New Orleans Beer Spotlight: Avenue Pub

Yes, yes, I've been away for a bit but I swear I'm trying!! I've been really busy at work helping build our customer base and when I get home I'm beat. Not only that but this New Orleans heat really saps your energy dry!

Anyways, enough excuses! I wanted to start a new segment called New Orleans Beer Spotlight in which I focus on places here in New Orleans to get great beer. Things are truly changing here with the New Orleans beer scene and I am lucky enough to be a part of it. My first New Orleans Beer Spotlight pick Avenue Pub, has in my opinion become one of the BEST beer bar in New Orleans. I know, you're thinking I'm an idiot and have no clue what I'm talking about because I didn't pick The Bulldog or Cooter Browns but you're going to have to trust me on this one folks. Don't get me wrong both of those places are great and will be featured later on but you need to check out Avenue Pub!



Located on St. Charles Avenue(1732 St. Charles Ave.) the Avenue Pub is open 24 hours a day and 7 days week. After the current owner's(Polly Adler) father passed away she took over and made some major changes some which included the balcony, the second floor party room, the bathrooms and more importantly the draft system. In 2008 Polly dropped a lot of money in her draft system and now it is the best draft beer in town using a nitrogen/CO2 gas mix. She is also very particular about her draft lines making sure these are cleaned regularly. Clearly a better draft system deserved better beers on tap and Polly has made some incredible changes to her draft selection. With selections like Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA, Delirium Tremens, NOLA Blonde and Brown, Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan, Brooklyn Lager, North Coast Brother Thelonius and 23 more(30 taps total) how could you go wrong! Just recently she purchased a beer engine and firkin and will be the first place in all of Louisiana to serve cask conditioned ale. Her bottle selection is pretty impressive as well with the likes of Mikkeller IPA series, North Coast Old Rasputin, Brooklyn Local 1 and Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye to just name a few. The Avenue Pub is also currently doing great beer dinners and other beer events throughout the year so sign up on their email list to get all the updates!

So yeah, Pub is in the name and implies that food is served there. This is where you're thinking "I knew it was to good to be true. The food must suck." This is where you would be totally wrong. This is where it gets so much better. How could it get any better you ask? One name. J'anitas. Craig and Kimmie Giesecke are the culinary geniuses behind such dishes as The Sweetspot Burger(burger marinated in Cabernet, caramelized onions, caramelized pears, blue cheese and a balsamic reduction glaze), The St. Chuck Duck( a roast duck sandwich!) and of course my favorite...Buddha's Temptation(apricot stuffed with bleu cheese, wrapped with bacon and then fried!). This most definitely ain't your daddy's pub grub!!! Great beer and great food! It's the perfect combination!! You can go to the website to check out J'anitas hours.




So there you have it. Without a doubt, Avenue Pub is one of the best beer bars in New Orleans. You can think it's The Bulldog or Cooter Browns, everyone has their favorite, but trust me check this place out and I promise you'll be pleasantly surprised! Tell 'em Buddha sent you! You won't get anything for it but you can still tell em!

Cheers!

The Beerbuddha