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Abita, already Louisiana's largest brewery, is going through a growth spurt. The bottling and canning line has been upgraded. Before the brewery could fill 150 bottles per minute. Now it can turn out 400 a minute.

"It's made to be driven," said David Blossman, Abita's president. "The capacity on the bottle line could accommodate a 500 barrel brewery."

At the moment, Abita only has a 100 barrel brewing system. At the start of next year, Abita will add another 200 barrel system.

The extra capacity means Abita can deliver even more of the beers beloved by drinkers across the country. When, for example, Abita releases its strawberry beer in 2014, the beer with a cult following will be available not only in bottles but also on draft. And in October for the first time the high-alcohol Andygator will be sold in six-packs of standard 12-ounce bottles.

In 2014, Abita will also update both its seasonal beers and the Harvest beers made with Louisiana crops.

"The challenge as brewers," Blossman said, "is making the beers always taste the same. But the artist in you wants a blank canvas to paint on. We always want to do something new."

Among the Harvest beers, the satsuma wheat will be replaced by a grapefruit IPA. Lemon Wheat, formerly a seasonal beer, will be made with local citrus and join the Harvest lineup. The seasonal Fall Fest in 2014 will get a new, hoppier recipe and be renamed Octoberfest. Next summer, Abita will debut a seasonal Seersucker Summer Pilsner.

For the first time, Abita released a full calendar of its upcoming Select beers. These often experimental beers are available only on draft and at limited locations. The first Select, to be released in November, is a 6% ABV Macchiato Espresso Milk Stout. Other upcoming Selects include a hopped up version of Andygator called Hopgator, a repeat of last year's popular Triple Haze and a Naughty Quaker oatmeal stout.

"The crazier we get with it," Blossman said, "the more people like it."

Will the extra capacity mean that Abita can offer Select beers in bottles?

"There's certainly a lot of customers asking for them," Blossman said, "and I'm one of them."

Blossman said the brewery could possibly bottle two Selects a year, but it would take planning and likely won't happen for several more years.

Confused by all the substitutions and additions to the Abita line up? Here's a complete list of the changes:



Seasonal

Seersucker Summer Pilsner: arrives summer 2014

Octoberfest: replaces Fall Fest in 2014



Harvest beers for 2014

Winter — Grapefruit IPA: newcomer replaces Satsuma Wheat

Spring — Abita Strawberry: draft available along with bottles

Summer — Lemon Wheat: formerly a seasonal beer

Fall — Pecan Ale



Upcoming Abita Selects with release dates

Macchiato Espresso Milk Stout (November 2013)

Hopgator (January 2104): an extra-hoppy Andygator

Imperator (March 2014): a black IPA

Triple Haze (May 2014): a popular Select from 2013

Legendary Gator (August 2014): an 11% "tripel helles doppelbock"

Naughty Quaker (October 2014): oatmeal stout

Abita announces new beers and lineup changes | NOLA.com

BoudinSandwich

I'm disappointed that they're replacing the Satsuma beer. I love that one. It's a perfect Fall beer. And, I'm not a big fan of grapefruit. I'll try it at least.

I'm eager to try most others.

Danno

Offering a selection of more than 3 or 4 types of beers borderlines ghey.

And any beer with a hyphenated name crosses that border.

Ahhh I long for the good old days of plain ole Dixie Beer, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Schlitz, Old Milwaukee... When men were men and football included tackling.

saintfan

Tecate for me please.