Lagunitas Sneaks Into the Market Under Cover of Night

The arrival of California brewery Lagunitas in the market was originally announced several weeks ago, with a release date projected to be in October. However, Lagunitas planned a sneak attack into the market - Polly Watts from the Avenue Pub sent out an email to her mailing list on Sunday afternoon, saying "Lagunitas will be here Monday. We were asked to keep it quiet."

In other related news of intrigue and interest, Matt McKiernan has left his position as Craft Brand Manager at Southern Eagle's LA Craft Beer division to become Lagunitas' Louisiana rep.

The kegs of Lagunitas IPA and A Little Sumpin' Extra will be tapped as soon as they arrive this afternoon. The Avenue's upstairs Balcony bar will open an hour early at 4pm, and McKiernan as well as reps from distributor Crescent Crown and the overall Lagunitas operation will be on hand to chat at around 9pm.

Why is Lagunitas' arrival such a big deal? As Watts says, "Lagunitas has long had the reputation of being a leader in the Industry. Their commitment to freshness and affordable price points is a promising addition to our growing hoppy craft beer options." The inclusion of the brewery's beers to the market further increases the selection of quality beer in New Orleans and indicates the region is supporting craft beer culture at an exponential rate.

The coming months of the rollout will look like this: IPA and Sumpin' on draft starting this week, then Imperial Red within the next 30 days. Bottles are still a month or two away (aligning with the original October release speculation) but the Avenue Pub will fill growlers so customers can take home Lagunitas goodness in the meantime.