Entry 3: New Orleans 2022, d.b.a. and Spotted Cat

Entry 3 in a series on New Orleans

On Sunday, after the Avenue Pub, we took a really long walk towards the Lower Garden District and Irish Channel. It was hot. We didn't stop anywhere along the way, even though there were plenty of good opportunities and if we didn't have to be somewhere by 5pm, we would have dipped down to Urban South or NOLA brewing or the others that are in the area. Next time, for sure!

Doug wanted to see the Palmetto Bug Stompers at d.b.a. so we Ubered over and got there before anyone else was there.

 Most of the time I wouldn't write specifically about a bar but I felt like our experience here was worth mentioning. 

We sidled up to the bar, and ordered a few things.

Doug ordered a DAT'SUMA IPA from Faubourg Brewing, and I got a High Noon Seltzer Peach (I do believe I had one at the Avenue too, but it's not beer so I didn't write it up). 

But, I will say the High Noon Seltzer is probably the best hard seltzer I've had.

Truly and White Claw are super gross in comparison and I can't believe people would pick that over High Noon if there's an option. High Noon is doing next level deliciousness, and the Peach is the best of them all (I had the Watermelon and Grapefruit too).  Do yourself a favor, if you see High Noon, get it instead.

The DAT'SUMA IPA was really good, very fruity, orange forward, flavorful. The taps were wonderfully cold, and we started having a wonderful conversation with the bartenders about craft brewing in New Orleans. Julie was wearing an Urban South shirt, so we asked about it and what her other favorite spots were. She noted we were there to see the band, and that we should go over to Zony Mash Beer Project on Tuesday for the Rebirth Brass Band and enjoy that. Tickets required, but worth the go. 

We noted that, enjoyed the band for three hours, and had more beers and seltzers. I didn't keep track, we were just in the moment, enjoying the folks at the bar, sampling shots of 21 Seeds Cucumber Jalapeño Tequila, which smelled like cucumber and bit like jalapeño. It wasn't bad, but I am not sure I'd get it for margarita making. 

Doug ended his night with a long time favorite, the Frambois by Brouwerij Lindemans. So delicious, wonderful, fruity, amazing. One of the best Lambics on the planet. And seeing as we didn't dive into any of the Boon offerings at the Avenue Pub, this was a good choice. 

d.b.a. doesn't serve food, and it was now late, and of course we were hungry. We missed our chance to grab a bahn mi from the market next door (again, on Julie's recommendation) so when the show ended we tried to grab something at Dat Dog. The balcony was closed, and the line was out the door so we walked across the street to Willie's Chicken Shack. We destroyed several pieces of chicken, and got daiquiris to go. I ended up with  brain freeze so vicious I had to hand mine over to Doug. It was horrible. And heartbreaking cause I kinda wanted the damn thing. Oh well.  

I'm grouping our d.b.a. visit with another stop a day or so later at the Spotted Cat Music Club. We found ourselves on Frenchman again, and it was the middle of the day. Not a lot was open over there yet, but we heard music coming from inside and decided to check it out. There was a trio playing, apologizing that their bass player wasn't there yet. But they were making due with the guitar, fiddle, and saxophone and it was wonderful to hear. 

We sat at the bar and I noticed they had two options from Zony Mash, where we'd be headed that very night. 

I had their seltzer, the Zony Pop Satsuma. It wasn't as good as High Noon but they're making it in bulk for national distribution and Zony Mash is a local brewery so their batches are smaller. It had a good flavor, and I'd have it again. 

I then tried their Be Present sour, which was super sour and fruity. Delicious.

 

Julie had mentioned that Zony Mash was doing some great work in the sours, and she wasn't kidding.  Trust the local bartender with the local craft beer t-shirt on. Always. We didn't stick around too long, and I got my head start on the Zony Mash Experience with these two tastes!

Entry 2: New Orleans 2022, The Avenue Pub

  Entry 2 in a series on New Orleans

In 2017, we visited New Orleans and were on a giant, long walk headed back towards the city from the Garden District. We made it to St. Charles and had hoped to catch a streetcar back to town but that line does not seem to have nearly enough cars. We walked for days. We stopped in at one bar which really sucked, and left after being ignored by the bartender. Walking a little further along, we found The Avenue Pub. It looked friendly. We went in. 

That visit ended up being one of my favorite stops at a bar/restaurant ever. Our beertender was delightful, the food was amazing, we sat and drank beers and talked Belgians and Brews for hours. We walked out to cooler air, and oh! A streetcar. And made it back to our hotel before the skies just parted and the city was awash. 

We knew we wanted to go back. The Avenue Pub was open 365/24/7 there in the pre-pandemic days, but now is not. It was Sunday, we knew they were closed Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday we had plans, so yes please. Let's go now. 

You may be surprised to learn that nothing has changed with the streetcar situation on St. Charles. Not sure what's up with that. Is there only one street car? We waited on line for a half hour and gave up and took an Uber over to the bar.

This isn't a brewery, which is okay. The focus is on the food and the beers they curate. 

