Abita Beer. Brew Pub. Deliciousness.

Oh, yes.

You see, it is the weekend before my birthday.  Due to work circumstances, husby will be traveling on my special day, so he opted to take today (Friday) off and whisk me away to visit the Abita Brewery (which is located in the small - but lovely - town of Abita Springs).  We've been wanting to do this for a while (okay, since we moved to New Orleans at the beginning of November 2012) and we also decided to try the Abita Brew Pub for lunch.  We had to drive across the 24-mile Causeway which spans Lake Pontchartrain in order to get to (what is referred to locally) the North Shore.

The weather today was quite muggy, which created the feeling of being in a cloud... or as in MY overactive imagination, it looked like a scene out of Stephen King's short novella "The Mist".  If you haven't read it, you might want to.  Anyhow, I digress.  This is what it looked like while crossing:

^^  It's like driving into the sky...  spooky!!  ;0))

Please ignore the EU safety sticker on the window.  It's been there since we bought our car in Germany three years ago.  I'm not really sure why the husby hasn't removed it yet...

First stop???  Lunch.  Yes, lunch.  The atmosphere at the Abita Brew Pub was really laid back - and they even had beer tap handles from all over the world as decoration.  Both of us had a good chuckle when we saw a Bitburger tap - which is one of the most popular pilsner in Germany.  I had the fried oysters and husby decided on the gumbo, made with locally-made Andouille sausage and chicken.  We also both had pints of SOS (Save Our Shores) beer.  It's a high gravity brew and it's very smooth and sweet.  Delicious!!  

^^  It's the brew pub!!  

^^  They had outdoor seating also (for al fresco dining), however it was a too hot and muggy to eat on the patio.  We opted for the air-conditioned comfort (icy cold inside)... but, I'd like to come here sometime in the fall when the weather cools down.  

^^  The pub features different daily specials. 

^^  View from our table... this building used to be the brewery, until the business took off and the owners had to move to a far bigger location.

^^  The brewery is all about being green!!  :0))

After eating a delicious lunch, we decided to explore the downtown area before heading in for our beer tasting and brewery tour.  We visited the local museum and took a short walk down the Rail-Trail.  I plan on definitely exploring some of the shops and checking out the local bakery - it smelled divine as we walked by.  They also had some beautiful looking pastries on display...

 ^^  Introduction to the Rail-Trail...

 ^^  Map and statistics about the Rail-Trail concept...

 ^^  Head of the trail...

^^  Walking towards the Abita Springs Museum (free of charge to the public)...

 ^^  Lovely little museum... they had a really friendly staff.  

 ^^  Every Saturday afternoon (from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM) the museum features an impromtu jam session with local musicians.  It's free to the public - to either play OR watch.  I'm definitely going to come back and check it out.  :0))

 ^^  The town of Abita Springs ALSO has their own "Piney Woods" Opry.  Although, I don't think that there is anyone under the age of 65 who either watches OR participates.  

^^  The fountain gracing the Abita Pavillion.  They have beer festivals here, also.

After wandering around, we finally headed over to the brewery.  They offer *free* tours AND *free* 12-ounce beer "samples".  Yes.  You did, indeed, read that correctly.  And, it's entirely self-serve.  Another plus is that people under the age of 21 are not allowed to attend.  So, for any of my friends who are Child-Free, Child-Less, or Empty Nesters, this is a great place to come and visit.  The town is quaint, the people are very friendly, and there is a great gift shop with some very funky art (for sale right beside the tees, coasters, hats, coozies, and glassware).  

 ^^  Outside the brewery, before going into the courtyard.  The placard even reads that people under the age of 21 are not allowed to enter.  I'd certainly be happy if more restaurants and pubs would stop allowing children entirely.  After all, that's what (Up) Chuck E Cheese is for, yes???  ;0))

 ^^  Fountain and greenery in the beer garden.  It was HAWT out!!  

 ^^  Feast your peepers on this bomb-diggity SELF-SERVE beer bar!!  ::swoon::  I really wish that I could have one of these in my house.  Le sigh.  A girl can dream, can't she???

 ^^  Gift shop area... also, please note that they do NOT take cash OR credit cards.  So, if you think that you'd like to buy something, you may want to ensure that you have your plastic money with you.

^^  Very surreal Purple Haze painting (one of my favorites besides Turbo Dog)...  I wouldn't mind owning this!!  ;0P

^^  I picked up this magnet for my car...  Abita Brewery is donating all proceeds from their SOS line (beer included) to agencies cleaning up the BP oil spill.  Some also goes to the wild life refuge and zoo.

^^  Braved the 24-mile long bridge and we're almost in Metairie!!

And, since we were in Metairie, we decided to swing by one of our favorite comic book stores (yes, I am letting my inner geek out for a bit) and browse around.  Well, the husby didn't find anything that he wanted... but there were a couple of things that I found.  A hardback compilation of Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman" AND a graphic novel of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" originally penned by Stieg Larsson - but the comic book style adaptation was created by Denise Mina, Leonardo Manco, and Andrea Mutti (published by Vertigo).  And so I snatched up the latter of the two.

All-in-all, it's been a great day - and a wonderful start to my weekend.  Tomorrow, the plan is to grab some lunch in the French Quarter (the venue has yet to be decided... but I'm really thinking about Napoleon House or Coop's) and then we'll head off to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.  I have a hot (cool??) date with some penguins - as we've picked up tickets for the "Backstage Penguin Pass".  I will get to touch the penguins, hold them, feed them, and after that is all done, *your* bird-buddy gets some non-toxic paint to waddle around in - and voila!!  Penguin artwork!!  No two are the same... hahahahaha!!  

Well, I'm signing off for now... I hope everyone has a fan-fucking-tabulous weekend!!!

x0x0