Beers with Chuck: Urban South Summerfest

by Chuck P

Urban South Brewery in New Orleans is new to the ever-growing Louisiana craft beer family, but they’re quickly making an impression with their delicious brews. A few weeks ago, I drove down to the brewery to meet Jay for some tunes and beers at their first annual Summerfest.

Despite the torrential downpour, when we arrived Summerfest was off to a great start. Event goers formed long lines at their three service stations ready to consume their flagship beers and one-off brews.

Having already had their flagship beers, the Charming Wit White Ale and the Holy Roller IPA, I decided to try one of the specialty brews on the menu, a double dry-hopped version of the Holy Roller.

Double Dry-hopped Holy Roller at Urban South Brewery in New Orleans.

The hop notes shine through on this beer in both aroma and taste. A nice dry finish leaves you wanting that next sip immediately. Needless to say I had another pint right after I was finished. You know, for science…

Dat Dog's Guiness brat with bacon, perfect for absorbing alcohol.

After making my way out to the Dat Dog Food Truck for one of their incredible gourmet dogs, I headed back in to soak up the sweet tunes of singer-songwriter Kristin Myers and to try out my next two beers, the coffee Porter and grapefruit IPA.

The unnamed grapefruit IPA and coffee porter.

My love for coffee stouts and porters is no secret, and this one was exactly what I expected. The coffee notes were balanced just right where they never overtake the beer itself. Hints of chocolate creeped in and had me wishing this was something they were canning soon. And although I’m not a big grapefruit fan, I was surprised at how much I liked this beer. The grapefruit was just enough to compliment the citrusy hop notes and had me ordering another one when I was done.

Summerfest at Urban South is sure to be an awesome annual event filled with great music and great beers. Check them out online for tour times and upcoming events.