Care Forgot Beercraft honors its home city of New Orleans, and the new brewery’s name is only the beginning. Located at 1728 St Charles Ave., the Care Forgot was founded by Connor Martinez. The name is a shortened version of the old New Orleans phrase that refers to New Orleans as, “The City That Care Forgot.” Positioned next to Avenue Pub, Care Forgot will be another addition to a selection of breweries in the area, including Ecology Beer Creative and Courtyard Brewery. On Friday, the brewery will celebrate its grand opening.
Martinez is a New Orleans native who was first exposed to craft beer while attending college in New York. When he and his wife relocated to Oakland, he began brewing beer at home. As he fell in love with his new hobby, he listened to every beer-related podcast he could, absorbing the science and culture of craft beer and home brewing.
“The home brewing scene in California is pretty spectacular,” he says. “That state has a different relationship with craft beer.”
When he and his wife moved back to Louisiana, Martinez got a job as a booking agent in the music business but never lost his passion for beer. Now, he’s set to open Care Forgot Beercraft, located in a 1900-square-foot house on St. Charles Avenue in a spot that Martinez lovingly calls the “Beer-muda triangle.”
He explains, “Ecology and Courtyard Brewery are walkable from our brewery, Avenue Pub is next door, and the Tchoupitoulas breweries are a short Uber away. It’s perfect for a day-drinking afternoon.”
Care Forgot will eventually offer thirteen beers on tap named with a New Orleans connection. The beer for the brewery’s grand opening includes Northernmost Point, a Belgian-style witbier; Poboy Bread, an American wheat beer; Mother Superior, a double hazy IPA; Yat Accent, a golden ale; Don’t Wear Black, a stout made with chicory coffee; and Shoebox Parade, a session IPA. A non-alcoholic cocktail and Riverboat nitro cold brew coffee round out the opening drink menu. Beer flights of four are available for $15.
The New Orleans connection doesn’t stop with the beers’ names; Martinez tries to add a New Orleans touch when crafting the recipes for the brews. Yat Accent is made with Irish yeast, Italian malt, and German hops as an ode to the mix of cultures that comprise “yat speak.” Don’t Wear Black is made with chicory and honors Café du Monde, and how you should never wear black when chowing down on beignets caked in powdered sugar. Northernmost Point is based on the thinking that New Orleans is considered the northernmost point of the Caribbean and the beer’s recipe swaps coriander and orange peel for annatto seeds and key lime zest.
Along with beer, Care Forgot will have a pizza menu that includes a selection of handmade pizzas that will pair perfectly with the beer. The menu includes a Margherita pizza, a cured meat pizza, a vegan pizza made with vegan cheese, and a fourth option that will allow the Care Forgot staff to experiment with creating pizza that includes a variety of unusual toppings. All pizzas are made with whole-wheat sourdough, which Martinez has spent a year developing.
“The pizza will be secondary to the beer, but we want to keep people around and give them food while they’re drinking because some of the beers are high ABV,” he says.
The brewery boasts a back deck with umbrellas to block you from the brutal summer sun, inside seating spread across multiple rooms, and outside seating on St. Charles Ave. All in all, the spot accommodates fifty-seven seats. Old lighting and furniture give the bar a cozy, old-New Orleans feel. The brewery also plans to showcase the work of local artists on the bar’s walls.
Care Forgot Beercraft is open Sunday through Wednesday from 12:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
