brewery is to let someone walk out of your brewery with a full, branded growler, because that person is going to be an evangelist of your brand, taking your beer, and sharing it with others. How is a growler more effective than bottles? It’s cheaper—no added distributor costs. It’s fresher—the beer doesn’t sit in a warehouse or on a shelf. It’s meant to be shared—growlers are designed for sharing. I can’t wait for this trend to pick up here in Louisiana.

But, will a brewery near you be offering a taproom any time soon? I know NOLA Brewing Co. and others have a plan in the works, but whether or not your closest brewery will have a taproom will likely depend on parish ordinances, which may have less liberal allowances for breweries. Regardless, laws are changing and beginning to favor craft brewers. Things are moving in the right direction.

Priorities

I want to note that this is my one and only fridge. Here I am, out of college, married, and my fridge is stocked better than any frat house, leaving very little room for food. It’s become clear that I’m addicted to accumulating beer—no drinking addiction—just collecting.

Currently cooled:
4 cans NOLA brown ale
1 can Tin Roof Voodoo Bengal Pale Ale
1 can 21st Amendment Monk’s Blood
2 Shiner Farmhouse Ale
1 Homebrewed Christmas Ale
4 Homebrewed BIPA
2 St. Arnold Oktoberfest
3 Shiner Holiday Cheer
1 Angry Orchard Hard Cider Traditional
Dry
1 Magic Hat #9
3 Malheur 12
3 2012 Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
2 North Coast Old Stock Ale 2010
1 North Coast Blue Star
1 Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard
1 Paulaner Hefe-Weizen
1 Stone 16 anniversary IPA
1 Lindeman’s Cuvée René Grand Cru
Gueze Lambic
5 New Belgium Trippel
2 New Belgium Ranger IPA
4 New Belgium Springboard
7 New Belgium Fat Tire
7 New Belgium 1554
4 Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA
5 Dogfish Head Raison D’Être
5 21st Amendment Bitter Americans
4 21st Amendment Marooned on Hog
Island
6 21st Amendment Back in Black
3 Great Divide Denver Pale Ale
3 Great Divide Titan IPA
3 Great Divide Samurai
3 Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale