Jim Patton (February 24, 1953—October 23, 2012) was an anthropologist and craft beer brewer. He was considered one of the pioneers in the craft beer brewing industry. He was one of the founders of the

Abita Brewing Company The Abita Brewing Company is a brewery in Covington, Louisiana, United States, 43 miles (69 km) north of New Orleans. Abita was founded by Jim Patton and Rush Cumming in 1986, in downtown Abita Springs, Louisiana. The original locatio ...

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 ...

. He also brewed beer for Key West Brewery and Wynwood Brewing in Miami, FloridaMinsky, David
"Jim Patton, Abita Founder and Wynwood Brewing Genius, Dead at 59"
Miami New Times, Miami, 31 October 2012. Patton's first career was as a cultural anthropologist. He received a doctorate in the subject from

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexington ...

. His specialty was Andean agricultural economics. Patton taught at

Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University (Southeastern) is a public university in Hammond, Louisiana. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims as Hammond Junior College. Sims succeeded in getting the campus moved to north Hammond in 1928, when it becam ...

in Hammond, Louisiana and

Xavier University of Louisiana Xavier University of Louisiana (also known as XULA) is a private, historically black, Catholic university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the only Catholic HBCU and, upon the canonization of Katharine Drexel in 2000, became the first Cathol ...

. He eventually quit those jobs to become a full-time brewer. Patton co-founded the

in 1986. The first Abita Beer debuted on July 4 that same year in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and

Mandeville, Louisiana Mandeville is a city in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. Its population was 11,560 at the 2010 U.S. census, and 13,192 at the 2020 United States census. Mandeville is located on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, south of Inters ...

was the first craft brewery to open in the South. Patton was instrumental in creating many of the recipes for the beers that Abita still produces today. Patton sold his share in the

in 1997 and co-founded the Zea Rotisserie and Brewery where he was also the brewmaster. Later, he would brew beer for Key West Brewery and Wynwood Brewery in Miami, Florida. Patton was also interested in wine making and worked for wineries in California and Oregon. Jim Patton died in Miami on October 23, 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patton, Jim 1953 births 2012 deaths Washington and Lee University alumni Southeastern Louisiana University faculty American anthropologists American brewers People from Abita Springs, Louisiana