A classic New Orleans beer is coming home and bringing jobs along with it. On Tuesday, August 7, Dixie Brewing Company announced that the restoration of their brewing operations will take place in the former MacFrugal’s building on the Industrial Canal in New Orleans East. The 80,000 square-foot building will be renovated into a multimillion “consumer destination” that will include a brewpub, tours, and recreational amenities.
For 12 years, the company’s been brewing out of state since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. It wasn’t until the brand’s 2017 purchase by the late Tom Benson and his wife Gayle that the goal of returning production to the city was established. Mrs. Benson continues to honor her late husband's desire to see the Gulf South’s iconic craft beer become as prominent as it was in its founding days.
The new manufacturing center will continue to produce brand favorites: Dixie Light, Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager, and the original Dixie Beer. With 110 years under its belt, here’s to hoping that the established brand’s move will encourage other companies to bring commerce to the economically distressed and ignored region of the city.
Image courtesy of Woodward Design Group
