River Beats Exclusive Brewery Guide to New Orleans

The city of New Orleans has a rich history in many things. Food, and music, just to name a few. Festivals, and neighborhood movie theaters are some others. Another big one? A local beer brewery movement. In 1890, the city had over 30 different producers brewing up the good stuff.

Sixty years later, that number would be whittled down to four brewers controlling 80% of the market. Several years before Katrina, Dixie was the last remaining titan of Southeastern brewing, with the exception of Crescent City Brew House, which was not a distributor. In the years following Katrina however, craft brewing in the city has taken off in a way that mirrors the national trend.

Below, we have composed a guide to the breweries that are helping to keep the heart and soul of New Orleans pumping.

Our cyber tour will take you on an incredible trip around the southern curve of the city starting from the Irish Channel and ending in the Bywater. A smaller portion will have all the info you need for a small romp around Central and Mid-City(ish). 

Without further ado, we present our exclusive NOLA Brewery guide: 

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Breweries Down the River

Port Orleans Brewing Co.

Port Orleans Brewing Company began in 2016 when five-friends, including Saints lineman Zach Strief, decided to start a company that could fit into the New Orleans way of life they all knew and loved.

The result? A riverfront producer brewing up some town favorites such as Slackwater, a Brown Ale, and our personal favorite, Dorado, an incredibly cool Mexican Lager. Keep an eye out for some great seasonals, and enjoy them as a start to our local brewery guide.

Location: 4124 Tchoupitoulas St
Hours: 11 am to 10 pm, Closed Tuesday
Happy Hour: Yes, but hours not available.
Food: The in-house eatery known as Stokehold offers up a bar tasty menu. We like the spent-grain pretzels, and drowning our tummies with the Cajun poutine.
Tours: 1pm & 3pm, Sat-Sun

NOLA Brewery and Taproom

NOLA Brewing came to life in a post-Katrina city yearning to get back to its rich brewing roots. Legend has it that the words, “Brewed in Wisconsin”, printed on the side of a Dixie bottle, are all it took to get this new city staple started.

While we’re excited to hear that Dixie (now brewed in Memphis) is planning a return to the Big Easy, we’re happy that such awesomeness could emerge from their hiatus.

Location: 3001 Tchoupitoulas St
Hours: 8 am to 11 pm, Daily
Happy Hour: No information was available, so we’re gonna guess that’s a no.
Food: McClure’s BBQ
Tours: 2pm, Fri & 2pm, Sat-Sun

Miel Brewery & Taproom

Miel Brewery is one of the newest additions to the scene, and its a beautiful one at that. Originally intending to make mead, the duo behind the scenes moved to brewing beer instead, due to licensing.

Fortunately for us, beekeeping and honey run in the family. It’s used as an ingredient in their special brews, which also feature components sourced from local producers like Paradigm Gardens and Mojo Coffee. We like where this company is headed.

Location: 401 6th St
Hours: 2 pm to 10 pm, Tue-Sun & 11 am-11 pm, Fri-Sat
Happy Hour: No Happy Hour specials are offered.
Food: Miel does not provide food (except Zapps). Instead, it offers diverse popups and food trucks offering Columbian, Jamaican and Asian-fusion flavors, to name a few.
Tours: No tour schedule has been established, but the website encourages contact to set one up prior to visiting.

Urban South Brewery

Urban South Brewery is the tap-room everyone is talking about. This especially after an exciting release for the new round of summer seasonals coming to tap. Their large, open hall has plenty of space to spread out, and tons of fun games to play. Beers like the Holly Roller and Coop’d Up Farmhouse Sour have been holding it down for a while now.

It is a crucial stop on anyone’s beer tour of New Orleans, and one of our favorites of this guide.

Location: 1645 Tchoupitoulas St
Hours: 12 pm to 9 pm, Mon-Fri & 11  am to 9pm, Sat-Sun
Happy Hour: No info available
Food: No, but hosting popups from food trucks of varied cuisines.
Tours: 12 pm to 7 pm, on the hour, Fri-Sun

Courtyard Brewery

Courtyard Brewery is often referred to as a “small-batch nano-brewery”, which is as accurate of a description as we’ve ever heard. The small warehouse is low-key and lowbrow.

The beers they make, however, are anything but. A peanut butter stout known as Actual Void is tops on our list. Word is that their bringing the game to a new spot in Mid-City, and we couldn’t be more excited.

