The seeds of Colleen Keogh’s bubbly obsession were planted several years ago on a trip to the Texas Hill Country. The area around Austin was a favorite vacation spot, and Keogh’s visits usually centered around touring and tasting the wares of its small wineries.
While visiting an Austin small craft beverage retailer, Keogh was surprised by the proliferation of local hard ciders. A few sips later, she was sold. These ciders were nothing like the large national brands she had tasted before. Crisp and refreshing, they were more like sparkling wine or champagne. Keogh knew cider would be the perfect drink for a hot Louisiana day!
Returning home, she was determined to make cider an important player in our local beverage scene, but first she had to learn how to make it. Years of experimentation followed. From books and local fermenters, she acquired the basics, utilizing the same big glass carboys used in home beer brewing.
Because she “loves a good theme,” Keogh had a ready-made name for her dream cidery — Kingfish.
“I’m from Baton Rouge and grew up in the political atmosphere of the state Capitol,” she said. “The influences of the Long family can still be found all over the state. In Baton Rouge, we had the Earl K. Long Hospital. There are roads and bridges named after all the Longs. They’re such a dynasty — kind of the Kennedys of the South. They just speak Louisiana to me.”
With her heart set on opening Kingfish Cider, Keogh enrolled in a professional program at Washington State University.
“It’s the only place in the United States with a dedicated cider-making program, complete with apple and pear orchards on site,” she said. “The course covered everything from production to taxes. It was intense, and a lot of people changed their minds about opening businesses, but I was more dedicated than ever.”
In Washington, she had also discovered a great affinity for perry — cider made from pears.
“They’re very unique and no one was really doing them, so I decided I would,” Keogh laughed.
Since apples and pears don’t grow in Louisiana, Keogh researched fruit sources, settling on a Michigan supplier for her production. Once the basic cider and perry were perfected, the real fun began. Intent on incorporating Louisiana fruit for a local flavor, Keogh discovered strawberries and blueberries were perfect additions, and satsumas make a seasonal appearance in the fall.
With Kingfish as inspiration, naming the hard ciders was just plain fun! The first, Huey Perry, was soon joined by Uncle Earl, a hopped apple cider that’s a crossover for beer lovers. The basic cider became Blanche, named for Earl K.’s long-suffering wife, while Blaze Starrberry, the strawberry cider, gives a nod to his Bourbon Street stripper girlfriend, Blaze Starr. The blueberry perry Caledonia honors Huey and Earl’s mother, while the black-currant cider Russell B bears the name of Huey’s son, Russell Blue Long, who served in the U.S. Senate for almost 40 years.
Keogh shared that her favorite is Two Roses, a sparkling rosé-type beverage named for Huey’s wife and their daughter, who were both named Rose. After Huey’s assassination, his widow became the first Louisiana female senator, only the third in the country.
When Kingfish Cider opened this past May, it marked the first taproom of any kind to open in Jefferson Parish. It joins Broad Street Cider in New Orleans as the second cider taproom in the area.
Keogh’s passion for recycled art is on display in Kingfish’s tasting rooms, where everything was something else in a previous life. Wooden tables are crafted from lanes of a Westbank bowling alley and old freight boxes. Shiny hair dryers from the ’50s dangle over the bar as lamps. Kingfish houses Keogh’s collection of pinball machines from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.
Located near the Huey P. Long Bridge, Kingfish Cidery has become a community hub for Jefferson Parish, with weekly trivia nights and drag bingo bringing in cider loving crowds. Events always include a charitable element, with proceeds benefiting various animal rescue organizations. Pets (and children) are always welcome. Kingfish Cider is also available in cans and can be found in local stores, restaurants and bars.
Poppy Tooker has spent her life devoted to the cultural essence that food brings to Louisiana, a topic she explores weekly on her NPR-affiliated radio show, Louisiana Eats! From farmers markets to the homes and restaurants where our culinary traditions are revered and renewed, Poppy lends the voice of an insider to interested readers everywhere.
