The Best Beers to Drink For Mardi Gras

Right after the discussion of who's getting the next king cake (don't hide that you got the baby, it's just tacky) and before the planning of the next crawfish boil is the eternal question: What will I drink at parades this year? (Or with king cake and crawfish, for that matter.)  Here's some help.

Best new canned craft beer:

• Southern Prohibition's 2016 Session IPA (4.9% ABV), hopped with El Dorado, Galaxy, and Nugget
• Saint Arnold's new Art Car IPA, as well as their Fancy Lawnmower and Santo black Kolsch.
• Chandeleur Brewing (out of Gulfport, Mississippi) cans are hitting the market this month, including Curlew's Coconut Porter and Freemason Golden Ale.

Best local options:

Per Todd Price: Abita's Carnival Bock, which has been around for more than 20 years; Bayou Teche's Courir de Mardi Gras, a biere de mars; Mudbug Brewing's brand new King Cake Ale in cans, coming to New Orleans very soon; and NOLA Brewing's two Carnival beers— the Muses collaboration beer, an easy drinking, low ABV Belgian single ale, and Flambeau Red, a hoppy red ale that NOLA's been releasing for Mardi Gras season for several years now.

Per Gambit: Various canned beers are new for parade watchers this year, as well as a new(ish) plastic growler option from both Courtyard Brewery and Second Line Brewing (Courtyard had their 32-oz plastic vessel available last year as well.)