Location: 1020 Erato St
Hours: 11 am to 10 pm Sun-Wed & 11 am to 11 pm Thur-Sat
Happy Hour: Information not available.
Food: Hosting various food trucks Tuesday & Thur-Sun
Tours: Information not available.

Crescent City Brew House

In 1991 Crescent City Brew House opened their doors as the first new brewery to kick up an operation in New Orleans since Prohibition. Since then, it’s been a French Quarter staple, receiving the Vieux Carre City Council Award for a stunning renovation of a historic building. Drinking here brings all that to life.

Location: 527 Decatur St
Hours: 11:30 am to 10 pm, Sun-Thur & 11:30 am to 11 pm, Fri-Sat
Happy Hour: …
Food: The Brew House offers a menu that holds all the flavors of the Gulf, including fried alligator, pan-fried shrimp, and a seafood cheesecake.
Tours: …

Brieux Carre Brewing Company

Brieux Carre has been open since April of 2017, serving creative and crafty beers to happy patrons of Treme and the French Quarter. They might say their approach is laissez-faire, but beers like the 8.1% ABV IPA Falcon Warrior make it seem much more direct.

With some other offerings that boast equally as hilarious names and even more impressive flavors, this stop along your Brewery Guide route is sure to be anything other than lazy.

Location: 2115 Decatur St
Hours: 11 am to 10 pm, Daily
Happy Hour: No
Food: Brieux Carre follows in the steps of many other taprooms by outsourcing their grub to local popups and food truck vendors.
Tours: On request, depending on customer volume

Parleaux Beer Lab

Parleaux Beer Lab is the perfect place to end your river flowing brewery bonanza. The neighborhood focused taproom offers a perfect compliment to the funky features of our city, doing it in the way only a real Bywater establishment can.

With tours, Happy Hour, and a loaded calendar of special events, Parleaux is a family environment that everyone in New Orleans can enjoy. We like their Hop Forward IPA, but have been known to toss back a few Bohemian Pilsners as well.

Location: 634 Lesseps St
Hours: 12 pm to 10 pm, Sun-Mon/Thur-Fri & 11 am to 10 pm, Saturday, Closed Tue-Wed
Happy Hour: Yes
Food: Offers popups of various flavors including TacoCat, Asian fusion, and an excellent crawfish boil when in season.
Tours: The folks at Parleaux are happy to show you around their brewery.

Mid-City Brewing

Broad Street Cider

Broad Street Cider emerged from a world-traveling couple who, in their own words, “love drinking cider and beer in bars and taprooms and talking about craft beverages with everyone”.

It’s one of those ideas that’s just so simple, it might work. So far, it has. The ciders at Broad Street are not what you would expect if you’re the typical drinker of Angry Orchard or Woodchuck. The beverages served here are a little less than sweet, a bit more dry, and just a little tart. Head to Broad Street Cider if you’re looking to imbibe with full flavor.

Location: 2723 S Broad St
Hours: 4 pm to 9 pm, Tue-Thur & 1 pm to 10 pm, Fri-Sat, Closed Sun-Mon
Happy Hour: No
Food: The food situation at Broad Street is bring your own.
Tours: No

Big Easy Bucha

This stop on our Beer Guide may not have all the beer you’re looking for, it does offer a nice reprieve in that its a pit-stop for the health conscious.

Big Easy Bucha has been slinging the probiotic beverage for several years now, beginning in 2015 and rapidly expanding.

Their home base here in the city is the largest kombucha brewing operation in the Southeast, helping it hold down a spot on our list of the best breweries around.

Location: 4040 Euphrosine St
Hours: 10 am to 4 pm, Mon-Thur, Closed Fri-Sun
Food: No
Tours: During operating hours

Second Line Brewing

If ever there was a time when the idiom “last but not least” applies, it is now. Second Line Brewing is the heavy hitting all-star from Mid-City offering delectable beers such as the Batture Blonde, and the blood orange Saisson Named Desire. The taproom’s outdoor area is large, spacious, and super pet-friendly.

Location: 433 N Bernadotte St
Hours: 4pm to 10pm, Wed-Fri, 12pm to 10pm, Sat & 12pm to 8pm, Sun, Closed Mon-Tue
Happy Hour: No
Food: Second Line follows in true brewery fashion by offering a space for popups and food trucks.
Tours: All you have to do is ask!

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Beer is great, and its role in New Orleans culture is even greater. We here at River Beats ask that you indulge responsibly, and rely on the appropriate resources to get yourselves around safely.