The Beer In Me

Conducted By: Andy of The Beer In Me
Interview With: David Blossman - President of Abita Brewing Company
Date: September 2009



Established in 1986, Abita Brewing Company is proud to be the oldest craft brewery in the southeast and one of the oldest craft breweries in the United States. Today, Abita Brewing Company is poised to go from one of the top microbreweries in the country to a nationally renowned household beer.

Andy: Where are you located?
Abita: Abita Springs, Louisiana

Andy: When did Abita open for business?
Abita: We started brewing beer in 1986.

Andy: Why did you select Abita Springs as your location?
Abita: Abita was chosen for its naturally perfect artesian water source.

Andy: In 1986, craft beer wasn’t as popular as it is today. The only other brewery in Louisiana operating at that time (that I know of) was Dixie. Who came up with the idea of starting Abita? Tell us the details of its formation and why someone took the risk of opening a craft brewery in Louisiana at that time?
Abita: Two home brewers decided to make their hobby their livelihood and started Abita Beer. I’ve always believed that passion drives us to work hard and take risks in life.

Andy: Can you tell us any facts or stories about Abita Brewing from its beginning up to today. Things that most of us may not be aware of?
Abita: We were self-distributed and were only available in draft until 1989.

Andy: Many craft breweries have come and gone in Louisiana since 1986 (Rikenjaks, Acadian, etc.). Why do you think Abita survived and was able to become so popular here in Louisiana and other parts of the country?
Abita: Abita is an innovator. We blazed the trail before anyone else and were already established way before others made a go of it. We’ve always put quality before quantity and that’s been reflected in the loyalty of Abita Beer customers.

Andy: What was the first beer Abita released and why?
Abita: Amber and Golden were our first beers. Amber was so different and extreme back then that we thought we needed Golden, a continental lager to appeal to a larger consumer base.



Andy: Who is your Brewmaster and can you tell us about him/her?
Abita: Mark Wilson grew up in New Orleans and in college became a home brewer. He started his brewing career with Abita in 1985 and learned the trade. He is a graduate of the World Brewing Academy in Munich Germany and is a very talented brewer and manager.

Andy: Was there any brewery/breweries that inspired your Brew master and Abita?
Abita: Well, I cannot speak for Mark. However, those that blazed the trail before Abita like Fitz Maytag and Ken Grossman have inspired me.

Andy: Where does Abita get their grains and hops from?
Abita: Our grains come from North America, UK, and Germany. We get our hops from the Pacific North West and Germany.

Andy: Abita Springs, Louisiana is known for its great tasting and pure water? Do you feel this adds to the quality of your beer?
Abita: Absolutely! Our water is so pure and it is perfect for making beer. We do not have to filter the water or even adjust the hardness or softness of the water. It is taken straight from our deep wells into the brewing process. It’s pure and untouched as nature intended.

Andy: Tell us about your year round beers.
Abita: Our year round offerings are Amber, Golden, Turbodog, Purple Haze, Light, Restoration Pale Ale, Jockamo IPA, Andy Gator, and Abbey Ale.

Andy: Tell us about your seasonal beers.
Abita: Our seasonal line up consists of Bock, Red Ale, Wheat, Fall Fest, and Christmas Ale.

Andy: What is your Flagship Beer, the one everyone seems to enjoy?
Abita: Amber is our most popular brand.

Andy: I’ve always enjoyed Turbodog and wondered about the name? What is the story behind Turbodog?
Abita: A visiting brewer from the UK joined the Abita team in making a beer to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Abita Beer. He brought a recipe for old dog ale, which was a mild brown ale. Well, our beer turned out to be much more robust and bigger than anticipated. Many names came up in a brainstorming and drinking session. Someone suggested that the beer was way too powerful to be an old dog and that it was turbocharged, hence the name Turbodog.



Andy: I know many fans of Abita would like to see you produce and bottle more extreme beers, which are beers that are not ordinary, somewhat unusual or unexpected? Personally I would like to see you bottle a Stout or Porter. Does Abita have plans to bottle these types of beers in the future?
Abita: A lot of our beers were considered extreme when they were introduced and very different from those available in the market. Our select draft program is a great testing ground for different and what some might call extreme styles and has consisted of such beers as dopple bock, oatmeal stout, saison, imperial Pils, abbey double, etc. You might see some similar offerings in our Big Beer in Big Bottles series.

Andy: I think your Big Beer Series was a great idea. I enjoy the 22 oz. bottles. Do you have plans for more beers in this series?
Abita: Yes, after we establish distribution for our existing products, we plan on expanding the offerings.



