Baton Rouge’s second craft brewery released two original beers to the public at the Zapp’s Beer Festival earlier this month, and co-owner Joseph Picou says Baton Rougeans can soon expect Southern Craft Brewing Company products at local restaurants and bars.
In May, the brewery on Airline Highway will open to the public as a tasting room and an outlet for Southern Craft merchandise. In addition to the brand’s two flagship beers, Picou says patrons will also be able to taste-test any experimental beers they’re brewing. He and business partner Wes Hedges hope to turn the tasting room into a full-blown tap room by the time football season rolls around.
After winning local and national homebrewing awards, Picou says he and Hedges realized they had the potential to turn a hobby into a full-time job.
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Picou, who has been homebrewing for 10 years, says Southern Craft will actively seek out a Southern ingredient to feature in each of its brews.
Red Stick Rye—the company’s first commercially brewed beer and a recipe that won second place at the 2011 National Homebrew Competition—uses a rye malt from Riverbend Malt House in North Carolina. The malt uses a rye grain that’s been grown in the South for about 200 years, Picou says.
The pair’s second beer, Pompous Pelican, is a double IPA with 8.4 ABV and features Louisiana raw cane sugar manufactured at M.A. Patout & Son in Patoutville, one of the country’s oldest sugar plantations.
“Pompous Pelican is a big, bold beer … hence the name,” Picou says, adding that the goal for this brew was to “stand up to Louisiana palates.”
Picou says he and Hedges began the Southern Craft endeavor after noticing that other parts of Louisiana, including New Orleans, Shreveport and Monroe, had several craft breweries.
“Tin Roof is a great company,” Picou says, “but we felt that Baton Rouge was lacking in comparison to other places that have more than one craft brewing company.”
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Picou and Hedges are in the process of distributing the two Southern Craft beers to local restaurants and bars. Residents can first expect to see them at the Bulldog, Parrain’s Seafood Restaurant, The Chimes, The Pelican House, Corporate Brew & Draft and new restaurant Overpass Merchant.
Red Stick Rye and Pompous Pelican are currently only available in draft form, but Picou says he and Hedges will begin plans for bottled or canned products for grocery store distribution later this year.
While the two are planning to release seasonal beers beginning this summer, no recipes are finalized yet, and Picou says residents should keep up with Southern Craft on Facebook for updates.
Southern Craft Brewing Company is at the Barringer Foreman Technology Park at 14141 Airline Highway. The upcoming tasting room hours are not yet finalized.