In the late 19th century, beer brewing was booming in New Orleans. A merger of German brewers in 1890 resulted in the New Orleans Brewing Association. They based their operations at the Louisiana Brewery plant at Jackson Ave. and Tchoupitoulas St. in the Irish Channel. In 1900, they renamed the business the New Orleans Brewing Company.
They enjoyed great success for decades, known especially for their 4-X Beer. A spokesman credited the use of Mississippi River water as the key to that success: “The fact that the water is murky seems to improve the character of the beer,” and the fermenting process “gives the beer plenty of time to settle and clear of sediment.”
As Prohibition loomed, plans were made switch to producing vinegar and soft drinks. It proved unsustainable, and in 1923, the NOBC divided its property, consisting of multiple lots and buildings taking up the entire block at Jackson and Tchoupitoulas, and auctioned them off.
Once Prohibition ended, NOBC reformed and purchased the main buildings back. To beer drinkers’ great relief, 4-X Beer once again was flowing from taps on September 1, 1934. A parade from Jackson to Canal St. celebrated the day, but some celebrants opted to spend their day solely at the brewery, with their cups “floating extravagant suds on a bed of 4-X beer.”
The successes of the revitalized brewery were so great that they installed 26 new fermenting tanks to meet demand. In 1936, to great cheer, 4-X was for the first time available in bottles; the new bottling plant had a capacity of 85 bottles per minute, ensuring that workers around the city “will now be able to buy the delicious brew on their way to work, put in on ice in the shop cooler, and have ready that welcome noontime draught of excellent brew.”
During WWII, the Department of Agriculture reduced the beer industry’s grain usage by 30%, limiting the amount of beer a brewery could produce. In a sad day for local beer drinkers on March of 1949, 93,000 gallons of brewed beer was poured down the drains under the supervision of government inspectors as part of the company’s literal liquidation proceedings.
