Pints and Princesses

By Ian Guevara

“Yeah… that’s definitely a princess party,” Will says as we enter Urban South Brewery escaping the brutal summer New Orleans heat.

Will and I are meeting to hash out the details of the website on which I hope you’re currently reading this. In fact this whole venture is his inspiration. It was at his wedding last April where we were talking about my usual summer plans of touring breweries in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Will, and his best man Jacob, both looked at me with incredulous eyes as if to say, “Why haven’t you done this yet?’ and told me emphatically to create a social media account to record my journeys.

Inspiration arrives in a variety of forms, it can be natural through a process of self reflection and meditation or simply by the suggestion of a friend. In my case it was death by a thousand beers. Social media is a drug, and part of my inspiration comes from the attention I first drew, then craved, over the pictures I posted of my experiences at breweries in my travels. So after weeks of mulling it over, while swimming laps in the pool, I succumbed to the call of writing into the ether about my love of beer and breweries.

Naturally, our conversation morphs from that of web design and content game plans to Ninja Turtles and Star Wars. True erudites of culture.

For the next half hour we wax poetically over the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series, the potential illogical story gaps concerning a show about space wizards, and the incredible likeability of the early 2010s Ninja Turtle show that aired on Nickelodeon.

“When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the master… How does that fit?”

“Hayden Christenson has a chance to redeem himself.”

“No it was CLEARLY poor writing and direction by George Lucas”

“I loved Sean Astin playing Raphael.”

“That show was a great combination between the original comics and the 80s cartoon.”

“Ice cream kitty!”

Men of class and sophistication.

As we settle into our first set of beers, a hungover Elsa walks through the door. Sunglasses on, disheveled platinum wig, what I imagine is a college student working her side hustle on a Sunday morning after dragging herself out of bed after a bender at The Boot. A dozen screaming eight year olds stampede at Princess “Mailed-It-In” whose hungover face displays inaudible horror. Will and I sip your beers in amusement.

Urban South is an amusing, friendly, and welcoming establishment with a cornucopia of activities inside the massive Tchoupitoulas Street warehouse to stimulate even the dullest of senses. Founded by Jacob Landry, a former teacher and administrator, Urban South Brewery creates a variety of beers inspired by Landry’s year spent in Europe.

Sticking with the standard two-flight strategy, I aimed to run the gamut of different beers from sours, to IPAs, to pilsners. I have to be honest, Paradise Park Lager is one of my favorite beers to ever exist. Sure it falls into the “Dad Beer” territory, but it may be the perfect lager these lips have ever tasted.

Most craft beers are tasty, but cannot be consumed in mass quantities. That’s why “Dad Beers” are important. Those are the beers you can drink all day and never get tired of. When LSU won the 2019 national championship, there beside me was an empty case of Paradise Park which I ended up wearing like a hat only moments after it was completed.

The first flight consisted of the “Beaming Sour”, “Dad’s Day IPA”, “Big Poppa's Pils”, and the “Peanut Butter and Jelly Porter”.

So let me say this for the folks in the back: A sour is supposed to be sour… not sweet… sour… Beaming was sour and stupendous! Described as a blueberry, strawberry, and raspberry sour, it hits on all those notes. Beaming was tangy, tasty, and tarty. All of its fruity notes were clearly tasted and at no point overshadowed the sourness.

The other beers in the flight were no less satisfying than Beaming, but were clearly overshadowed. I can’t emphasize enough my biased opinion that I love sours and goses and run from the bitterness of the IPA. So I had to prepare myself to taste the IPA. I took deep breaths, counted to 5, and dove in. And it was bitter, that bitterness just slams you. The hops are certainly real leaving the lasting signature aftertaste of an IPA.

To round out the rest, the Big Poppa’s Pils was a refreshing beer that after immediately drinking it made me realize that it's the perfect beer to drink after a long afternoon mowing the lawn. The Peanut Butter and Jelly Porter was solid, hitting on all the flavors it promised including a hint of banana as a nice aftertaste.

The second flight comprised of “Drip Au Lait Sour”, the “Sunshine Haze IPA”, the “Bhramari Belgian Strong”, the “Rocket Pop Gose”, and the “HTX: Triple IPA”

I don't think I have ever tasted anything quite like the Drip Au Lait. It's a coffee, raspberry, boysenberry sour and I still can't wrap my mind around it, it was super tasty and unique. None of the flavors overpower each other. It's not super sour, sweet but not too sweet, tarty, and simply refined in flavor and texture.

The Bhramari is a solid outing as a Belgian strong ale, that's tasty and crispy on the backend. Nothing to write home about, but definitely a beer that would pair well with a heavy meal.

Rocket Pop is another Urban South staple that is simply a favorite of mine. It’s a light, airy, salty, and refreshing gose that’s the perfect summer beverage. The Rocket Pop is definitely a beer that’s perfect for the beach.

I was adventurous tasting three IPAs… I dont think I have ever had three IPAs in one sitting. While Dad’s Day was super bitter, Sunshine Haze and HTX: Triple have subtle bitterness and lean heavier into other qualities. Sunshine Haze is sweet, candy-like, and definitely hits the creamsicle notes it advertises. It’s not that bitter nor does it leave a bitter aftertaste leaving a balance of sweetness and bitterness. HTX: Triple’s taste is good and doesn’t have a harsh bitter aftertaste with a subtle sweetness that was surprising and a little refreshing.

Urban South Brewery is open every day of the week, generally from 12 to 8, but the hours vary. The venue includes an arcade, flat screens at every corner showing sports and movies, a food truck outside, a Dim Sum station inside, and a bounce house that I somehow overlooked over for the first hour of drinking.

And don't forget the princess parties, you can book those too.