Craft Breweries & Distilleries in Lafayette

Ryan Pécot traveled the world to study craft beers, so when it came time to open his own brewery, Pécot found an ideal location off Dulles Drive in the heart of Lafayette. Pécot and his wife are advocates for dog adoption—they’ve rescued several so far—so it seemed a natural to name their venture for their love of pets. Visitors to Adopted Dog Brewing can enjoy the craft brews inside or on the oversized outdoor patio and, of course, bring their pooch. Events include trivia nights, bingo, live music, and “Yappy Hour” with pet photos and beer specials.

Parish Brewing dates to 2008, when Brewmaster Andrew Godley returned home from Pittsburgh determined to bring craft brewing to the area. The brewery began in Broussard, just south of Lafayette, and is expanding into a 22,500-square-foot production facility. Popular brews include Ghosts in the Machine, Canebrake brewed with locally produced Steen’s Cane Syrup, and Parish Envie, an American pale ale (“envie” in Louisiana French means a hankering for). The taproom is open daily.

Come for the craft beer or a tiki drink, take a tour of the award-winning brewery, but don’t miss the Cajun Saucer Wood Fired Pizza. In fact, grab a slice and a cold brew and relax on the family- and pet-friendly patio shaded by South Louisiana live oak trees. Bayou Teche is located north of Lafayette in Arnaudville, named for the bayou that runs through town. Popular beers include the LA-31 Bière Pâle, crafted with Belgian malts and American hops, a darker Bierre Noir, and Cocodrie (“alligator” in French) IPA. 

Not a brewery, but guests will find more than 50 beers on tap at this German-style beer garden and patio bar at The Yard Goat. Come hungry and enjoy appetizers, bring pets on a leash, play games, and watch sporting events—it all happens on The Yard Goat’s family-friendly oversized patio on Bertrand Drive near Moncus Park.

Jean Baptiste Spirits in nearby St. Martin Parish is named for the owner’s ancestor, Jean-Baptiste Honoré d'Estréhan de Beaupré, who in the 1700s made rum in Louisiana. Moving forward to Prohibition and another ancestor, Clémence LaSalle Fremin, made rum to support her 17 children in the town of St. Martinville. Today, her great-grandson Tim Westcott continues the rum legacy—a Silver Rum and a Rested Rum Reposée—with his son Brennan Westcott.

Sugarcane is abundant in South Louisiana. Drive in any direction from Lafayette, and you’ll see acres and acres of sugar being grown and harvested. Wildcat Brothers at Gator Cove in Broussard decided to utilize this natural resource to produce a hand-made, small batch white rum named Sweet Crude Rum, a dark Noire rum (“noire” in French means black), and a Fifolet spiced rum, named for the mysterious Cajun lights that haunt the swamps.

Michael Frugé owns a rice and crawfish farm in Branch, and the crop got him thinking, could a lovely vodka be made from his rice? He decided to take the leap, opening a distillery on the family farm under the label of J.T. Meleck, a nod to his ancestor, Uncle John Meleck, who started the farm in 1896. His first “farm to bottle, grain to glass” 100 percent Meleck Farm rice vodka was produced in 2018, followed by a lovely whiskey. They may have laughed at first, but Frugé’s spirits have been winning awards ever since.