Andy: I also enjoy your Harvest Brews, which are really popular now. It’s a great lineup that includes Pecan, Strawberry and Satsuma. These beers use Louisiana ingredients. Do you have plans for more beers in this series? I was thinking blackberry or crawfish (just kidding).
Abita: We do not have plans for additional Harvest Brews at this time, but I’ll keep your suggestions in mind.



Andy: Have any of your beers won awards?
Abita: “Stuff Magazine” named Turbodog Best Beer In America. Food & Wine Magazine named us in the Top 20 Breweries. Amber has been voted best local beer year after year in local publications. Our Root Beer was recently honored by Draft Magazine as one of their favorites.

Andy: What are your top 5 Abita Beers (in no specific order)? My favorites are Turbodog, Christmas Ale, Pecan, Satsuma Wit and Abbey Ale.
Abita: I enjoy them all on different occasions and food parings. However, I tend to drink Jockamo, Select, Restoration Ale, Abbey Ale, and Christmas Ale the most.

Andy: Do you have any beers that are no longer available and why are they no longer produced?
Abita: We use to make Jockamo Stout a long time ago in nitrogen draft only. Bar tenders had a hard time accepting that it would take 3 to 4 minutes to pour a good pint, so we gave up on the brew.
Andy: I remember Jockamo Stout. I used to drink it at Lager's International Ale House in Metairie, Louisiana and thought it was great! I was really sorry to see it go.

Andy: Does Abita have a brewpub / restaurant?
Abita: Yes, the Abita Brew Pub sits on the original site of the brewery.




Andy: You recently opened a visitor’s center. Tell us about it?
Abita: I wanted our visitors to have a tour experience equal to the experience and quality of our brews. The place is spectacular, the tour is free and a good time is had by all visitors.

Andy: Does Abita have any upcoming or annual events we should know about?
Abita: We constantly have pub-crawls, beer dinners, and promotions that are listed and kept current on our web site.

Andy: What is the proudest moment in Abita history?
Abita: Immediately after hurricane Katrina we discovered that most of the brewery had miraculously been spared. We were so thankful and wanted to use our resources to help those who were struggling. So we did what we do best, we made beer. Restoration Pale Ale was created in the weeks following Katrina. With the help of our customers, the sales of the product raised over $550,000 for hurricane relief.



Andy: How much beer do you produce per year and has production increased?
Abita: We expect to sell about 90,000 barrels of beer this year and usually have double-digit growth.




Andy: Can you tell us any secrets about Abita? We won’t’ tell.
Abita: If I tell, then it will not be a secret.
Andy: OK, just checking.

Andy: What are some of the goals you would like to achieve in the future?
Abita: Our goal is to continue to produce world class, full flavored, all natural, ales and lagers that are valued by our customers.

Andy: What is your current Distribution Territory?
Abita: We are distributed in about 40 states.

Andy: Can you ship beer?
Abita: We only ship beer to our distributors on our fleet of tractor-trailers.

Andy: Do you offer any special items / collectibles?
Abita: Yes, we have all kind of cool stuff for sale at our visitor’s center and on line at -Website Link-.

Andy: Other than Abita, what are you top 5 favorite beers?
Abita: I like to try different styles and brands when I travel and usually try the local offerings.

Andy: What is your favorite brewery (other than Abita)?
Abita: Bridgeport in Oregon, Sierra Nevada in California, and Andech in Bavaria are some of the finest breweries in the world.

Andy: What’s your favorite city/town in Louisiana?
Abita: I love them all, but am partial to New Orleans. The neighborhood restaurants/ bars and architecture are unique and a treasure.

Andy: If you had to pick your favorite local food from this list, what would it be? Gumbo, Boiled Crawfish, Boudin, Hogshead Cheese, Crawfish Etouffee or Jambalaya?
Abita: I like them all and eat them regularly except Hogshead Cheese. I think you need to add raw and grilled oysters, smoked sausage, shrimp Creole, barbecued shrimp, alligator sauce piquante, corn maque choux, fried turkey, cochon de lait, and crawfish bisque to the list. Variety is the spice of life.
Andy: Good answer! You passed the test!



Contact Information:
Abita Brewing Company
21084 Highway 36
Abita Springs, LA 70433
Phone - 800-737-2311 ext 201, 202, or 206
e-mail: -Email-
Website: -Website Link-

We hope you enjoyed our interview with David Blossman - President of Abita Brewing Company. We want to thank the Abita Brewing Company for granting us our 7th interview! Being a native of Louisiana, this interview was very special to me (Andy) because Abita is one of the only operating craft breweries in Louisiana and they were responsible for making me a craft beer fan back in the mid 1980’s. I really enjoy their beers and I’m very glad to have them here in Louisiana. I wish them continued success!

We will continue to bring you interviews from other beer celebrities! Cheers!

You can review all of Abita’s Beers on our “Beer Reviews” section!

10.0 - 2 votes