New Orleans' Anticipated Breweries, Beers, & More

Even though it's still hot as Hades, the fall and pumpkin season beers are on the shelves, and that means it's time to look at what autumn holds for beer geeks in Louisiana. There are breweries and beer bars opening, festivals and events to attend, and oh yeah, lots of beer to drink.

First of all, as indicated in the Eater Fall Preview Guide, Scott Wood and Lindsay Hellwig of Courtyard Brewing are looking to open up in the Lower Garden District in the near future. They're still awaiting inspections and permits, so an exact date isn't yet available. But it will be some time this fall.

Mudbug Brewing has been building from the ground up for a while now, with the majority of its construction happening over the past year. They are close to opening now, and have even sponsored its local Houma beer festival, Bayou Beer Fest (see below.)

Cooter Brown's, the original New Orleans beer bar - it's had dozens of taps before craft beer even came to town - is opening a craft-centric corner of their establishment called "Snooty Cooter" which plans to serve 20-24 craft beers on draft as well as bottled and canned options. That name, though.

Junction in the Bywater also has great potential for craft goodness, and should be opening in September/October.

The events planned for the fall— once the heat that makes one want to die goes away— include the tapping of Brasserie Cantillon's Zwanze at the Avenue Pub on September 20, New Orleans On Tap, the LASPCA fundraiser held in City Park on September 27, and the entire Louisiana Craft Brewers Week celebrating all the local breweries with tappings and events from September 22-28.

In October the beer community will be celebrating Oktoberfest. In November, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation and Abita Beer are hosting the "Boudin, Beer and Bourbon" fundraiser on the 7th and on November 15, Houma will be holding its second annual Bayou Beer Fest.

Beers to watch out for... Lagunitas will be releasing its beer in bottles this fall, and NOLA Brewing is making its fall seasonal smoked beer, Smokey Mary, this year for the last time. Gnarly Barley is adding a third beer to their lineup, the Korova Milk Porter. Parish Brewing in Broussard is releasing a much anticipated second batch of its double IPA hop bomb, Ghost in the Machine. Abita's bringing a brand new year round flagship beer to the market with its souped up Wrought Iron IPA toward the end of the fall season in late November.

· All Fall Tracking [-ENOLA-]
· All Beer Here! [-ENOLA-]