NEWS

Distributor sales to retail accounts jumped 14 percent last week at Abita compared with the same week a year ago, as bars and restaurants began stocking up on brew. While the year-over-year jump is impressive on its own, it is even more astounding when one considers that the comparison week from last year was the week leading up to the Super Bowl, while last week was not.

Abita isn’t the only company experiencing an increase in requests for spirits.

Business at Pat O’Brien’s has been so swift that company Vice President Shelly Waguespack likened the next two weekends to having two Mardi Gras celebrations in the city.

To handle the rush, Waguespack said the company is at "special event staffing" levels, paying employees overtime to make sure orders get out and revelers get served.

"Super Bowl has just been an incredible boost for us," Waguespack said. "We’ve shipped out incredible amounts of Hurricane mix in just the past week. We’re sending mix all around the country, not only to people from New Orleans."

The demand for beer at the Super Bowl, combined with stocking for Mardi Gras, means Abita is operating with a "razor thin" amount of inventory, Blossman said. But he is not surprised by the demand nor concerned that the popular local brewery will run out.

"Just as the fans and Louisianians are really rooted with passion for the Saints and passion for LSU and passion for food and culture, they’re passionate about Abita beer," Blossman said. "Our stocks are being depleted both at the distributor and here, but we’re going to make it through."