When you think of Louisiana, familiar pictures appear in your mind — gumbo, jazz, Mardi Gras and… beer? Louisiana is synonymous with friends and good times, and nothing goes better with that than beer. Good craft beer can be found all over the state.
Before you leave Baton Rouge and head back to wherever you call home, these are the beers you simply can’t miss:
- Parish Ghost in the Machine
- Great Raft All My Tomorrows
- NOLA Irish Channel Stout
- Abita flavored beers
- Tin Roof Gose With The Flow
- Chafunkta Old 504
- Urban South Holy Roller IPA
- Gnarly Barley Korova Milk Porter
- Dixie Beer
At The Gregory, we take our beer very seriously, and we’re proud to support Louisiana’s fine microbrewing scene. Whether you’re a visitor from out of town or a beer enthusiast who lives around the corner, we’re here to tell you more about the Louisiana beers that have everyone talking.
The Best Craft Beers to Try in Louisiana
The craft beer frenzy in America has transitioned nicely from adolescence into a mature young-adulthood. What was initially seen as a fad or a bubble to be burst has made a significant and lasting impact on this country’s drinking and leisure-time habits.
Adults young and old are no longer content to spend their Friday and Saturday nights in any old watering hole pouring cheap, mass-produced domestic beer and liquor. Everyone is a connoisseur these days, choosing to spend their hard-earned money in an establishment that shares their enthusiasm for local, high-quality beer.
Cities like Portland, Denver and Philly may have established themselves as the epicenters of the craft beer revolution in this country, but New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana have also earned respect for their quality brewery offerings. Abita put the region on the map and paved the way for several other fantastic brewers to share their talent with the world. Here are some of the area’s best beers to try.
Parish Ghost in the Machine
Parish Brewing Company has earned a reputation for outstanding craftsmanship and a willingness to go big or go home. Nowhere is this ethos better demonstrated than in their ridiculously popular Ghost in the Machine double IPA.
Legends abound of exclusive beers that bring lines of people to a brewery’s door before opening time, rushing the store and buying out the entire stock before noon. Pliny the Elder, Heady Topper and others have taken their turns as the darlings of the craft beer world, and Ghost in the Machine has also seen its share of sell-outs. Local beer experts mention Parish’s popular brew in the same breath as these giants of the beer world, and with good reason.
Great Raft All My Tomorrows
It’s not every day you hear of a beer community get excited over a Saison. Sure, we think it’s an underrated beer style, but the best examples don’t always get the hop heads chattering.
It’s not surprising, then, that the secret to Great Raft’s All My Tomorrows’ success is a hoppy profile that sets it apart from your average Saison. All My Tomorrows isn’t exactly a beer that tries to please everyone, but it is a unique beer that has something to offer nearly every palate. On the front end, you have the citrus and pine notes of the hops to lure in IPA lovers, but on the back end the yeasty notes you expect from your Saison remind you exactly what you’re drinking.
When the most well-traveled beer enthusiasts among us think they have seen everything, All My Tomorrows reminds us that creativity knows no bounds.
NOLA Irish Channel Stout
It’s no secret that many of the good people of Louisiana claim French and Acadian heritage, and the German descendant portion of the population is formidable in its own right. But regardless of where the roots of our family tree may be planted, everyone is a little Irish when you put a pint of stout in front of them.
NOLA Brewing Company’s Irish Channel stout pays homage to the original Irish immigrants who settled their home neighborhood. While technically an American stout, it nonetheless hits all the points stout drinkers around the world love so much — roastiness, chocolate and coffee notes, and that smooth richness that immediately transports you across the Irish Channel and right into a Dublin pub.
Tin Roof Gose With the Flow
The relatively smaller scale of a typical craft brewer’s operation offers a tremendous competitive advantage over the big boys — the ability to chase trends. The Millers and Coors of the world have large operations and long productions schedules, so their product line is practically set in stone. Factor in customer loyalty and preferences and marketing considerations, and you can understand why those big breweries have a familiar and sometimes unexciting portfolio.
