AIChE YPs hearing about the history of Abita
Early this month, a group of 25 Young Professionals took a break from the AIChE Spring Meeting to take a tour of the Abita Brewing Company in Abita Springs, LA. Located about an hour outside of New Orleans on the opposite side of Lake Ponchatrain, the Abita Brewing Company strongly believes in green brewing. YPs were able to sample several of the different brews made at the brewery (including root beer!) and took a tour of its current brewing and bottling facilities as well as new facilities under construction to expand their capacity. Abita Brewing Company opened in 1986 and has expanded from a local distribution of just 1,500 barrels to a nearly nationwide distribution of 160,000 barrels. The Brewery uses water from 4 artesian wells that are part of the source of the spring that lends Abita Springs its name. The wells are at a depth of 250 feet and each well can draw up to 75,000 gallons a day. The word "Abita" means "healing waters" in Choctaw, the local Native Americans who once frequented the spring.
YPs on tour in the Brewery
