Beer Tasting in New Orleans
New Orleans travelog #6
French Quarter - Sunday, 22 Apr 2023, 11pm
After carousing on Bourbon Street two nights in a row I've decided to party a bit more quietly back at the hotel, in " The Room of Seven Gables", as I call it. At the same time I've decided to keep working on my Beer Tasting 2022 project. Yes, even though it's 2023 now. I don't drink beer as fast as I used to when I was younger. (That's also why I don't feel like carousing on Bourbon Street 3 nights in a row.) Plus, there's such a wider variety available now. That's true even here in New Orleans, "The Big Easy", where drinking alcohol is literally a local pastime.
On this trip I've seen a variety of local brews in bars and stores that either didn't exist years ago or weren't widely distributed even here in their home territory. A few I've had and enjoyed back in California, particularly several varieties from Abita Brewing. Most of the bars have Abita Amber on tap and most of the stores have it in bottles. It's... is far from Abita's best, IMO. I've hunted around and found two other local beers in stores, buying a 6-pack of each for enjoying back at The Room of Seven Gables.
My two picks for enjoying back at the Room of Seven Gables on this trip are Abita Brewing's The Boot and Parish Brewing's Canebreak.
I chose to try The Boot because a) I've liked a number of other Abita beers I've had, particularly Turbodog (a brown ale) and Mardi Gras Ale (a Maibock) and b) it's a Louisiana exclusive- not distributed out of state. Canebreak I chose with no recommendation, just the labeling on the bottle that it's a wheat ale.
The Boot is a blend between Pilsener and Kolsch styles. Like a Pilsener it has gentle flavors, a light body, and overall a crisp, clean, refreshing character. The addition of Kolsch yeast gives it a bit more body than a traditional Pilsener but without the stronger, fruity flavor that typifies Kolsch. I like the way Abita has blended these two styles. The Boot has some spine but remains crisp and clean.
Canebreak is an actual wheat ale. I emphasize that because in the US the style hefeweizen has been popularized and almost everybody mislabels it "wheat beer". Hefeweizen actually means yeast-wheat and is a different style. It has strong flavors of banana and clove that Americans incorrectly think typifies wheat beer. Those are flavors from the yeast, not wheat. Wheat beers have a very clean flavor. I like Canebreak because it has a very clean, simple taste. It's much richer than The Boot... but that's to be expected as it's an ale rather than Pilsener.
French Quarter - Sunday, 22 Apr 2023, 11pm
After carousing on Bourbon Street two nights in a row I've decided to party a bit more quietly back at the hotel, in " The Room of Seven Gables", as I call it. At the same time I've decided to keep working on my Beer Tasting 2022 project. Yes, even though it's 2023 now. I don't drink beer as fast as I used to when I was younger. (That's also why I don't feel like carousing on Bourbon Street 3 nights in a row.) Plus, there's such a wider variety available now. That's true even here in New Orleans, "The Big Easy", where drinking alcohol is literally a local pastime.
On this trip I've seen a variety of local brews in bars and stores that either didn't exist years ago or weren't widely distributed even here in their home territory. A few I've had and enjoyed back in California, particularly several varieties from Abita Brewing. Most of the bars have Abita Amber on tap and most of the stores have it in bottles. It's... is far from Abita's best, IMO. I've hunted around and found two other local beers in stores, buying a 6-pack of each for enjoying back at The Room of Seven Gables.
My two picks for enjoying back at the Room of Seven Gables on this trip are Abita Brewing's The Boot and Parish Brewing's Canebreak.
I chose to try The Boot because a) I've liked a number of other Abita beers I've had, particularly Turbodog (a brown ale) and Mardi Gras Ale (a Maibock) and b) it's a Louisiana exclusive- not distributed out of state. Canebreak I chose with no recommendation, just the labeling on the bottle that it's a wheat ale.
The Boot is a blend between Pilsener and Kolsch styles. Like a Pilsener it has gentle flavors, a light body, and overall a crisp, clean, refreshing character. The addition of Kolsch yeast gives it a bit more body than a traditional Pilsener but without the stronger, fruity flavor that typifies Kolsch. I like the way Abita has blended these two styles. The Boot has some spine but remains crisp and clean.
Canebreak is an actual wheat ale. I emphasize that because in the US the style hefeweizen has been popularized and almost everybody mislabels it "wheat beer". Hefeweizen actually means yeast-wheat and is a different style. It has strong flavors of banana and clove that Americans incorrectly think typifies wheat beer. Those are flavors from the yeast, not wheat. Wheat beers have a very clean flavor. I like Canebreak because it has a very clean, simple taste. It's much richer than The Boot... but that's to be expected as it's an ale rather than Pilsener.