The little guys, on the other hand, can change their product line in the amount of time it takes to ferment a batch of brew. With a direct sale environment and an open-minded customer base, innovative breweries can offer their customers a brand new experience each time they visit.
As a result, the craft brewery community all over the country is constantly chasing the latest, hippest brew. Barrel aging, cellaring, souring — you name it. Contrary to the negative connotation, trend chasing is a boon to the craft beer industry as each individual player must remain fresh to maintain their customer base. Tin Roof Beer of Baton Rouge is no exception.
Gose beers are the latest trend. This German style, like its Belgian relatives, draws you in with a sour punch that offers a refreshing change of pace from the world of IPAs and stouts. Tin Roof Brewing’s Gose With the Flow is a delightfully refreshing take on the style. On a hot summer day down in the Bayou, Gose With the Flow quenches the thirst like none other.
Chafunkta Old 504
When the weather turns cold, and the wind makes you pull your collar just a little further up, everyone reaches for a dark, robust porter to help take the edge off the cold. Fortunately for us, we don’t see too much cold weather in Baton Rouge, but does that mean we don’t have occasion to enjoy this lovely beer style?
Heck no! Chafunkta Brewing has crafted a lighter, yet still full-flavored porter that’s drinkable all year round, even down here in Louisiana. Infused with coffee and vanilla from local merchants, this roasty brew pays homage to the original Louisiana area code, 504. Knock back a pint or two of Old 504, and you’re ready for whatever the day — or Mother Nature — may bring.
Urban South Holy Roller IPA
Urban South is a relative newcomer in the Louisiana brewery community, but their immediate popularity is a testament to the tremendous quality of their beer. At the top of the list of year-round crowd-pleasers is their Holy Roller IPA, a single IPA that walks on the wild side offering bold hop character.
Holy Roller’s balanced profile offers a flexible canvas for a brewer’s wildest imagination, and the Bretted edition — fermented with the yeast famous for the world of Sour beers — and Grapefruit Holy Roller prove that Urban South’s brewery team know how to take advantage of that flexibility.
Gnarly Barley Korova Milk Porter
Gnarly Barley Brewing was started by a skateboard enthusiast, and as the name might suggest, and the risk-taking and dare devil mindset required in the world of skateboarding are on full display in Gnarly’s beer. Everything they do is just a little bit different — beer with a twist.
A Baltic porter brewed with flaked oats doesn’t seem that off-the-wall, but what if we told you this porter is fermented at lager temperatures, giving it a smooth finish and creamy mouthfeel? The Korova Milk Porter is large at 6.4% ABV with a completely different character as it warms in the glass. Lazy sippers who know how to wait will be rewarded by two completely different beers in one glass.
Abita’s flavored beers
The pathfinders. The trailblazers. The big boys. Whatever name you want to give them, Abita planted the flag and put NOLA beer on the national map. Beer drinkers may be spoiled for choice here in Louisiana, but it all comes back to Abita. In addition to an ever-evolving line of absolutely astounding IPAs, headlined by their Wrought Iron IPA, Abita has developed a strong reputation for flavored beers.
When everyone in the country was making a blueberry wheat beer, Abita put out Purple Haze, a fantastic raspberry lager. Oh, and their summer-only blueberry wheat is no slouch, either. The rest of their Harvest Series highlights locally-grown fruit in a rotation of sweet, delightful lagers — Peach, Sweet Orange, Strawberry and the aforementioned Blueberry Wheat.
Larger breweries like Abita have the flexibility to chase those trends we mentioned earlier, as well as the resources to execute their innovations on a large scale. When the Bourbon Barrel Craze (trademark pending) swept over the microbrew world a few years ago, Abita was in a great position to pair its master recipes with a large-scale barrelling operation.
