New Orleans Lager & Ale Brewing Company (NOLA)

 

Big place with a pizza kitchen. Nice selection of beers and bartenders were very friendly.

I visited on a Sunday afternoon, they had a vendor set up that was selling crawfish boil, it was fantastic. The brewery has plenty of outdoors seating, which is good because the tap room seemed a bit small. Beer selection was good, staff was nice. It's also a 15 minute walk to Port Orleans brewery.

 

First visit was in 2015; most recent July 2021 - so it’s been a few years and they have lots of competition in the city limits!
Visit was after six on a week day, lots of seating in back area but few customers. Fairly wide selection on tap and modest select of cans for purchase. They have added a pizza oven area so food is available on site. Beer was descent and I tried to avoid those I had before and ordered a flight of four. Customer service was friendly, environment was clean and small “merch” section.

 

The sun came up, we’re in Louisiana. Yes, Mississippi & Alabama were, like, sooooo yesterday and I was very good about not leaving anyone behind although it was terribly tempting and we’re only in day 2. Setting out now and a beer(s) before a bite, but we’ll be getting that on, too, as they do Q here. Some good intel from the Lyft driver on things New Orleans (I always ask the unpleasant questions, i.e. homelessness, crime, et al). And then the NOLA standalone out near I don’t know what…

It’s a sprawling brick red multi-building show. Enter through a slight out front gated area on the end and into this seemingly single room space. White painted walls with framed prints over wood plank lowers, red painted concrete floors, and a black ceiling with foam mush, blended ductwork, and fan & spinny top lamp combos. A pair of poles in the center of the room just off both ends of the bar pasted with brewery stickers and the like.

‘C’ shaped bar to the rear; pressed copper topped, dinged & stained, dark vertical wood plank base, & a piping foot rail. Seating for 6 on high chairs on the front side only. A phat piping piece with 18 logo handles runs the length of the copper barback panel, below a center NOLA logo piece and flight pricing & staff picks to each side. Vertical wood shelving units on both ends of the bar holding glassware, one of them holding GABF, World Cup, & other medals atop. 3 flatscreens above the barback; the one on center serving as a TV proper, and the ones to both sides listing tap selections (beer, style, ABV, & pricing). Sampler boards & cupboardiness below the bar. Drop cone lanterns tracing the bar overhead.

3 barrel spool tables forward the bar, 5 booths along the front logo’d windows, and a few tables shoehorned in corners. Can & bottle cooler, framed swag zone on the end, and McClure’s BBQ in the far corner (with their extensive collection of sauces) as their kitchen tenant, I guess. 4 boards on the wall along their set up listing all the deliciousness (plates, sandwiches, hamburgers, sides, & snacks), but stupid Davo, um, I mean, uh, Mr. LeBoud, wants to move on, so we are denied food at this juncture. I’m going to regret not having cued on the Q (and I did).

17 beers up, it’s a real nice mix of some of everything malt, hop, sour, fruit, spice, adjunct, and everything in between (Blonde Ale, 5%; Boil Advisory, Blonde Ale with crab boil spices, 5%; War & Peach, Pale Wheat with jalapeno & serrano peppers, 4.5%; Lemon Ginger Wheat, Pale Wheat Ale, 4.5%; 7th Street Wheat, Pale Wheat Ale, 4.5%; Pomegranate Blueberry Wheat, American Pale Wheat, 4.5%; Dry Hopped Lowerline, Sour Ale, 3.9%; Tart of Steel, Berliner, 3.5%; Muses, Belgian Pale Ale, 4.5%; Hopitoulas, American IPA, 6.5%; Guavatoulas, Guava IPA, 6.5%; Orange Mango Hopitoulas, 6.5%; Resilience Butte County Proud IPA, American IPA, 7.1%; Hoppyright Infringement, Imperial IPA, 7.6%; Irish Channel Stout, American Stout, 6.8%; Prytania Imperial Porter, 8%; Sucre Chocolate Macaron Stout, Imperial Stout with Macaron shells, cocoa nibs, vanilla, almond, & lactose, 10%). Sure, War & Peach brought the heat, but Hoppyright Infringement was best of show. And Guavatoulas & Resilience Butte County Proud IPA were also very good.

There is a large back room with a bar, racked barrels, table shuffleboard, and a mock Super Mario Brothers video game. Projection TV screen to the rear and, hey, cool strung lighting across the room. And then upstairs; a bright colorful room with some skylight action. ‘U’ shaped slab concrete topped bar with seating for a baker’s dozen. Drop bulb lighting tracing the bar on ornate pulley winch pieces and spots above. 4 spool tables to the rear overlooking the rear rear room below. Porch access on both ends of the bar. A few shy of a dozen tables and some bar counter space on a piece that opens on the barback.

