Tap Into Louisiana’s Best Breweries

by Angie Kay Dilmore

As summer lingers well into fall here in the South, the byways and backroads beckon us to explore. A great way to experience our diverse culture is to visit the many craft breweries that dot the Louisiana map. We’ve created three unique road trips, taking you on a brewery tour across the Bayou State.

CAJUN COUNTRY-

Easily completed in a day, we recommend you start your South Louisiana road trip in Lafayette, then head north to Bayou Teche Brewing in Arnaudville, and complete your tour at Lake Charles’ own Crying Eagle Brewery.

New on the brewery scene, Adopted Dog Brewing offers a variety of brewed in-house craft beer, including blonds, IPAs, porters, stouts, root beer and Athletic’s nonalcoholic craft beer — they also carry a small variety of liquor and wine. Adopted Dog is the only brewery in Lafayette that serves craft beer in-house and offers food to complement their beers. Dogs are welcome in their outdoor area. Owners Ryan and Traci Pécot have two adopted dogs and wanted to create a dog-friendly space. adopteddogbrewing.com. 329 Dulles Rd.

Parish Brewing Co., south of Lafayette off Hwy 90 in Broussard, has been “at battle against boring tasteless beer” since 2008.  Their story began around 2003 when founder Andrew Godley moved from Louisiana to Pittsburgh and discovered a thriving craft beer scene. Returning home a few years later, he recognized a lack of breweries in Louisiana and decided to create part of what is now a thriving craft brewing industry. Their inaugural beer, Canebrake, named for the surrounding sugarcane fields, was an instant hit. parishbeer.com. 229 Jared Road.

Bayou Teche Brewing, Arnaudville, off I-10 north of Breaux Bridge, opened in 2009 when the Knott brothers decided to convert an old railroad car into a backyard craft brewery. Order a Cajun Saucer Pizza to go with your brew. Taproom offers over 20 beers on tap, plus bottled beers and tiki drinks. bayoutechebrewing.com, 1106 Bushville Hwy.

Crying Eagle Brewing Co. started as a concept in a conversation around the Avery dinner table several years ago and has since become a thriving hub of activity in Lake Charles. Their taproom and beer garden are the site of numerous community activities, fundraisers, and business-hosted events. They offer 20 beers on tap, plus their signature brews in cans. The bistro offers a wide variety of good eats. cryingeagle.com.

NOLA BOUND-

It may be best to tackle this road trip over a two-day weekend. Start your journey in Baton Rouge, work your way across the North Shore, then veer south into the Cresent City.
In 2010, two lifelong friends (a banker and a lawyer) decided to make beer together and opened Tin Roof Brewing in downtown Baton Rouge. They brew dozens of different beers throughout the year, and offer five beers on tap, rotating weekly. tinroofbeer.com. 1624 Wyoming St.

Rally Cap Brewing comes with a sports-vibe and a variety of been styless. Their taproom boasts 16 taps, nine televisions, and a pizza kitchen. You’ll also find trivia nights and live music. rallycapbrewing.com. 11212 Pennywood Ave., Baton Rouge.
Le Chien Brewing is a fun neighborhood hangout with picnic tables, outdoor games and a food truck named Pie Eyed that serves savory and sweet hand pies and snacks. Based on the name, it’s a good guess their outdoor area is dog friendly. lechien.beer. 101 S. Hummell St., Denham Springs.

Gnarly Barley Brewing Co. In Hammond, Zac and Cari Caramonta started home brewing in the garage and opened Gnarly Barley in 2014. They’re creative in their styles and flavors of beer, as well as can art. They offer four year-around beers, four seasonals, and some limited releases. A portion of sales from their Skater Aid brew goes to skateboarding initiatives. gnarlybeer.com. 1709 Corbin Road.

The largest brewery in Louisiana, Abita Brewery uses water for their beers from a deep artesian well. They brew a large variety of year-around and seasonal beers as well as sodas. Tours here are quite popular and tend to be crowded. Cost $5. abita.com. 166 Barbee Road, Abita Springs.