Doug started with the Failed T-shirt Company from Rally Cap Brewing in Baton Rouge. It was a wonderful Oatmeal Stout, very malty and chocolatey. Usually on a hot day I wouldn't go in for a stout right off the bat (pun intended for the brewers) but we didn't walk all the way to the pub, and it just sounded good. I was happy he ordered it, and I had a good sample of it. 

By the way, I've been trying to drink less beer for my A1c lately, so I opted for a soda and vodka with lemon. I know, lame but. I'm trying to lower my numbers and I knew overall this trip was not going to help. At least Doug isn't against sharing.

For food, we started with me having a nice salad called the Smoked Cajun Shrimp Louis (our way) which was delicious. Doug was jonesing for the Toast aux Champignons which is basically sauteed mushrooms and onions in a cream sauce served with toasted bread. It doesn't sound mind blowing, but. Oh, it is.  He also ordered a Croque Madame, and loved it. 

I was about to order a sandwich or something more substantial than the salad when our waiter, James, came over to let us know that shortly there was going to be a Boon Brewery and a Chimay tasting, with a cheese board featuring Chimay Cheese. No need to order that sandwich, we are in. He described the cheese as "brie and cheddar had a baby" which hooked me completely, and that there would be two pieces of cheese. We thought the pieces of cheese were going to be small. But now. They were huge wedges and wonderful. 

The beer "flight" for the tasting was a few ounces of the Chimay classics we call White, Red, and Blue here in the US for their label colors. 

As you can see from the image below, the cheese board was amazing, the three Chimay chalices beautiful. We've had plenty of Chimay in our lives over the years. In fact, there are these same three sitting in the fridge that Doug got Geoff for Christmas this past year and he is "saving them for a special occasion." Maybe we'll get some cheese and build a board just like this. 

My only complaint about this cheese board was the grapes had seeds. Other than that, this was perfect.  We absolutely enjoyed every part of this, from the baby arugula, the perfectly toasted bread, the berries and walnuts. It was so perfectly done. I couldn't resist taking so many pictures of it. 

The Chimay distribution rep was in house, so she came over to chat with us after I had mentioned the beer blog to James. We had a great chat about Chimay, the brewing situation in NOLA, and how Guinness has helped the craft brewing scene in Maryland. 

All told, I feel like the Avenue Pub will always be a visit for us in New Orleans. Already can't wait to go back!

Entry 1: New Orleans 2022, Brieux Carré on a hot hot day

 Entry 1 in a series on New Orleans

Doug and I went on vacation to New Orleans to celebrate our 31st Wedding Anniversary. Beer Culture in New Orleans is pretty great. Last time we were there we only managed to get to one actual brewery at the Parleaux Beer Lab but enjoyed pints around town. 

This time, we enjoyed a few in person breweries, and also had pints around town. 

It's a blur, and I really need to start taking actual notes because ... well, beer. 

Here is where we went, and with the help of my camera and Untappd, let's unpack the brews. First Stop! 

Brieux Carré, Decatur & Frenchman
Located in a tiny doorfront on Decatur Street off Frenchman, there is a sweet little nano-brewery with a really nice patio. We checked into our hotel, had some lunch, and walked over on this blazing hot afternoon. 

Entering the brewery, the bar is on your right, tanks out behind, and a pathway out to the patio lies before you. There were only a couple people out back when we got there. As mentioned, it was brutally hot to this Mid-Atlantic gal, but we managed to snag a seat in the covered area of the patio by the one working fan and watched dozens of people flow back. 

Let me tell you, we hogged the shit out of that corner while sitting on high stools and using the big barrels as tables. I felt bad for others, looking for a breeze or respite. But without that fan, I wasn't staying. Thanks for having it there! 

I started with a Malcolm in the Mittlefruh, which I crushed in moments. My Untappd note is that it was a long walk but worth the trip. No real comment left on the beer, but as I recall it was perfect and refreshing after the stroll. Mind you, it was only a mile but... I'm delicate. Malcolm pictured below.

Doug started with (and I also ended up getting one for myself before we left) Moving to the City, Gonna Eat a Moderate Amount of Apricots. Duly noted at this point is the fun naming conventions Brieux Carré uses for their beers. This was a tremendously delicious sour, very fruity, and wonderful. The title indicates a "moderate" amount of apricots but no. This is a humongous amount of apricot flavor, and we both greatly enjoyed. 

It's hard to sing Presidents of the United States of America's "Peaches" with all the extra words mixed in to the title, but we did. 

Here's the Apricot:

Sticking with the fruities, we went to Ooh, Berry, I Like It Straw. It looked lovely and kind of thick and hazy. I was hoping the strawberry mash would kick me in the face as good as the apricot one, but it wasn't nearly as flavorful. 

I don't remember what other beer Doug got for round 2, but I for sure went to the apricots before we left. Again, I need to get better at this, take notes, and really check in correctly on Untappd so I can track everything. 

Here's the Ooh, Berry. I should have taken this in the sunshine instead of under the umbrella. Colors got muted and messed up as a result.

Doug got a T-shirt (his new thing is brewery shirts, I've noticed). We paid up, thanked the beertender who was rocking the place solo, and wandered off to enjoy Frenchman Street. 

Thanks Brieux Carré for a lovely visit. We'll be back next time we're in town.