Bayou Teche Brewery
A Louisiana craft brewery in Arnaudville known for beers designed to complement Cajun and Creole cuisine.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Bayou Teche Brewery, also known as Bayou Teche Brewing, is a craft brewery based in Arnaudville, Louisiana. The brewery takes its name from Bayou Teche, a waterway associated with south-central Louisiana, and presents its beers as part of the region's Cajun and Creole food culture. It was established in 2009 by three brothers, Karlos, Byron, and Dorsey Knott. The brothers began brewing in an abandoned railcar on St. Patrick's Day, creating an origin story closely connected with the informal, hands-on character of American craft brewing. The brewery's first commercial beer sales began in January 2010. Karlos Knott became the brewery's head brewmaster. His interest in brewing developed partly from his experience in Germany while serving as an Army cavalry scout, where he encountered established beer traditions, and from homebrewing experiments after returning to the United States. The brewery's stated product philosophy has been to make beers that work particularly well with Cajun and Creole dishes rather than treating beer as a separate beverage category. This food-pairing orientation distinguishes Bayou Teche from breweries positioned primarily around hop intensity, technical experimentation, or a broad national lifestyle identity. Bayou Teche's best-known beer is LA-31 Bière Pale, a Belgian-style pale ale named for Louisiana Highway 31, which runs through the region. The beer received a silver medal at the 2013 World Beer Championships, earning a score of 89 out of 100 according to the reference material. It has been presented as a pairing for dishes including red beans and rice, jambalaya, gumbo, and hot boudin. Other recurring beers have included LA-31 Bière Noire, LA-31 Passionné, LA-31 Boucanée, and Acadie. These beers cover different stylistic and culinary roles, including a dark beer inspired by German schwarzbier methods, a passion-fruit-associated offering, a smoked beer, and a bière de garde rooted in French farmhouse brewing traditions. LA-31 Boucanée is particularly distinctive within the portfolio because it uses smoked cherrywood, a tree found in south Louisiana, to give the beer a smoky character intended to complement smoked Cajun food. Acadie draws on Cajun cultural identity and French brewing heritage through its bière de garde style. The brewery has reported producing 11 beers in total, with five identified as year-round offerings in the reference material. Its distribution has extended beyond Louisiana to a total of five states, including New York, although the complete state list is not specified here. Bayou Teche has also participated in Louisiana's cultural scene through music-related projects. The brewery issued compilation albums featuring local Cajun musicians, including releases associated with En Français and Valcour Records. This activity reinforces a broader brand identity built around regional food, music, language, and cultural traditions. A contemporaneous AskMen listing placed Bayou Teche among its ten best microbreweries in the United States. The available reference material does not provide current ownership, revenue, employee count, corporate structure, or a confirmed official website URL. Accordingly, the brewery is best characterized as an active Louisiana craft-beer brand with a regional distribution footprint and a strong culinary and cultural positioning.