Continuing along I-12, Chafunkta Brewing Co. in Mandeville is a nanobrewery started in 2011 by husband-and-wife team Josh and Jamie Erickson. The word ‘Chafunkta,’ aka ‘Tchefuncte,’ was an early Indian settlement located in what is now Mandeville. For a small place, they offer an impressive variety of beers. They believe that passion and personal attention result in great tasting, complex craft beer. chafunkta.com. 69123 Skybrook Rd. STE E.

From there, take the causeway across Lake Pontchartrain, find lodging, and rest up for this next set of breweries in New Orleans. Shannon and Mike Cavell, recently retired and now residents of New Orleans, are self-taught Big Easy craft beer experts. These are their top four favorite NOLA craft breweries.

Courtyard Brewing Co., near the Lower Garden District, offers many beers on tap, including several of their own, mostly IPAs. As a nanobrewery, they shy away from flagship brews, which allows them to make whatever they want. Shannon describes Courtyard as low key. “The owner calls it a dive brewery and that’s pretty accurate. They always have at least one $5 beer on tap.” courtyardbrewing.com. 1160 Camp St.

Brieux Carre is known for lagers – especially Czech and German styles – and eccentric beer names. They entice the locals not only with stellar beers, but also a great mug club. Tourists flock there as well, with its proximity to Frenchmen St. “Always an interesting group of people to chat with,” says Shannon. brieuxcarre.com. 2115 Decatur St.

Parleaux Beer Lab is touted as a destination taproom and brewery located in the Bywater neighborhood. They offer a rotating choice of small-batch beers served in an offbeat, industrial-chic bar with a great outdoor beer garden space. Shannon says they make great lagers and excellent IPAs. parleauxbeerlab.com. 634 Lesseps St.
Ride the trolley down St. Charles Ave. to Care Forgot Beercraft. Recently opened, this brewery is off to a great start, with five beers on tap. They also serve sourdough crust pizza. Shannon says it’s a perfect spot to watch New Orleans parades roll by. And check out the impressive New Orleans mural on the side of the building. careforgotbeer.com. 1728 St. Charles Ave.

For the ultimate designated driver experience, “hop” on the Beer Bus! nolabeerbus.com

ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER-

This trip might also be best experienced over two days, simply due to the many miles covered if you start in Southwest Louisiana. First, it’s a straight shot north.

Great Raft Brewing, named for a historic log jam on the Red River in the early 1800s, is in Shreveport’s historic Fairfield District. Enjoy one or two of their 20+ brews on tap. Food available in-house.

Seventh Tap Brewing Project began in 2012 when three friends in a homebrew group joined forces and started brewing together. After several years of attending events and winning awards, they opened a permanent location at 2640 Linwood Ave. in Shreveport and later a second location at 525 Barksdale Blvd. in Bossier City. theseventhtap.com.

Flying Heart Brewing in Bossier City also began with a home brew group that just kept going. They started out in the Historic Fire Station Number 6 in Old Downtown Bossier in 2015 and now have two more locations in Natchitoches and West Monroe. They offer six flagship labels: Firehouse Blonde, Six of Hearts, Louisiana Amber, Milk Maid Stout, Barrel 52, and Black Heart cover the beer spectrum and are crowd favorites. flyingheartbrewing.com. 700 Barksdale Blvd.

Next, head east and discover a couple breweries in Northeast Louisiana.

Flying Tiger Brewery in downtown Monroe honors General Claire Lee Chennault and has ties to the nearby Chennault Aviation & Military Museum. Several of their beers have WWII-related names. Five flagship beers and several seasonal beers are available. It all began when a bartender became a homebrewer who became a businessman. flyingtigerbrewery.net. 506 N 2nd St.

Situated in the heart of Ruston, Utility Brewing offers cold beer and wood-fired pizzas in a friendly setting. Cheap beer, good food, warm service, live entertainment, trivia nights, and pups welcome on the patio – what’s not to love?! utilitybrewing.com. 206 N. Vienna.

This listing is only a sampling of Louisiana’s growing brewery industry and is not exhaustive. For the most up to date information, such as days, hours, events, tours and food options, check brewery websites. As always, we urge you to stay safe and have a designated driver when imbibing.