(Abita Springs, LA) — Twenty five years ago in downtown Abita Springs, a small southern town just north of New Orleans, a beer was born. This high quality craft brew was made with all natural ingredients and Abita Springs’ famous artesian water. Today, just a mile and a half from the original location, the Abita Brewing Company has become the oldest and largest craft brewer in the southeast.
From a humble beginning of just 1,500 barrels of beer in 1986, brewing for Abita should exceed 130,000 barrels in 2011. Abita Golden and Amber were the original beers produced by Louisiana’s first craft brewery. Now the Abita Brewing Company produces seven year-round flagship brews, five seasonal beers, three Harvest brews, four Big Beers, a draft-only series of Select beers and a root beer all from a state-of-the-art brewing complex.
Introducing 25th Anniversary Vanilla Doubledog
To mark this wonderful milestone, Abita Brewing Company has created a special commemorative brew, 25th Anniversary Vanilla Doubledog. The robust dark ale has flavors of chocolate, toffee and vanilla. It is brewed with generous amounts of pale, caramel and chocolate malts and Willamette hops. Whole natural vanilla beans are added during the aging process. 25th Anniversary Vanilla Doubledog is packaged in a commemorative, 22-ounce anniversary bottle illustrated with a design inspired by classic New Orleans wrought iron. The Doubledog brew is a tribute to Abita’s Turbodog, which was originally created as an anniversary beer in 1989. Today, Turbodog is an Abita Flagship brew and sold year-round.
History of the Abita Brewing Company
The brewery was founded in 1986, but Abita Beer was not available in bottles until 1989. In 1994, the brewery moved to the site of their current operations on Highway 36. Just two years later, in 1996, Abita’s production had more than doubled, reaching 33,000 barrels annually.
Twenty-five years later, the company continues to grow. In 2012 Abita Beer will introduce Abita in cans for the very first time. Abita is the 24th largest commercial brewer by production volume in the nation and the 15th largest craft brewer in the United States.
Brewed Locally, Loved Nationally
From its small beginning in Abita Springs, the popularity of this Louisiana brew has grown and today Abita Beer is sold in 46 states and Puerto Rico. Abita is a favorite of chefs across the country and is enjoyed on-screen in the popular HBO programs Treme and True Blood. Abita Brewing Company produces seven flagship brews year-round: Abita Amber, Golden, Light, Turbodog, Purple Haze, Jockamo I.P.A. and Restoration Pale Ale.
