I am leaving for a week long trip to New Orleans. While I have done my research on beer from New Orleans, I've always found it more valuable and beneficial to get the recommendations from my fellow community. What beers do I bring back to Chicago? Thank you in advance.
Depends on your taste, but you can't go wrong with any of the Nola Brewing beers. I personally prefer the sessionability of their brown ale, but I have a lot of hophead friends who love their "Hopitoulas". Mechahopzilla is also good, but it might be out of season. They're all canned too, so that will make for easier transportation. Hope this helps.
Definitely grab some NOLA Mechahopzilla and Hopitoulas cans, both are solid. Also, NOLA just opened up their taproom, so you can now get growlers or the aforementioned cans there. Although some of the specialty stuff they won't put in growlers just yet, it is definitely worth going. I'd also try to grab Tin Roof's new Black IPA Rougarou (haven't tried it yet but it should be solid) and also Dr. Hoptagon from Parish. I haven't seen it in bottles yet but you can likely get a growler from Avenue Pub or The Chimes in nearby Covington. And make sure to visit Stein's and Avenue Pub for sure, the Bulldog is a good spot as well. As far as our most popular brewery--Abita--I figure you can get most of their offerings up in Illinois, but go for their "tour" if you get a chance. It is free and you drink at your own pace. Hope these suggestions help!
I always bring back a 4 pack or two of NOLA MechaHopzilla and one of the seasonals from Bayou Teche. Right now, it's Miel Sauvage, which is a barrel aged braggot.
Isn't there a place where they get a good share of Cantillons? Maybe it was Avenue Pub? I remember a few people from Cali were writing about their Cantillon hauls.
Parish Brewingis releasing the Dr Hoptagon this week. If the bottle is as good as the draft was its great. 750mls.. At stiens deli I'm sure..l maybe rouses too.
Memories. Memories from top notch places like The Avenue Pub. Look at their list: http://theavenuepub.com/beer-spirits/big-beer-list
ave pub http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20010 & Steins http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16678
I was there a few months ago and I found the NOLA Hopitoulas to be great and their Irish Channel Stout to be awesome! Had them on tap at the Howling Wolf. Also, Sidney's on Decatur St. has a good selection of singles. I got a bunch of stuff that I can't find in MI. Edit: Oh, and Crescent City Brewing, on the same street, was pricy (and doesn't split checks) but it's good. There was another brewery close by that was closed for renovations at the time and I can't remember the name of it now, but it might be open by now and I originally wanted to go there because I heard good things. Maybe it was NOLA? I seriously can't remember at this point.
Yeah dude, come into NOLA's taproom on Friday and I'll be tending bar (my name's Joel, ask for me). Best to be there between 2 and 3 because that's when the tour is and they give away free beer for an hour. Also, everyone else's suggestions are spot-on except for the guy who recommended Crescent City brewhouse in your original post. That place sucks. Actually, your best bet is to stay out of the French Quarter completely because there are only one or two bars there that actually offer decent beer.
My trip in New Orleans got cut short but on a chance stop in a store in the French Quarter I got two bottles of Creme Brulee for 9 bucks a bottle
I went to Stein's Market & Deli. Found a few nice sours. And also found some of the biggest d-bags behind the counter.
We went on a Saturday afternoon around 3ish. The guy was asking if we could handle the sourness like we were tourists of craft beer. Food was good though.