A deceptively larger than it appears joint. Comfortable, good crowd that just grew & grew (as we got in shortly after opening). The beers were very good (joy) in both range and quality but I was denied Q (sadness). I did dig this place, definitely could do some time here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They offer two of my current favorites, Revivalists and Hoppywrite Infringement. Friendly servers and fun Trivia Night!

On site barbecue is excellent too.

 

Visited the tap room on a Sunday afternoon during a Saints game. Vibe was just okay, as were the beers. Food (from an outside source?!?) looked and smelled awesome. Not a place I would run back to, but decent.

First stop while in NOLA was of course NOLA Brewing Co. We stopped in and had a couple flights of stuff. The beers were decent but nothing too exciting unfortunately. The vibe was nice, it's a smaller place then I expected. The food looked incredible and I actually regret not getting something there... live ya learn. If I found myself back in NOLA I might consider going back just for the food first and the beers second.

 

Was in New Orleans on business and wanted to stop here before I had to fly out the following morning. I planned on going for a flight or two, then leaving. I pretty much ended up spending a good three hours or more enjoying alot of good beer and enjoying great conversation with locals and fellow business travelers.

The tap room is quite small but what I loved was how intimate it is, great BBQ with local food styles available in-house, and the lack of too many TV's around the room. It was refreshing for a change. Most importantly, the beer is quality here. I did two flights, reviews are available to read.

Far off the beaten path but worth the trek.

There are 22 taps available when I visited on November 1, 2017. They ranged from blonde to stout with many unusual beers in between like Berliner Weisse and sours. IPAs dominated the list. I like their flight policy -- choose any four on the list.

For food, there's a BBQ place attached which seems to be very popular with everyone here.

The place is large but very mellow. For a Wednesday afternoon, it is quite busy. Overall, I'm impressed with the general quality of the beer and its popularity with the locals.

 

 

 

Right along the river, just south of the French Quarter. Lots of beers on tap, all their own. Had a couple of then, and they were both very good. They have a local BBQ outfit running the food concession. A pretty decent selection, and the sausage I had was excellent. I’d definitely go back!

The brewery is located a good distance from the French Quarter, so had to talk my significant other to come out. The vibe was average but the Uber ride back was a breeze as there was no traffic.

 

Really great brewery with a very wide selection of in-house beers. Styles vary as well from IPAs to sours to stouts. So a visit here allows taste a great range of beers.

Stopped in for lunch on a weekday and pleasantly surprised that teamed up with a local BBQ joint. It was quite because it was a weekday but the bartender was super friendly and knowledgeable. They had about 20 beers on tap as well as crowlers, cans and bottles to go. Awesome beer selection with a great mix of styles of blends. They had just tapped a few sours which were unique and well done. The BBQ joint inside made some kickass tacos and I recommend trying everything they had. A definite stop when you are in the area. The best beers in New Orleans and a great place to chill.

A nice big, chill space out in a very industrial type part of New Orleans. Relaxed vibe on a sunday night - not too full but lively enough that it didn't feel too quiet. Lots of their beers on tap - seemed like a lot of variety with some sours on offer. Not every beer I tried hit the mark but I liked the efforts. BBQ was solid.

Not bad, got two flight of different styles. Enjoyed the Rebirth and Darkest before Dawn. The BBQ was ok.

 

Located a few miles away from the hustle and bustle of the French Quarter this place is a nice change of pace from Bourbon Street.
There is a downstairs bar with their full draught list, and an upstairs bar with a few less beers but a nice seating area and outside patio. Downstairs shares space with a nice BBQ joint, and has some restaurant-style seating, but space can get a little tight near the bar because its the first thing you see when you walk in. Upstairs was completely open when we arrived, and we had the bar all to ourselves. Though not as many taps as downstairs, they had their small batch beers available, as well as quite a few can and bottle options. Bartender was super nice, and seemed to enjoy being there (which is always nice). There are 2 tv's up there, board games, and a photo booth.
Beer ranged from sub-par to quite good (a range you see from many breweries), however it was the best I had while there (in a land ruled by Abita and macro).
We got Uber to and from, so didn't have to worry about parking, but it was real easy to get to - though I wouldn't walk there from the French Quarter. All in all, it was a real nice experience and you should definitely check it out if you're in the area.

Solid place, overall except location (did not have car so not totally their fault). We enjoyed the multitude of beers on tap and had excellent service. Quite the variety in beer quality from poor to excellent. Would go back if back in NOLA.

One of my favorite taprooms. The BBQ place that shares the space is pretty great!