Southern Breeze 2007 Holiday Issue

The Dixie Brewery Building sits empty on Tulane Avenue (above), but owners Joe and Kendra Bruno (right) are focused on keeping the brand alive. Then they jazzed things up. With the help of renowned beer-making biochemist Dr. Joe Owades, the Brunos introduced new brews, such as Crimson Voodoo, a red ale; Jazz Amber Light; and White Moose, a dessert beer. But it was Blackened Voodoo that truly put Dixie back on the national map. The rich, dark lager, a departure for the Dixie brand, hit the market in 1991, just as the microbrew craze swept the country. The brew earned critical acclaim, plus an unexpected marketing boost from the state of Texas. Claiming it was a cult beer, Texas authorities banned Blackened Voodoo from the Lone Star State. The media latched onto the quirky story, and interest in the beer skyrocketed. “We were getting calls from all over the world from people who had heard about the beer and wanted to try Blackened Voodoo,” says Kendra. The Brunos also worked to update the nearly-80-year-old brewery they’d purchased, replacing antiquated machinery one piece at a time. “Every penny that we made that we could spare, we put back into upgrading equipment at the brewery,” claims Kendra. 2005 looked to be a banner year. The Brunos were negotiating with investors to completely update the brewery and develop some unused adjacent property. They had arranged to switch Dixie’s national distribution to Distinguished Brands International, a Colorado importer that distributes several popular foreign beers. Renovation of the brewery was scheduled to begin in September. Hurricane Katrina had other plans. The storm swamped the brewery under almost 10 feet of water, ruining thousands of cases of product and most of the equipment. After the water receded, looters dismantled machinery for scrap. The Brunos faced millions in reconstruction, but their first priority was to get Dixie flowing. help from their friends Heiner Brau, a boutique brewery in Covington, Louisiana, produced the first batches of post-Katrina Dixie. From October 2006 to January 2007, Heiner Brau brewed several hundred cases of Dixie Lager and Blackened Voodoo for distribution in the New Orleans market. According to Heiner Brau brewmaster Henryk Orlik, local fans quickly snatched up the hometown brew. “As soon as we would put the beer on the shelves, it would be bought up,” he says. Heiner Brau’s history is closely tied with Katrina. The brewery opened only a week before the storm. In the aftermath, Heiner Brau became a champion of damaged New Orleans brewers. In addition to Dixie, Orlik began producing beer for Big Easy Brewing Company and Zea Rotisserie & Grill, two New Orleans area breweries. Heiner Brau has since acquired the Big Easy name and will continue to produce Big Easy Beer. But it was Dixie that people clamored for. “I still get calls from people who want to know where they can buy Dixie beer,” Henryk says. One guy pleaded with him to sell him some Dixie Beer. The caller’s grandfather was a life-long Dixie drinker, and the man wanted to give him some of his favorite beverage for his ninetieth birthday. “Dixie is a part of the history of New Orleans,” Henryk says. “It is the last part of New Orleans’ brewing history remaining.” Heiner Brau is a small operation with the capacity to produce only a fraction of the beer once brewed at Dixie’s New Orleans facility. While Henryk’s assistance was much appreciated, Dixie needed a larger partner to get beer flowing throughout the country. Holiday 2007 49

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Southern Breeze 2007 Holiday Issue

Editor's Letter Contributor Gumbo Words & Notes Coastal Calendar Storefronts Sweet Dreams Art of Living Fixtures Our Backyard Make Yourself at Home Beach Bam! A Big Easy Christmas Upwardly Mobile Can't Drive Old Dixie Down Rock On! The Play's the Thing Cheers Dish Chef's Table Let's Eat Reader Services Last Bite

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.