"First impression? Small breweries are a familiar fixture in even the smallest cities by now. There’s a few to choose from in New Orleans, although it’s a place where the movement took a while to catch on given its deep marination in cocktail culture. The leafy residential environs of the Lower Garden District weren’t an obvious location for what was the city’s first nano-brewery, but brewer Scott Wood isn’t shy of challenges or doing things a little differently, and this scrappy ‘dive-brewery’ (this is a compliment) that has slowly evolved, expanded and has an undeniably strong reputation. How’s the crowd? Beer lovers, of course, but not the pretentious kind that pontificate and look down at you for not knowing obscure IPAs. I’m sure some of that crowd swan through, but are likely lightly (maybe heavily) mocked by Wood and his team. Courtyard have a more universally-welcoming approach, thanks to lots of events that bring in local crowds - live music, trivia, food trucks and the like. It’s a relaxed crowd of beer drinkers, you won’t be hounded out of town for suboptimal knowledge of the latest trends in sours or anything. How are the drinks? The menu at the time of writing had about 25 beers on tap. To relative brewing laymen such as myself, most breweries seem to roll out endless IPAs thanks to its continued cultural dominance, and although this beer species is represented here, your palate can definitely enjoy a little more variety. Chocolate stouts and milds, sours and pale wheats all line up, mostly with amusingly pithy names (‘Existence is Elsewhere’) and with a seasonally-sensitive list, you’ll find much to delight in and explore whenever you choose to visit. If there’s food, is it worth ordering something to eat? New Orleans doesn’t have a high-profile food truck culture like Austin or Portland, but even so, some of the city’s best food trucks can be found right here. I’m instantly hungry every time I see Courtyard’s Instagram upload a photo of a sinful-looking burger from Burger Nerds or Catawampus, but whoever is on food duty, you can rely on a well-curated accompaniment to your beer. Did the staff do you right? Everyone here just basically wants you to have a good time. The small team are tight knit and I’m sure that if you want to get into esoteric corners of brewing theory with Scott, he’ll enthusiastically indulge you. A lot of people are here, though, for a fundraiser for a local dog shelter or a great live band, and so just want to be guided by a competent and friendly server. Courtyard has you covered, and will field questions from complete newbies to hardcore beer jockeys with equal respect, or at the very worst some amusing light snark. Wrap it up: what are we coming here for? Courtyard have faced a plethora of obstacles, from red tape to - obviously - the pandemic with a fierce determination and no little imagination. Scott Wood’s unpretentious, no-nonsense approach and sincere love for his craft are all tangible aspects of the venue. It’s an aggressively community-minded enterprise, and one which cares as much as being a part of making this city a better place to live and socialize as it does about delivering delicious, accessible beers." - Paul Oswell