The result was the Bourbon Street series, which is an assortment of stouts and pale ales aged for months in used bourbon barrels. Each of these limited-edition brews is a masterful combination of wood and malt, a crowd-pleaser for serious beer connoisseurs.
Dixie Beer
A regional staple since the start of the 20th Century, Dixie Beer might seem out of place in this list of microbrews, but what it lacks in innovation and hop-craziness, it more than makes up for in history and identity. Dixie beer is New Orleans.
Though the beer itself hasn’t been brewed in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson has a plan to bring it back home where it belongs, with a new brewery to be built somewhere in New Orleans in the next two years. Everyone in Louisiana knows how to answer the question “Where can I buy Dixie Beer?” — but very soon, we can all be proud to know exactly where Dixie beer is brewed, as well.
Oktoberfest in Baton Rouge
Every fall, the arrival of the harvest is celebrated with German beer and food. Sure, the original Oktoberfest was held to celebrate a marriage, but who ever let the truth get in the way of a good party? Even if there is only one true Oktoberfest, celebrations are held all over the world. If you’re looking to join in the festivities, doesn’t it make sense to go to the people that know a thing or two about throwing a good party?
We have several Oktoberfest events here in Baton Rouge and elsewhere in Louisiana in 2017, and a few other beer-centric options to fill up your fall calendar. Here are some of the highlights.
Deutsches Haus Oktoberfest
If you find yourself with a free weekend in Oktober, you don’t want to miss the Deutsches Haus Oktoberfest. This German society hosts thousands at their new home on Moss Street in New Orleans. On the menu is an impressive variety of German foods, from bratwurst, sauerbraten and schnitzels to German cheeses, Bavarian pretzels and German desserts.
Beer is also available, as are many varieties of German wines and everyone’s favorite: schnapps. Enjoy the atmosphere and the music while you feast on all the wonderful food and beverages. If you’re around on October 21, get a good position to view the Dachshund dash!
If you’d prefer to run rather than watch tiny dogs get all the exercise, register for the 5K walk/run on October 13. Better yet, show up on both days so you don’t miss any of the fun.
Robert’s Cove Germanfest
The small town of Robert’s Cove, a stone’s throw from both Baton Rouge, has been host to an Oktoberfest celebration on the grounds of the St. Leo IV church for more than 20 years. This year, on the weekend of October 8, everyone is Willkommen to partake in the wonderfully authentic German food, folklore, music and of course, beer. This family-friendly festival is a treasure of Arcadiana. If you’re in the area, dust off your dirndl and join in a Polka!
NOLA on Tap
It’s not an official Oktoberfest celebration, but it is the largest beer festival in Louisiana, and it takes place on September 23 this year. Kicking off the Oktoberfest season at large, NOLA on Tap brings more than 25,000 beer lovers together for a one-day celebration of beer, food and music at the New Orleans Festival Grounds.
With more than 400 options, national, local and homebrewers will ensure there’s truly something for everyone. Not a beer lover? Wine and margaritas will also be available. Did we mention you can bring your dog? There truly is something for everyone.
If you can’t make it to one of the area’s fine Oktoberfest celebrations, several local breweries have Oktoberfest beers and other Marzen-style beers available for you to have your own little party at home. Urban South and Abita are two that immediately come to mind, offering Oktoberfest-style beers beginning in September. As they say, where there’s a will there’s a way, so you’re certainly not lacking for options in during this wonderful time of the year.
Belly Up to the Bar
If reading this has made you thirsty, we have you covered. The Gregory is your place for the best beers in Louisiana and the best Baton Rouge beers. When you’re looking where to buy Tin Roof beer and Abita beer in Baton Rouge, look no further than The Gregory.
In addition to our excellent daily beer selection, keep an eye on our events calendar and attend one of our beer dinners, where our chefs will pair local beers with fresh, fantastic food. Make a reservation today, or drop by our bar for a nightcap!
