Ale or lager, what ruins a beer before you open it, and why the best local brewery in the state is basically down the road.
Every beer in the cooler is one or the other, and the difference is the yeast. Ale yeast works warm and near the top, and throws off fruity, spicy character as it goes — that's where the flavor in a wheat beer or an IPA starts. Lager yeast works cold and slow near the bottom, and stays out of the way, which is why lagers taste clean. Everything else — color, strength, hops — is a choice made on top of that one fork in the road. Dark does not mean strong, and light color does not mean light beer.
Clean, crisp, and built to disappear on a hot afternoon. The hardest style to brew well, because there is nothing to hide behind.
Maltier and rounder, leaning toward bread crust, toast and caramel rather than hops. The middle of the road in the best sense — this is the crowd-pleaser at a cookout.
Brewed with a big share of wheat, which makes it hazy, soft and light on bitterness. The style that most often carries fruit well.
Hop-forward by definition. Ranges from piney and bitter to juicy and almost sweet depending on the hops. This is also the style that goes stale fastest — buy it fresh.
Dark malts roasted like coffee beans, which is exactly where the coffee and chocolate character comes from. Dark does not mean strong — plenty of stouts are lighter in alcohol than an IPA.
Sits in the beer cooler and sells like beer, but it is its own thing. Worth knowing which is which if you are watching what you are drinking.
Abita brews in Abita Springs — the same Northshore we have been selling on for decades. Most of the country has to import their local beer. Ours is made a short drive from the cooler it's sitting in, and we carry it deep: around 34 different Abita items across our stores, not the two or three a chain usually settles for.
That covers the year-round lineup people already know — Amber, Purple Haze, Turbo Dog, Andygator, Restoration, Light — alongside the ones worth a detour: the Macchiato Espresso Milk Stout, Maison Blanc, The Boot, Alphagator, Strawberry Lager, and the rotating seasonal. The party packs and gator packs are the cheapest way to find out which one is yours.
Louisiana brewing runs deeper than one name, and you'll find others on our shelves — Parish out of Broussard, Urban South, Gnarly Barley, Tin Roof. Selection moves around by store and by season.
Stock varies by location. Check what's on the shelf near you before you drive over.
This is the real one. Sunlight and fluorescent light react with hop compounds and produce the exact aroma people call “skunky” — and it can happen in minutes, not days. It is also why brown glass beats green, and why a can is the best package for beer there is. Nothing gets through aluminum.
Beer is a fresh product. Warmth speeds up staling, and the flavor drifts toward wet cardboard. Hoppy beer suffers first and worst — an IPA past its prime loses its aroma and keeps its bitterness, which is the wrong half to keep. Check the date on the package and buy the hoppy stuff young.
Ice cold suppresses aroma, and most of what you taste is aroma. Light lagers and seltzers are fine straight out of the ice. Ambers, browns, IPAs and stouts open up noticeably if you let them sit a few minutes — the beer you paid extra for is the one worth waiting on. And pour it into a glass. Drinking from the bottle means you never smell any of it.
We write beer guides like this one, and post what just landed on the shelf — new arrivals, seasonal releases, and the occasional allocated bottle. Follow along and you'll see it before you drive over.
Rather browse? See what's in stock or find your store.
You must be 21 or older to purchase alcohol. Please drink responsibly, and never drink and drive.
