November Exhibits
October 31, 2013
Imagination guides Louisiana Renaissance Festival
October 31, 2013
Bayou Beer Society co-founder Joel Ohmer’s account of how the group started is this: “We stumbled upon this old, musty tome, a huge book bound in leather with Bavarian writing on it from my ancestors back in Germany that said, ‘Go, ye, and start a beer society.’”
The real story is that he and fellow founder Jim Barrett would buy different types of beer each week, get together and share their opinions of each variety. After attending the New Orleans on Tap Beer Festival, they decided to establish the Bayou Beer Fest in Houma.
“The pilgrims on the Mayflower were sailing down the coast trying to find the perfect spot when they realized, ‘Oh, we’re out of beer. Land here.’ I’m totally serious,” Ohmer said. “It’s things like that, that fascinate us about beer.”
The Beer Society’s other members are Charles Gaiennie and Willie Rollins, who recalled that he discovered craft beer in his pursuit of American-made products. He said that his tastes have expanded since then and that the festival gives people the opportunity to get recommendations from brewers:
“If you’re not sure whether you would like something or not, you can talk with somebody
and say, ‘This is what I typically drink. Can you point me to something that I might like?’”
One vendor at the Bayou Beer Fest is Which Craft bar in Houma. Co-owner Donny Terrebonne said he became interested in trying new beer varieties around age 21 when George Killian’s Irish Red became available at stores in his hometown of Cut Off. From there, finding new beverages turned into a hobby as he traveled in and out of Louisiana and to craft beer
festivals.
Terrebonne was “really naive at that time as to what was out there as far as craft beer,” he said. “(I) found out slowly that there was a lot more out there than I knew about and just kind of got to the point where I wanted to try different things because I was so tired of the status quo.”
Which Craft opened in April as the area’s only craft-beer bar. Terrebonne and his business partner initially planned to also run a package shop, but state law prohibits package sales in bars. They are considering starting a shop in a separate building in the future.
Terrebonne said many people stick to mainstream brands such as Budweiser, and although he respects their choice, he encourages them to at least try other varieties: “I tell them as southerners, Cajuns, we all know what good food is. Nobody’s going to tell us otherwise. My thing is, why do you let the TV tell you what good beer is?”
Which Craft offers more than 250 different beers, and the owners are continually revamping the menu. Terrebonne said customers often want to try the newest product, and when a beer loses its popularity, it is replaced.
According to the Brewers Association, craft brewing developed in the late ’70s as a way to bring unique flavors to an industry lacking in originality and culture. From eight breweries in 1980 to more than 2,000 in 2012, craft brewing now flourishes, the association reports.
Barrett said market data show a booming craft-beer industry in other parts of the country, and he is confident Louisiana will catch up eventually.
“Craft beer is 2 percent of the beer market down here,” he said. “In comparison, on the West Coast – Oregon and Washington – it’s 40 percent. So, there’s a lot of room for growth down here.”
Terrebonne said Which Craft has been successful so far, generating business through word of mouth and Facebook, and he believes the Houma-Thibodaux region can support the craft-beer industry.
“It’s making its way into Louisiana slowly, and the smaller communities are starting to get their taste of it finally,” he said. “It’s something new, something exciting for people to get into, and that’s how I think it’ll bring in a lot of revenue for our state.”
Although breweries from around the country participate in the festival, Barrett said the focus is on Louisiana businesses and home brewers. Because selling homebrew is illegal, guests pay a general admission fee rather than buying tickets for the samples. Ohmer suggested that festivalgoers arrive early for the best variety.
Barrett taught the art of home brewing to Ohmer, who passed it on to Rollins. Barrett likened making beer to a popular Cajun pastime: cooking.
“You make a brew, you put your ingredients in it, and you boil it down and add yeast. … The possibilities are endless, and that’s half the joy of doing it,” he said.
Tradition holds that the Marine Corps’ first recruitment was held at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, so it is fitting that part of the beer festival’s proceeds benefit veterans organizations. Barrett and Ohmer said the event’s closeness to Veterans Day and the military service of many friends and family, including Barrett, contributed to the selection of that cause.
The Bayou Beer Fest is held from noon to 5 p.m., Nov. 16, at Southdown Plantation, also offering food and live music. Tickets are $30 online and $35 at the gate. Commemorative shirts are only available with a $45 advance purchase. Military vehicles from the Regional Military Museum are displayed, and self-guided tours of Southdown are included in admission. For more information, visit www.bayoubeerfest.com.
– bridget@gumboguide.com
Joel Ohmer, a beer-blogging member of the Bayou Beer Society and organizer of the Bayou Beer Fest, is pictured.
Donny Terrebonne, proprietor of Which Craft bar in Houma, eyes his inventory. Terrebonne opened the bar amid a national boom in the craft beer industry that is just beginning to matriculate to south Louisiana.
Pictured are Willie Rollins, Charles Gaiennie, Jim Barrett and Joel Ohmer, members of the Bayou Beer Society, founded by Barrett and Ohmer. The society has organized the inaugural Bayou Beer Festival, scheduled from noon to 5 p.m., Nov. 16 at Southdown Plantation in Houma. Tickets are $30 online or $35 at the gate.
