Louisiana’s oldest and largest craft brewery has opened its second location in New Orleans along a riverfront strip that has emerged as the city’s unofficial “brewery row.”

Abita Brewing Company opened its New Orleans brewery and taproom Friday at 2375 Tchoupitoulas St. in the former home of Urban Roots Garden Center.

The 39-year-old brewery’s new location features 35 taps, a seven-barrel on-site brewing operation and a spacious outdoor area that attracted families on its opening weekend. Projectors are set up to turn the building’s walls into large TV screens for game days and other special events.

Abita representatives say the brewery will use the Tchoupitoulas location for smaller-scale beer production, in addition to offering its existing line of beers like Abita Amber, Andygator, The Boot and Jockamo Juicy IPA.

Current limited edition offerings include DeltaGator, Bourbon Barrel Aged Pecan, Maison Blanche, Vanilla Triple Dog Dare, Turbo Booster, Fruity Pebbles, Blueberry and a house beer.

Heidi Guerra, Abita’s vice president of marketing, said the soft opening of the new location has been a big success so far.

“Adding this second location in New Orleans just makes sense,” Guerra said. “This location gives us the opportunity and freedom to experiment and develop innovative beers and offerings, since we have the capabilities to brew on a smaller scale, which opens a plethora of options for our brewing team.”

After outgrowing its original location, Abita’s owners relocated its brewing operation to Covington in 1994 and turned the original location into its current taproom across the Tammany Trace from the Abita Springs trailhead. A $12 million expansion in 2013 allowed for the current brewing facility on La. 36 to handle increased demand.

The brewery has long touted its use of pure artesian spring water from the Southern Hills aquifer north of Lake Pontchartrain. 

That foundation will remain unchanged at the new location, with water trucked in across the lake to make its new brews.

“We are committed to our craft brewing principles and staying true to who we are,” Guerra said, “which means all our beverages crafted at the Tchoupitoulas location will be brewed with the same pure, artesian spring water as our northshore location.”

With 79,000 barrels produced in 2023, Abita was ranked the 33rd largest craft brewer in the nation by the Brewers Association — and the only one of the top 50 based on the Gulf Coast.

Abita’s new Irish Channel taproom joins a cluster of local breweries to set up shop nearby, with Miel Brewery & Taproom, NOLA Brewing, Port Orleans Brewing Co. and Urban South Brewery all located within a mile of it. 

A ribbon-cutting event is scheduled for March 26. Following its recent soft opening, taproom patrons on their first visit already had praise for its relaxed atmosphere.

The only thing missing at the moment, said Emerson Alvarez, is food. After enjoying some drinks, Alvarez and his companions were on the move to find some lunch.  

Guerra said Abita plans to offer a rotating selection of food trucks and vendors in the future.

“I’m glad that they finally came down to New Orleans,” Alvarez said. “Competition-wise, we’ll see how it goes, since they’re right in the middle of everybody.”