JULY-AUGUST_2016-FinalLR

the Cocktail issue

Fridays when their tap room is open 5-8pm, with free tours at 6pm and 7pm. Out in the Lafayette area, the rural background of Bayou Teche Brewing’s Arnaudville taproom is the perfect place to enjoy a beer Monday-Thursday, 11am- 6pm, Friday and Saturday, 11am-8pm, and Sunday from 11am-6pm. On Saturdays, enjoy live Cajun music as well as tours running from 11:30am-6:15pm. In Broussard, Parish Brewing’s tap room is open Monday-Wednesday, 2-8pm, Thursday and Friday, noon-9pm, and Saturday, 11am-7pm. They also provide beer to go in “crowlers,” a canned 32-oz beer container. Free tours take place on Saturdays at noon, 1pm, and 2pm. Heading to the south a bit in Thibodaux, Mudbug Brewing’s taproom is usually open starting at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, closing at 10pm on Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday. No formal tour times, but they are available upon request. Way up in Northwest Louisiana, visit Great Raft Brewing on Wednesday-Friday from 4-9pm and Saturday from noon-9pm. Free tours are available on Saturdays at 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm and last approximately 20- 30 minutes. Although free, they do suggest making a donation to help support various animal rescue organizations in the area. Cross state lines to Lazy Magnolia Brewing in Kiln, Mississippi. Although state law prohibits breweries selling beer to consumers directly in taprooms, Lazy Magnolia does offer tours with tastings on Thursday and

tours & tastings by Nora D. McGunnigle

Rouses stocks the largest selection of local beers, craft beers, hard sodas and shandies on the Gulf Coast.

A s the number of the region’s breweries increases, there are more and more opportunities to connect with the people and places that brew the beer you love. NOLA Brewing’s new taproom is open every day from 11am-11pm, serving the brewery’s flagship and experimental brews as well as McClure’s BBQ. Free tours of the brewery happen on Fridays at 2pm (with free beer from 2-3pm) and on Saturdays between 2-4pm. Urban South is New Orleans’ newest brewery, open onThursday and Fridays from 4-9pm, Saturdays, noon-9pm, and Sundays between 2-8pm. Tours take place at 5pm and 7pm onThursdays and Fridays, and at 3 pm, 5pm, and 7pm over the weekend. Right across the Orleans-St. Bernard Parish line in Arabi is 40 Arpent Brewing, which offers free tours on Friday evenings from 5-7pm. Stop by to try some beers, take the tour and eat from local food truck vendors. Across Lake Pontchartrain on the Northshore, Chafunkta Brewing also does a “Free Tour Friday” from 6-8pm at their tiny Mandeville brewery. From there, head to Covington Brewhouse’s taproom, open

Wednesday-Friday, 5-9pm, Saturday 11am- 9pm, and Sunday noon-6pm. They also offer free tours on Saturdays at 11:30am, 1pm, and 2:30pm. Louisiana’s oldest brewery, Abita, is just down the street from Covington Brewhouse, and their newly redesigned taproom and visitors center is where to catch the guided tour, which happens every half hour onWednesday andThursday from 2-3pm, Friday from 1-3pm, Saturday from 10:30am-3pm, and Sunday from 2-3pm. It costs $5 and includes a flight of four 4-oz pours of beer.There’s also a self-guided tour option, available on: Sundays, 11am-1pm; Monday and Tuesday, 10am-2pm; and Wednesday and Thursday, 10am-1pm. On Saturdays, check out Gnarly Barley in Hammond, which is open to the public from noon-3pm, with a free tour at 1pm, and pints for purchase. In Baton Rouge,Tin Roof ’s tap room is open Wednesday-Friday 4-10pm, Saturday noon- 10pm, and Sunday noon-8pm. Tours begin at 6pm on Friday and 3pm on Saturday. Check out Baton Rouge’s newest brewery, Southern Craft Brewing Company, on

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MY ROUSES EVERYDAY JULY | AUGUST 2016