Brewery Tour: Bayou Teche Brewing

Google Maps put together an online tour back in 2013, which is a great way to get the feel of the place. However, the brewery has expanded significantly since then, with four new 60-barrel fermenters (each named for towns that sit on the banks of the Bayou Teche) installed at the end of last year. It’s also more crowded due to an ever-increasing number of whiskey, bourbon and wine barrels the brewers are using to age their beer.

The taproom serves Bayou Teche’s core lineup: LA 31 Biere Pale, the flagship “Louisiana pale ale," Passionee, a passion fruit wheat ale, LA 31 Biere Noir, a German-style schwarzbier, Boucanee, a cherrywood smoked wheat beer, and Acadie, a rustic French Bière de Garde-style ale. There will also be seasonal and barrel-aged beer available, along with taproom-only experimental beers. These guys will experiment with anything – in addition to hops, malt, and yeast tinkering, the brewery once served up a duck ale, based on the British “cock ale” style, with a duck stuffed with ginger and kumquats added to the boil. The beer sold out almost immediately. So, you never know what will be in store when visiting these crazy Cajuns.

If possible, check out the crawfish pond just behind the brewery. Not only are crawfish local delicacies, but their habitat is perfect for utilizing the naturally cleaned waste water that comes out of the brewery. The water is cleaned and treated through plants and other natural processes in a three-pond system designed by the University of Louisiana and the LSU Agriculture Department. It’s a great example of how attuned the brewery is to the balance of its surroundings on even the most basic level.

In addition to the brewery’s Saturday tours, arrangements can be made in advance for private tours for large groups, or even tours in French. The taproom is open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The brewery and taproom are closed on Sundays.

Bayou Teche Brewing

1106 Bushville Hwy.

Arnaudville LA 70512

[email protected]

(337) 754-5122

Tours

Saturday

10:30 a.m., Noon, 2 p.m., 6 p.m.

A view of the Bayou Teche from the brewery.