Abita Brewing

This is a review of the bar area and the courtyard.
I’ve always liked Abita beer, and while it isn’t my favorite beer, I was still excited to check out Abita headquarters. We were getting ready to go on the brewery tour and while we waited for it to start, we had a beer at the bar.
This is a pretty typical tap room bar and the staff is friendly and happy to let you sample some of the beers. I sampled the Louisiana Spice beer, while I was here. It’s one of their newer beers and I found it interesting as it smelled a bit like crawfish boil. I noticed that someone here was having a small party, so I think they are glad to accommodate you, if you have something to celebrate.
There is a nice courtyard area, and although it’s small, I can see how it would be the perfect place to enjoy a few beers on a nice day. Abita also does beer flights, if you are more in the mood to sample a few beers, rather than knock back some pints. I really like that they do half pint pours, so that you can sample without overdoing it.

Bienvenue! Abita Brewing was one of the first micro and local breweries I had the fortune to be able to try. I went from drinking mostly various Sam Adams and the beers the mainstream beer companies bought to diversify their typical offerings. Abita makes some fine beers and the company employs some family oriented thankful staff. I had, outside of the Abita Brewery, had an employee’s wife buy me a round at a non-​local movie tavern, just because I inquired if the Texas owned tavern had any local beers since it was in small print. I guess those in Texas think everything is small except for the biggest state, Alaska, by almost 2.5X!
I have to say, it was quite unexpected and true to the local Louisiana character. After thanking her several times, I hope this small review goes to thank her yet again but in perpetuity.
Laissez le bon temps rouler!

Though I’ve been to better brewery tours in the Tampa Bay area, this one is worth visiting at least once if you happen to be in New Orleans for the first time. This is a very corporate style mass-​produced nationally known brand. They usually have about a handful of their standard generic flavors popularly sold in grocery stores, etc.
The facilities features a gift shop area with a sample bar, a main tasting room with plenty of seating, and the brewery in the back.
For the tour, you start off in the gift shop area where all of those who want to join the tour pay their five dollars per person and receive four coin vouchers. Each for a flight size sample of their beer on draft. Before the tour begins it starts off with a video giving you an intro to their brewery and location. The tour was very standard, but limited.
I did like, however, the fact that you could see the tanks from a top view in the upper floor before we made our way downstairs to the rest of the brewery. They also claim to use the natural spring water that flows underneath this region.
The tour was decent except for the fact that the tour guide’s microphone kept going out leaving him no choice but to yell which was still hard to hear.

This was so much fun… where else can you go, tour a brewery and drink free beer for an hour… The Abita Brewery, that’s where. The tour guide was very enthusiastic and all the worker were very friendly. Plan to visit again next time we are in Louisiana!

This is a great place for everyone in the area to visit at least once. Yes, it’s true, you get unlimited draft beer for one hour with the limiting factor being how busy it is. (The 11 AM tour is the least busy, FYI). They have about 10 — 15 different beers on tap and it’s fun to pour your own beer (and watch as others mess it up and get a cup full of foam!) The videos are cheesy and the tour isn’t that exciting, but let’s be honest, everyone comes here for the beer. Great way to spend an hour overall as long as it’s not too crowded. Also, try the oatmeal stout with the hand pump to the left of the taps. Hardly anyone gets it and you can skip the line!