Like a little weirdness with your brews? Here are a few Southern beers you should try.
Fairhope Brewing Company, Fairhope, Alabama
Because it’s Alabama, there’s a S’Wheat Home, and because it’s Fairhope close to Gulf beaches, there’s Beach Day IPA. Judge Roy Bean coffee stout is our favorite, a beer brewed with coffee from the Fairhope Roasting Company (which serves up delicious coffee at The Warehouse, a hip new eatery.) The name is a nod to a former Alabama Eastern Shore landmark.
Bayou Teche Brewing of Arnaudville, Louisiana
This craft brewery located outside Lafayette, Louisiana, embraces its Cajun and Creole heritage with beers named Cocodrie (French for Alligator) Passionné for the passion fruit that grows in South Louisiana and Saison D'Ecrevisses, a beer to complement crawfish season. Visit on weekends and there’s everything from live Cajun music to yoga at the brewery.
Mississippi
Southern Prohibition Brewing in Hattiesburg takes the prize for the best names in Mississippi beers. Look for Jack the Sipper, Mississippi Fire Ant and Sinister Minister. We actually sampled the Freemason Golden Ale of Chandeleur Island Brewing Company of Gulfport, and even though the name’s not that romantic, it went oh so well with the fish tacos at The Blind Tiger in Bay St. Louis (pictured at right).
It’s a Deep South brewery, which is why you’ll see names such as Hop Dang Dippity, Redneck Christmas Stout Ale and Fixin’ To India pale ale. One of our favorites has a story to tell. Cooter Brown, naturally a brown ale, is named after a Civil War-era man who stayed drunk during the length of the war so he wouldn’t have to fight. Man after our own heart.
Audacity Brew House of Denton, Texas
Be careful who you mess with in Texas for its an open carry gun state. Maybe that’s why Audacity named one of its beers Bulletproof. The Texas Pale Ale is brewed with Texas craft malts and Texas-grown grapefruit. Other beers include the Repercussion German amber ale and the Black Widow Imperial Chocolate Stout. Again, I would tread lightly with these guys.
Great Raft Brewing, Shreveport, Louisiana
Like a Belgian dark ale? How about the Awkward Uncle from Great Raft Brewing? This malty ale is “Big and boozy, just like the best and worst family gatherings,” is how the owners describe it. Other funny names include Southern Drawl, All My Tomorrows and Mixed Feelings. Our favorite is the Reasonably Corrupt black German lager that goes down smooth. And Great Raft has a fabulous tasting room (at right).
Creature Comforts of Athens, Georgia
Bibo pilsner, Tropicalia American IPA, Koko Buni and Cosmik Debris are some of the beers you’ll find at Creature Comforts, a spacious Athens hangout with the brewery in full view. Some seasonal brews to enjoy, according to their website, are variations on Athena Paradiso, including tart cherry, guava and passion fruit and cherry, raspberry and cranberry.
Cheré Dastugue Coen is an international food and travel writer living in South Louisiana. She is also the author of several Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire and the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.