BREW celebrates fifth anniversary with unique creations
This fall is going to be an especially wonderful few months for area craft beer connoisseurs. After watching from the sidelines as craft breweries like Abita, Tin Roof, NOLA Brewing Company and Bayou Teche Brewing have flourished in southern Louisiana, local beer-lovers will finally get to taste craft beer produced in Shreveport-Bossier City, courtesy of two soon-to-open breweries: Great Raft Brewing and Red River Brewing.
Red River Brewing plans to open by Sept. 1 at 1010 Marshall St. near downtown Shreveport. Great Raft Brewing Company plans to open in October at 1251 Dalzell St. Both breweries are run by locals whose depth of brewing expertise and passion for creating peerless craft brews should translate into Shreveport-Bossier City becoming a must-visit destination for the travel-inclined craft beer crowd.
Red River Brewing started out as two friends, Jared Beville and Robert McGuire, creating home-brewed beer in a modified crawfish pot. As their passion developed from a hobby to a business venture, the duo added a third partner, Beau Raines, and began to develop plans to open a local brewery. Their list of beers, which includes a wheat ale cleverly called “The Hay Ryed” and a blonde ale dubbed “The Blonde Bomber” in homage to Barksdale Air Force Base, will be distributed to local bars and restaurants by Glazer’s. Plans are being made to host occasional tours of the brewing facility. More information is available at www.redriverbeer.com.
Great Raft Brewing, the brainchild of husband-and-wife duo Lindsay and Andrew Nations, is currently in the final stages of renovating an enormous facility on Dalzell Street, with plans to open for business during the month of October. Lindsay and Andrew Nations, along with their chief brewer, Harvey Kenney, regularly appear at festivals, fundraisers and other public events, sharing samples of Great Raft brews and spreading the word about their upcoming grand opening. The first slate of beer offerings on tap at Great Raft will include some unique-sounding options such as “Depeche Mode,” a seasonal beer brewed with peaches for a subtly sweet aroma and taste. Great Raft Brewing’s facility will include a tasting room and regularly-scheduled facility tours will be offered. For more information, visit www.greatraftbrewing.com.
Along with new breweries to sample, regional beer-lovers can enjoy two upcoming festivals dedicated to beer. Shreveport Oktoberfest will be held Sept. 28 at Zocolo in Ashley Ridge. The Oktoberfest schedule for 2013 includes authentic German music by Prost, a “Bier Girls” photo booth and a traditional beer-carrying contest called a “Maskrugstemmen.” Tickets are $50. Food is included in the price of tickets, but beer must be purchased. For more information, visit www.shreveportoktoberfest.com.
BREW, a beer-themed fundraiser benefiting Mudbug Madness and the Red River Revel, is held annually in downtown Shreveport’s Festival Plaza. BREW will celebrate its fifth anniversary 2 to 6 p.m. Oct. 19. One unique aspect of BREW is the role that local home brewing clubs play in the event. Organizations like the Malt Munching Mash Monsters of Bossier City, Shreveport-Bossier’s largest home brewing club, share tasting samples of their unique creations at BREW. Also available are more than 100 domestic, foreign and craft beers provided by local distributors. BREW also features a wide variety of food options provided by some of Shreveport-Bossier’s best restaurants. Tickets are $50 each and may be purchased at www. shreveportbrew.com.
For more information on things to see and do in Shreveport-Bossier, visit www.shreveportbossier.org or www.sbfunguide.com.
Chris Jay is Public Relations and Social Media Manager for the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau. He blogs about life in Shreveport-Bossier at www.20x49.com. Chris can be reached at cjay@sbctb.org.
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