The Abita Brewing Company is a

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

Covington, Louisiana Covington is a city in, and the parish seat of, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 11,564 at the 2020 United States census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River. Covington is part o ...

, United States, 43 miles (69 km) north of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. Abita was founded by Jim Patton and Rush Cumming in 1986, in downtown

Abita Springs, Louisiana Abita Springs is a town in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,365 at the 2010 census, up from 1,957 in 2000. It is part of the New Orleans– Metairie– Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Abi ...

. The original location in downtown Abita Springs is now the Abita Brew Pub.

Brewery

The company brews its beer with water from artesian wells. In August 2005, '' Stuff Magazine'' called Abita's Turbodog Ale the best beer made in America. Abita Bock was listed among the Top 10 Spring Beers by Fox News in 2012. Abita Bock is the brewery's first seasonal brew and is available January - March.

Production

In 1986, the company produced 1,500 barrels of beer. In 2011, Abita brewed over 130,000 barrels of beer and 5,000 barrels of

root beer Root beer is a sweet North American soft drink traditionally made using the root bark of the sassafras tree '' Sassafras albidum'' or the vine of '' Smilax ornata'' (known as sarsaparilla, also used to make a soft drink, sarsaparilla) as the ...

. In August 2013, the company announced it would add another 200 barrel brewing system to its existing 100 barrel system, increasing its capacity from 150 bottles per minute to 400 per minute. The Abita Brewing Company produces seventeen year-round flagship brews (Andy Gator, Strawgator, Abita Amber, Alphagator Golden, Light, Turbodog, Purple Haze, Jockamo I.P.A. and Restoration Pale Ale), five

seasonal beer A seasonal beer is a beer that is typically brewed during or for a particular season, holiday or festival period. Many breweries and microbreweries produce seasonal beers. Seasonal beers may be produced when fresh ingredients are available during v ...

s, three Harvest brews, four Big Beers, and others a draft-only series of Select beers and a root beer all from a state-of-the-art brewing complex.

Non-Alcoholic Beverages

The company also produces Abita

, which differs from many others in that it is made with Louisiana sugarcane rather than

high-fructose corn syrup High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), also known as glucose–fructose, isoglucose and glucose–fructose syrup, is a sweetener made from corn starch. As in the production of conventional corn syrup, the starch is broken down into glucose by enzy ...

. Abita also produces a

King cake A king cake, also known as a three kings cake, is a cake associated in many countries with Epiphany. Its form and ingredients are variable, but in most cases a () such as a figurine, often said to represent the Christ Child, is hidden insid ...

flavored soda, usually sold around Mardi Gras.

Distribution

Abita's flagship beers are sold in 46 US states and

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. Abita Brewing Company was the 15th largest Craft Brewery and the 24th largest brewery of any category in the United States ranked by volume sold in 2010. In February 2012, the company began distribution of three of its flagship brews in cans: Amber, Purple Haze and Jockamo I.P.A. In 2015, Abita became the first craft beer available in Aruba, exclusively distributed by Bourbon Express and currently by Divino N.V. per April 2018. As from February 2016, Turbodog, Wrought Iron IPA and the Abita Root Beer are also available in Germany. Abita beer is currently served at Disney's Port Orleans Resort, a hotel/resort located in

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

in the Orlando, Florida area. The resort, themed after New Orleans, serves Abita on tap at restaurants and bars on site.

Abita Brew Pub

The Abita Brew Pub, under independent ownership, is located at the original brewery location in Abita Springs and features Abita beers, with some brews exclusive to the brew pub, under a close partnership with the brewery.

References

External links

* {{coord, 30.4824087, -90.056605, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-LA, display=title Beer brewing companies based in Louisiana Buildings and structures in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Tourist attractions in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana American companies established in 1986 Food and drink companies established in 1986 1986 establishments in Louisiana