I have been living across the lake just north of the Big Easy for about a year now and I must say, I have been very disappointed in the food selection.  Sure, there are a couple of places that the fiancé and I enjoy once in a while.  It’s as though there is no love in the cooking here.  Everybody just wants to use big words and fancy ingredients without the slightest clue how to properly implement them.  I have been spoiled living in Lafayette for the previous 5 years where you have to really search for a bad meal.  I have been desperately missing my Laura’s, Julien’s Poboys, and basically every bar in and around town that seem to have my grandmother cooking plate lunches in the back.

Anyway, this lack of gastronomical gratification has forced me to broaden my horizons.  I have reluctantly (yeah right) moved on to something that they obviously take a lot of pride in over here.  That something is Beer! With 2 microbreweries in a 15 mile radius, one of which is run by one of 8 (I think) certified German brew-masters in the United States, surely they know their stuff.  And, of course, I’m not talking about the horrible excuse for a beverage with no taste or character known the world round as “American Pilsner”. You know, that stuff we all drank, and sometimes still do, but never truly enjoyed.  Insert Name Here Light.  I’m talking about beer, malty, hoppy, or balanced, dark, amber or light. Just as long as it taste like something other than dishwater.

This journey all started with, of course, the Abita Brew Pub.  We’ve all had an Abita Amber in the bottle and possibly some Purple Haze out of the tap, but this is different.  The first time I walked in we really weren’t there for anything but to “check it out.”  I think it was a lazy Saturday afternoon in between weekend trips to Lafayette or Thibodaux.  We sat at the bar and the first thing that I noticed was the taps.  The bartender then came to me and strictly out of habit, I said Purple Haze and I think Nicole got a Strawberry.

Ok, back to the taps.  There were so many, I think about 15 in all, all different, and they all said Abita (except one, they always have a “guest beer” on tap).  I was a bit overwhelmed, and had questions immediately, but the bar was pretty busy, so I sipped my raspberry wheat and conversed with the little lady.

Mental note.   I noticed something very different about the this Purple Haze than ones I had consumed on many other occasions.  It just tasted better.  For those of you who have never had a beer out of the tap at a brewpub, it literally tastes …. fresh is probably the best word.

Anyway, as time passed, I watched as the bartender would take glass after glass out of the cooler and pour all different color liquids out of the taps: brown, red, black, golden.  Then something distinctly different happened.  I watched her pull a glass out of the cooler and begin to pour as I had watched so many times before, but this time, she stopped it about half way and moved over to another tap and opened it up.

Wait, what?  Mixing beer.  I don’t understand.  How could such a simple concept seem so foreign.  I mean, I’ve had a black and tan, but this was different.  I needed to investigate, but now wasn’t the time.  The late lunch crowd had come in and the bartenders were running rampant.

Mental note.  Then, something caught my eye.  There was a very strange looking contraption in between the whiskeys and the tequilas.  What could this be?  It kind of looks like a tap, but has to be 150 years old.  It’s probably just décor of some kind.

As it calmed down a bit, I stopped one of the bartenders and let her know that I had some questions whenever she had a second.  Our conversation:

Jason- “First, What’s going on with all the beers?  I only know of maybe 5.”

Bartender-  “We have 7 flagship beers, usually 2 seasonals, 2-3 selects (available only on tap), root beer (phenomenal), a guest beer, and a cask conditioned beer.”

Jason- “Wait, cask conditioned, what is that?”

Bartender-  {points to the weird looking tap} ” It’s a British style where the beer is aged in oak casks like wine, is not carbonated, and is served at room temperature.  We have to pump it out because it is not under pressure.  It takes about 10 minutes to pour, but it is worth it.”

Jason- ” WOW!!!  I’m in heaven.”

Nicole- {eyes rolling}

Jason- “That explains the tap.  Ok, what about the mixing?”

Bartender- “Oh, that’s big in here.  We even have names for them.  Golden and Turbodog is called a golden retriever.  Andy gator and Purple Haze is called a Barney….”

Jason- “Clever, I want a Barney.”

And so it began.   I was convinced.  These people really did care about something.  They put as much heart into their beer as the old ladies do at Dwyers for breakfast.

Not only is the beer fantastic, but the food is pretty good too.  Nothing special really, just good southern Louisiana dishes, quality burgers, and of course bar apps.  They also host the Northshore Homebrew Club’s (of which I am a member) meetings on the 3rd Thursday night of each month.

If you ever find yourself on the northshore of Lake Pontchartrain and are looking for a burger and a beer, I definitely recommend the Abita Brewpub.

Recommendations:

App: Spinach Dip-always a classic

Main: Burger, Shrimp Agnes

Beers: Barney and the Cask.  I always get the cask last as my dessert.  It tends to be a little heavy.

Contact info:

Address:

72011Holly Street
Abita Springs, LA 70420

Phone: (985) 892-5837
Fax: (985) 892-9565

Email:
Abitabrewpub@gmail.com

Hours:
Monday Closed
Tuesday 11:00 – 9:00
Wednesday 11:00 – 9:00
Thursday 11:00 – 9:00
Friday 11:00 – 10:00
Saturday 11:00 – 10:00
Sunday 11:00 – 9:00

minilogo Abita Brew Pub