With four years of home brewing under his belt, St. John the Baptist Parish native Jason Delatte enlisted the help of his father and brother to take his passion to the next level by starting his own business.

Cajunboyz Brewery, LLC, located at 114 Power Blvd. Suite 3 in Reserve, is scheduled to formally open in December. Until the business licensing is finalized, Jason Delatte said visitors are welcome to stop in, kick back and watch the game while they sample his eight signature beers.

“We’re trying to build a presence in the community,” he said. “We’ve been doing weekend beer tastings and letting people come in and hang out after work.”

Jason got into home brewing in 2013 after discussing the idea with coworkers. Friends and family took a liking to his brews, and with the encouragement of an old friend from his time in the U.S. Navy, he took steps to turn his hobby into a business.

Cajunboyz was registered as a company in November and the location was secured in April. Though Jason Delatte originally began brewing with a friend, his business evolved into a family project.

Jason’s father, Tim Delatte, said their brewery would stand out from others in community involvement. He anticipates hosting barbecues, crawfish boils and other events to draw people together.

In addition, he sees an opportunity to raise funds for charitable causes. The Delattes are selling Cajunboyz alligator logo T-shirts and raffling off a hand-airbrushed growler to raise funds for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. Hurricane victims will also receive half of the proceeds collected from a plate lunch sale tentatively scheduled Sept. 16 or 23 at the brewery.

“In the future, we’d love to do more private events and charity work,” Jason said. “We have no problem with opening our doors and helping out.”

Though he isn’t cleared to sell his beer yet, Jason said he enjoys perfecting his brews and getting feedback from locals.

“I’ve enjoyed every part of starting the business, but I really like when people leave reviews on the beer,” Jason said. “It’s cool to see people choosing our beer over big brands like Bud Light.”

Out of their eight current flavors, Jason said Poolside Ale, Cajun Goddess and Creme Ale are their three most requested flavors.

“We’ve had people come up to us and say, ‘I don’t even drink beer, but I could drink this all day.’” Tim said.

According to Tim, their family tries to avoid replicating what other breweries offer and instead focus on creating unique flavors. He said they got the idea for pineapple Poolside Ale at a Hawaiian-themed party, and other flavors including jalapeño and gumbo are currently in the works.

Jason Delatte said his other favorite aspect of founding Cajunboyz Brewery is having the opportunity to build a family business with his father, Tim, and his brother, Joseph. For now, the brewery is a side business, but they hope it grows into a full-time career.

They already have expansion plans in mind for the future, which include knocking down walls of empty warehouses located behind the brewery and possibly turning the venue into a restaurant.

“There’s really nothing like this in this parish, and there’s really not many breweries between New Orleans and Baton Rouge,” Jason said.

For more information on upcoming events, beer tastings and fundraisers, visit Cajunboyz Brewery, LLC on Facebook or call 504-208-1776.

— Story & photos by Brooke Robichaux