History
Bayou Teche Brewing was founded in Arnaudville, Louisiana, by brothers Karlos, Byron, and Dorsey Knott. The brewery's name comes from nearby Bayou Teche and reflects its deliberate association with south Louisiana geography and culture. The founders began brewing in an abandoned railcar on St. Patrick's Day in 2009, an informal start that preceded the brewery's first commercial sales in January 2010. Karlos Knott became the brewery's head brewmaster. His brewing interest was influenced by time spent in Germany while serving as an Army cavalry scout. After returning to the United States in 1994 and later being stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington state, he experimented with microbrewing at home. That experience helped shape Bayou Teche's beer program, which was developed around the idea that beer should complement Cajun and Creole food. The brewery's portfolio has included 11 beers overall, with five identified as year-round products: LA-31 Bière Pale, LA-31 Bière Noire, LA-31 Passionné, LA-31 Boucanée, and Acadie. LA-31 Bière Pale became the flagship. Its name references Louisiana Highway 31, and the beer's Belgian-style pale-ale profile has been promoted as suitable for dishes such as red beans and rice, jambalaya, gumbo, and hot boudin. In 2013 it won a silver medal at the World Beer Championships, with a reported score of 89 out of 100. Several other beers express the brewery's regional and culinary approach. LA-31 Boucanée is made with smoked cherrywood, producing a smoky character intended for pairing with smoked Cajun foods. LA-31 Bière Noire was modeled on a German schwarzbier process but brewed with ale yeast rather than lager yeast. Acadie is a bière de garde, connecting the beer to French farmhouse brewing and Cajun heritage. LA-31 Passionné adds another variation to the regular range, although the available material does not provide a complete technical description. Bayou Teche expanded distribution beyond its home state and was reported to be available in five states, including Louisiana and New York. The brewery also supported regional culture outside its beer range by issuing compilation albums featuring local Cajun musicians. Named releases included En Français - Cajun 'N' Creole Rock 'N' Roll in 2011, En Français Vol. 2 in 2012, and The Best of Valcour Records: Volume I, 2006-2011, also issued in 2012. These projects positioned the brewery as a participant in Louisiana's music and cultural ecosystem as well as a beverage producer. The available sources do not establish the brewery's current corporate ownership, parent company, public listing status, revenue, or a confirmed official website. Its documented identity remains that of an active regional craft brewery whose brand is built around Louisiana place, food pairing, and Cajun and Creole cultural references.
- 2013
LA-31 Bière Pale receives World Beer Championships silver
[1]The flagship pale ale won a silver medal and received a reported score of 89 out of 100.
- 2012
Further music releases
[1]The brewery issued En Français Vol. 2 and The Best of Valcour Records: Volume I, 2006-2011.
- 2011
First En Français compilation release
[1]The brewery issued En Français - Cajun 'N' Creole Rock 'N' Roll, a compilation connected with local Cajun music.
- 2010
First commercial sales
[1]Bayou Teche began selling beer commercially in January.
- 2009
Founding and initial brewing
[1]Karlos, Byron, and Dorsey Knott formed Bayou Teche Brewing and began brewing in an abandoned railcar in Arnaudville.
Products and positioning
A Louisiana craft brewery centered on beers designed to pair with Cajun and Creole cuisine, with additional emphasis on regional culture, local music, and south Louisiana ingredients and traditions.
Belgian-style pale ale
LA-31 Bière Pale
Bayou Teche's flagship beer, named after Louisiana Highway 31. It is presented as a Belgian-style pale ale and as a pairing for Cajun and Creole dishes including red beans and rice, jambalaya, gumbo, and hot boudin. The beer won a silver medal at the 2013 World Beer Championships with a reported score of 89 out of 100.
Dark beer
LA-31 Bière Noire
A dark beer modeled on a German schwarzbier brewing approach but made with ale yeast instead of lager yeast. Bayou Teche has positioned it as a food-friendly beer, particularly suited to grilled foods.
Craft beer
LA-31 Passionné
One of the brewery's five identified year-round beers. The available reference material names the beer but does not provide a fuller description of its ingredients, style, or flavor profile.
Smoked beer
LA-31 Boucanée
A smoked beer made with smoked cherrywood, a material associated with south Louisiana. Its smoky flavor is intended to complement smoked Cajun food and evoke the character of a smokehouse or campfire.
Bière de garde
Acadie
A beer rooted in Cajun cultural identity and brewed in the bière de garde tradition, a French farmhouse style. It connects Bayou Teche's regional positioning with the French heritage of south Louisiana.
Recent events
- 2013
LA-31 Bière Pale wins silver at the World Beer Championships[1]
Other
Bayou Teche's LA-31 Bière Pale received a silver medal at the World Beer Championships with a reported score of 89 out of 100.
- 2010
Bayou Teche Brewing begins commercial beer sales[1]
Product launch
The brewery began selling beer commercially in January 2010 after its 2009 formation by the Knott brothers.
Bayou Teche is included among leading U.S. microbreweries[1]
Other
AskMen included Bayou Teche in a list of the ten best microbreweries in the United States.
Sources1 sources
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