NEWS

From Clarionledger.com

ABITA SPRINGS, LA. — Amid a fortress of pines sits a Louisiana town known for its two liquid products: water and beer.

This St. Tammany Parish town - just a 2 1/2-hour drive from Jackson - is home to the Abita Brewing Co. And its freshwater aquifers are the best, locals promise.

Labels on beer bottles and Abita Springs water bottles have put the city on the map, despite its small population. Water has been closely tied to the origin of the 2,500-person town, located about 45 miles north of New Orleans.
Abita Springs was once a Choctaw village, and during the 1800s and early 1900s, it was a resort town for New Orleanians, who left the city for the town's medicinal springs.

That healthy water has been turned into a lucrative beer business, which still uses the town's aquifer as one of its core ingredients.

"In Abita, we are blessed with the purest of water," reads the company's website. "The result is beer that is the finest and freshest tasting as proven by our loyal customers and great chefs of the south who use Abita Beer in their recipes."

The brewery started in 1986, producing 1,500 barrels of beer in its first year. Now, more than 90,000 barrels are brewed annually. The brewery also produces 5,000 barrels of root beer.

Tours of the brewery are offered Wednesday through Saturday. Tours are free and include a sampling session of Abita's lineup of beers (yes, you have to be 21, even though it's Louisiana).

The original brewery has been converted into the Abita Brew Pub.

Abita-area native Brian Lozes said he has heard from visitors that the Abita Brewery and the Brew Pub were great experiences.

"I have heard the food is good and the beer, as always is good," Lozes said. "I was told, if you visit and are drinking - and who visits without drinking - you have to try the beer mixes. I've heard good things about the 'Barney,' which mixes Purple Haze and Andygator."

Abita Springs is more than beer. A cluster of restaurants sits at the town's central intersection, the corner of Louisiana 36 and 59.

One restaurant to check out is Mama D's Pizza, a recommendation of Ridgeland resident Ben Morvant, who grew up in nearby Covington, La.

"Abita is a great town to spend the afternoon in," Morvant said, recommending Jackson-area residents visit the town if they're ever heading that way. "If you don't have time to visit the town, you should at least drive through."
Cutting through town is the Tammany Trace, a 28-mile bike path connecting the town with other nearby cities. The trail is perfect for cyclists and joggers as it winds through the area referred to as New Orleans' Northshore.
Lozes also recommends visitors stop by the Abita House of Mystery, formerly called the UCM Museum (pronounced you-see-'em).

"I promise that you will never see any place like it in your lifetime. From the 1950s-style gas station entrance to the house of shards in the back, the Abita mystery house will amaze you with the moving models and antiques."
The museum was founded by Lozes' uncle, John Preble, one of the town's artists.

"I believe that the Abita mystery house is the one place that everyone should stop at. It is suitable for all ages and with it costing only $3, it's probably cheaper than that Abita, or two, that you'll buy at the pub."

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