Hubig’s Pies and Dixie Beer, together again at last?
No, I’m not talking about a sweet and sudsy flavor pairing. Instead, the two old New Orleans brands, Hubig’s and Dixie, have both been in the news lately, each on different parts of their own return. What unites them is an everyman appeal tied to place, particularly this one.
If you want something to confirm your status as a connoisseur or big spender, well, these were the opposite. But they were part of landscape of New Orleans flavors, daily reminders that our home has its own ways.
Dixie Beer hadn’t been made in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, until now. Watching it come back has been a curious case of an old brand growing more youthful.
Once, before the craft brewing revival, Dixie was the last local beer standing, or maybe teetering. Back then, even its regular customers were prone to describe their loyalty like a penance. It wasn’t the best, but hey it was ours.
Now, the new Dixie wants to rekindle the beer of its heyday, not its last days. The familiar lager has been refitted to live its best life, and there’s a range of new craft brews under the Dixie name. Its new brewery in New Orleans East is a gleaming visitor attraction. It’s about taking something New Orleans knows and recasting it for the times.
On the other hand, for Hubig’s Pies, coming back exactly the way people remember is job one.
Hubig’s has been out of circulation for almost 8 years after a disastrous fire. Now, plans are rolling to finally build a new factory. The goal: get these hand pies back in your hot little hands by summertime.
It’s a new start for the old company which is promising that in flavor, style, look and feel the Hubig’s Pies that hit the shelves will match the ones that live in New Orleans memory.
And, who knows, someday soon perhaps we will wash down a Hubig’s pie with a Dixie beer. These days, that doesn’t sound like such an odd pairing after all.
