NEW ORLEANS — A historic New Orleans brewery that's been shuttered since Hurricane Katrina will officially reopen in a new location this weekend.
The grand opening of the Dixie Brewing Company's new brewery on Jourdan Road in New Orleans East is set for 11 a.m. Saturday. The new facility boasts a bar, cafe, outdoor space, museum and games. The company plans to offer tours showing parts of the production process.
The brewery originally opened in 1907, but floods and looting after Hurricane Katrina contributed to its closure. Tom and Gayle Benson bought the brand in 2017 and promised to return the beer home, after a post-Katrina exile, with a new plant somewhere in the city.
"Making Dixie Beer in Louisiana again has been our goal. It’s been gone for over 14 years. Right now, this facility is working," Jim Birch, the General Manager of Dixie Brewery, said. "We have beer in tank, and to be doing it locally here, which is jobs locally and customers locally, is huge."
New Orleans city leaders say they hope the new brewery will revive an area of the city that needs and economic boost. The new brewery has already created jobs for more than 40 people.
"Every time I go over the high-rise, I see it and I see the lights. I get more and more excited," New Orleans East resident Yolanda White said. "It’s like bringing something to revitalize New Orleans East."
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.