Skeeta Hawk Brewing under construction. The small taproom brewery is designed with minimal separation between visitors and the brewing process. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Aaron Merrill started Skeeta Hawk Brewing after a long career in the U.S. Army. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Skeeta Hawk Brewing is taking shape in a building along the Lafitte Greenway, sharing a patio with Flour Moon Bagels. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Skeeta Hawk Brewing is taking shape in a building along the Lafitte Greenway, sharing a patio with Flour Moon Bagels. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Calliope Beer Works is a new brewpub taking shape in the former home of Cowbell on Oak Street. A new teal color is part of the renovation. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The former service station by the end of Oak Street near the parish line was home to the burger restaurant Cowbell from 2010 until 2021. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)
The Oak Street restaurant Cowbell made its name with grass-fed beef burgers and an art-filled dining room and bar. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)
The Oak Street restaurant Cowbell made its name with grass-fed beef burgers and an art-filled dining room and bar. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)
Two small new breweries are taking shape in New Orleans, adding to the ranks of this nascent but growing industry in the city. Each is a different style — one a taproom brewery, the other a brewpub. Here's a look at what's ahead as each gets brewing this summer.
Skeeta Hawk Brewing is taking shape in a building along the Lafitte Greenway, sharing a patio with Flour Moon Bagels. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Aaron Merrill has made beer all over the world, though mostly for himself. Through a career spanning nearly three decades in the U.S. Army, he developed a passion for homebrewing and learned from others in various countries where he was deployed, working in military attaché duties at embassies.
Now he’s developing a new brewery in New Orleans as part of a cluster of businesses on the Lafitte Greenway, just off North Broad Street.
Skeeta Hawk Brewing (455 N. Dorgenois St.) is slated to open in July as construction continues.
Aaron Merrill started Skeeta Hawk Brewing after a long career in the U.S. Army. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
It will be a small operation, and one that lays out the whole brewing process within easy view for visitors.
“I want this to look, smell and feel like a brewery, and you do that by removing as many barriers as possible between the people who make the beer and who drink the beer,” Merrill said.
He is the managing partner of an ownership group that includes other military veterans.
The small staff will all work in the brewing process to some extent, meaning the people pouring any particular beer on tap likely had a hand in making it.
Skeeta Hawk Brewing is taking shape in a building along the Lafitte Greenway, sharing a patio with Flour Moon Bagels. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Skeeta Hawk will be a taproom brewery, meaning its primary focus is making beer to serve direct by the glass at its own facility. Canning and distribution are possibilities for the future, Merrill said.
It will open with 12 taps for a rotating selection of beer, and also a hard seltzer.
Lagers will be a big part of the selection, as well West Coast-style IPAs, a style he learned to love in his hometown of Portland, Oregon. There will be a brown ale for sure, he said, and he’s looking forward to a Belgian dubbel.
Skeeta Hawk Brewing under construction. The small taproom brewery is designed with minimal separation between visitors and the brewing process. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The small taproom opens to a large covered patio, which will be lined with beer garden-style tables and benches. That patio is shared with Flour Moon Bagels, the bagel bakery and cafe slated to open in the weeks ahead. Also in the same building is a cafe and roasting facility for HEY Coffee Co.
“I like that we're here together, a brewery, a bakery, a roastery, we’re all making things at the base level,” Merrill said.
Merrill lives nearby in Faubourg St. John and often pedals his bicycle to work. He hopes others will arrive that way, too.
“The Greenway is a huge part of why we’re here,” he said. “I want this to be a friendly, welcoming neighborhood brewery — that’s the intent.”
The former service station by the end of Oak Street near the parish line was home to the burger restaurant Cowbell from 2010 until 2021. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)
A new brewpub is under development at the end of Oak Street, in the former home of the restaurant Cowbell.
Calliope Beer Works (8801 Oak St.) is taking shape in the distinctive building, which was once a gas station and auto garage before its conversion to a restaurant. It sits at a busy intersection right by the parish line, with a view of the green levee and passing trains.
The new brewpub is slated to open by late summer.
Richard Szydlo is the longtime beer professional now building Calliope.
Calliope Beer Works is a new brewpub taking shape in the former home of Cowbell on Oak Street. A new teal color is part of the renovation. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
He’s a Chicago native who founded a contract brewery called Big Shoulders Beer Co. back in his hometown. When he and his wife moved to New Orleans, he worked in beer distributing.
“But I wanted to sell my own beer,” Szydlo said. “We live in the neighborhood, six blocks away. When we saw this spot open up, I thought this could work.”
As a brewpub, Calliope will make its own beer and serve it on premises and offer a full kitchen, like the other local brewpubs Bywater Brew Pub and Crescent City Brewhouse.
Szydlo is still interviewing chefs and said menu particulars would come later. He envisions a lot of shared appetizers along with sandwiches and entrées.
The Oak Street restaurant Cowbell made its name with grass-fed beef burgers and an art-filled dining room and bar. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)
For the beer, he’ll have a small brewing system in-house with capacity to produce about seven kegs at a time. That means the beer lineup will be changing constantly.
One flagship will be a Belgian witbier. A golden rye ale will be another likely mainstay.
“I want our beers to be food-friendly and approachable,” he said. “I like to do core beers with a bit of a twist.”
The Oak Street restaurant Cowbell made its name with grass-fed beef burgers and an art-filled dining room and bar. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)
Cowbell was another loss in the travails of the pandemic, closing after 11 years. It was known for burgers, chef Brack May’s way with casual comfort food and its colorful, rambling atmosphere.
Szydlo was drawn to the vibe the place gives off, too.
“It’s a fun, funky place. I think we’re going to do some fun things here,” he said.
Follow Where NOLA Eats on Instagram at @wherenolaeats, join the Where NOLA Eats Facebook group and subscribe to the free Where NOLA Eats weekly newsletter here.
Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission
Email Ian McNulty at imcnulty@theadvocate.com.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
News Tips: newstips@theadvocate.com
Other questions: subscriberservices@theadvocate.com