It’s no secret that NOLA Brewing Company has, and forever will, focus on improving things in the city it represents. The five-year-old outfit was partially founded as a way to bring jobs back to New Orleans post-Katrina, filling a void for a home town brewery when Dixie Brewing left for Wisconsin after the storm. The move has helped both the local economy and a growing craft scene in New Orleans ever since.
NOLA’s latest project in this ongoing mission is a collaborative one—Rebirth Pale Ale. The description on the can says it all: “Rebirth: A word that inspired the return of the Crescent City after devastation, the Grammy Award-winning brass band that represents New Orleans, and the name of our citra and Simcoe hopped Pale ale.” This honors NOLA’s partner on the project—the equally New Orleans-championing Rebirth Brass Band—because what NOLA has done for beer in town, Rebirth has done for the local music scene. The can features a local artist’s frame-worthy illustration of Rebirth tuba player Phil Frasier, and proceeds benefit The Roots of Music, a youth music education non-profit started by Rebirth drummer Derrick Tabb.
With such a lofty backstory, it’s quite a relief that Rebirth Pale Ale may be NOLA’s best effort yet. Open a can and it smells like a pale ale should, which is to say wonderful—a blend of citrus and maybe a touch of pine. That aroma is an honest indicator of the beer’s taste, flavorful while somehow remaining light overall. As sessionable IPAs continue to be a development hoping to delight beer snobs everywhere, NOLA apparently went ahead and made an American Pale Ale you’d rather drink plenty of instead.
The beer premiered earlier this spring as this kind of beer should—with a massive party at NOLA brewery featuring plenty of brass music. However, the only way to get it after was by visiting some NOLA-friendly pubs around town for a draft. Just this month, Rebirth Pale Ale finally became available in NOLA’s signature cans (and it will eventually be anywhere you can get the rest of the brewery’s line). That means the peak Rebirth Pale Ale experience is now in play for your next New Orleans visit. Carve out a Tuesday night, grab a few cans for the road, and walk to Uptown’s Maple Leaf Bar to experience the two Rebirths at the namesake’s longtime standing gig.
Brewery: Rebirth Pale Ale
City: New Orleans, LA
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5%
Availability: Louisiana (eventually Mississippi, Florida and Alabama)