Faubourg Brewing in New Orleans, the fantastical brewery that New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson built from the ashes of the former Dixie Brewing, is shutting down operations. The closure comes just 18 months after a majority stake in Faubourg was sold to Made By The Water, a southeast-based company of craft breweries.
The $30 million Faubourg Brewery was opened in 2019 at the site of the former Dixie Brewing, which first opened in 1907. The brewery sustained heavy damage during Hurricane Katrina. After the flood waters receded the brewery complex was looted and much of the equipment stolen. Benson, who became majority owner of the new enterprise, created a new vision for the historic brewery which was mostly rebuilt and opened as a new, modern-day and family friendly tourist attraction which included a beer garden, a small park and a beer museum in addition to the 100,000 bbl capacity brewery.
The merger with Made in the Water was touted as a grand plan to become “one of the largest craft beer producers in the United States, and the largest in the Southeast,” according to a press release at the time. “With all of the Faubourg and the Made By The Water brands, the goal is to quickly produce well over 100,000 barrels per year, at the Faubourg brewery in New Orleans East,” said the release.