New Orleans 2020 Brewery Guide
New Orleans, once a place with year-old IPAs collecting dust, is slowly turning into the next American craft beer city in need of a local guide.
Consider, early 2015 the entire state of Louisiana was home to only 17 breweries. A small number compared to visiting any major American craft beer destination city.
Some could argue with so many breweries oversaturating the market, finding a decent craft brew on vacation or checking out the latest release can become overwhelming.
But down in the Big Easy, New Orleans brews a new drinking culture for all locals and visitors to taste.
As the locals know, and any frequent visitor may discover, a whole other world exists beyond Bourbon and Canal Streets.
Adventuring into other New Orleans neighborhoods explores diverse atmospheres, energetic vibes, local seasonal favorites and refreshing experiences at some of our newest breweries.
While everyone else has enjoyed drinking fresh IPAs since 2011, New Orleans finally decided to make a move—the 6-month window from December 2016 to May 2017 brought New Orleans 5 new breweries.
Now, several years after the American craft beer boom, more locals and tourists are diving into the craft beer scene.
Check out our recent trip to 6 local breweries:
-Parleaux Beer Lab, Bywater neighborhood
-Brieux Carre Brewing, Marigny neighborhood
-Urban South Brewing, Uptown neighborhood
-NOLA Brewing, Uptown
-Miel Brewery & Taproom, Uptown
-Port Orleans Brewing, Uptown
To see a full New Orleans Brewery Guide, see our in-depth guide on our website:
Book a Brewery Tour online at NolaBrewBus.com
East Coast vs West Coast IPAs, what's the difference?
Brew Bus Shenanigans Episode 26
We spent some time in New Orleans Breweries drinking some amazing East Coast and West Coast IPAs.
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- [Narrator] East Coast, West Coast. East Coast, West Coast. What does it all mean? What's the difference between a West Coast and a East Coast IPA?
- Everything, everything is so different about those two beers. Wildly different. Water chemistry, style of hops, when the hops go in, everything.
- [Interviewer] You like West Coast or East Coast better?
- I respect both of the styles equally. And that's true.
- [Narrator] What's the difference between an East Coast and a West Coast IPA? IPAs are the number one selling category of craft beer, accounting for more than 25% of all craft beer sales.
If you've been a fan of craft beer for a while, you know about the long-debated West Coast versus East Coast IPA battle.
However, many of our customers tell us they don't even like IPAs. Then after three hours on our tour, they end up loving the new flavor they just tried.
There's a massive difference in flavor between each of them, with each head brewer offering a new, distinct perspective. So don't give up on IPAs just yet, and let's dive in and see what the folks love.
- So, what is the deal with all this haze-craze? East Coast, West Coast, what coast, East Coast or West Coast IPAs.
- East Coast, West Coast.
- All right, East Coast versus West Coast. West Coast is the old school IPA, very much a hop profile, lots of hop bitterness involved. The hops are really meant to shine. It's meant for, really just to make all those hops to burn those oils and release the bitterness.
- Yeah man, it's just, it's got everything to do with the bitterness.
- West Coast IPA, it's old school. I like the bitter hops there.
- [Interviewer] Yeah?
- Piney, piney.
- East Coast, all the way.
- East Coast, it's more balanced, the malts add more, a little bit of flavor towards sweetness. The hops actually get put in in the back half of the boil, which allows for the essential oils to really create those citrusy flavor.
- [Interviewer] We got Grant with Brieux Carre here. Grant, what is your opinion of East Coast versus West Coast IPAs?
- They both kinda have their positives. I tend to like a bit of a blend between the two.
- Feel like the East Coast, we're definitely on this trend right now that's blowing up all over the place. So crazy that you learn, it's like the spectrum of hops. So you got everything that's from like tree sap to almost like pot to coconut, pineapple, like these very tropical flavors.
- East Coast got the more juicy, no bitterness, very velvety taste.
- More hoppier.
- So we got the founder of NOLA Brew Bus right here behind me to say what his favorite West Coast or East Coast beer it is.
- This is a East Coast IPA. Trust me, it's worth the parking. Ah, I love the citrus and stuff with the pineapple.
- In my opinion, East Coast is a little more flavor. I respect both beers, but in my opinion, East Coast is the best.
- [Narrator] All right guys, thanks for tuning in to Brew Bus Shenanigans, Episode 26. Hope you learned a little bit about East Coast versus West Coast IPAs. Until next time, cheers.