The Stage is Set at Zony Mash

At New Orleans's historic Gem Theater, live entertainment is brewing once again

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The Gem Theater was the last segregated theater in the New Orleans area. Opening in 1951 in the Broadmoor neighborhood, The Gem provided a first-class experience to black patrons who were otherwise shunted to the upstairs balcony after entering through the rear doors at racially mixed theaters.

Dreyfous and Seiferth, the architecture firm behind New Orleans’s Charity Hospital and the State Capitol in Baton Rouge, had constructed The Gem using heavy masonry construction and deep foundation pilings that kept it standing long after the theater closed in 1960, but the property was in disrepair when Wayward Owl Brewing owner Justin Boswell encountered it in 2014. The Gem had housed a radio station and served as an auto parts store in the intervening years, but before he renovated, Boswell worked for months with the city to get it zoned for a brewery. Wayward Owl opened in late 2016 and closed almost two years later, leaving the 15-barrel brewing system and the the tasting room tap behind.

New Orleans homebrewer Mitch Grittman had been friends with Boswell before Wayward Owl closed. “I spent a ton of time over at Wayward, learning more about their equipment and asking questions about how to set up my system-to-be,” Grittman said. “Justin and I had brewed a beer together, first at the warehouse on my homebrew system, and then together on the Wayward system.”

The warehouse Grittman referred to was owned by real estate developer Adam Ritter, whom he had met through the beer geek network in New Orleans. The two began brewing together in that space, “dreaming up whatever you dream up while drinking beer,” said Ritter.

They realized that their sensibilities meshed during these sessions, which convinced Grittman to finally take the plunge after years of exploring different outlets for his brewing talent. “The main focus was to find the right path, the right project, the right partner,” said Grittman. “I love making beer, but I didn’t want to just make beer. I want to create something that was the whole package.”

When The Gem Theater became available, Ritter knew it was a great location. “I understand the construction process, and everything’s already in place at The Gem,” he said. After going through zoning and code issues with the city, including amending the building’s usage for live music performance, the brewery, called the Zony Mash Beer Project, came together surprisingly quickly and was ready to open earlier than the owners had anticipated—a rarity in the brewing business.

According to the building’s National Registry application, available in the U.S. National Parks Services archives, live performances played a part in the Gem Theater’s programming, which made it all the more important for Ritter and Grittman to bring this element back, to honor the building’s past, as well as to provide a unique brewery experience in the present.

“Famous African American baseball star Roy Campanella was in New Orleans with his team,” the federal registry application reports, “and while there, he and his other team members competed in a quiz show at the Gem Theater. Hundreds of African American children got to hear these famous players answer questions and talk about opportunities that were available to them.” The application reports appearances by a wide range of performers, too, including jazz trumpeter and bandleader Avery “Kid” Howard, song and dance man Alton Purnell, and comedian “Lollipop” Jones.

At the Zony Mash Beer Project today, the large theater space has hosted everything from stand up comedy nights and burlesque trivia to movie screenings, an homage to the building’s original primary function. Ritter is working on getting regular live music on the calendar; he hopes to attract local legends like The Soul Rebels and maybe even The Meters. The brewery is named for one of the Meters’ albums, after all.

“We had a whole darn list of potential brewery names,” said Ritter. “Wow, that list was long.” He and Grittman eventually settled on Zony Mash, a Meters album from the ‘90s that contained rarities and unreleased tracks. The band was cool with it, he said, adding that two of the three surviving members have actually been to the tasting room to sample the wares.

“The Meters have left a mark on me, on the whole city,” said Ritter. “They don’t get the credit they deserve.” The chance to honor the band is one reason that Zony Mash made the cut, but, said Ritter, “At the end of the day, it’s just fun to say.” He points out that “mash” is a brewing term referring to the process of extracting the fermentable sugars by boiling the malted barley.

In addition, an album of rare tracks fits what his brewery does, he explained, because Grittman is creating unusual beers not seen in the local market before. Every batch that comes out of the tanks or barrels is unique in some way. As a homebrewer, Grittman became well-known for making sour beers—beer that’s been purposely exposed to specific bacteria which changes the acidity of the beer, leading to flavors that range from bright and tart to intense and almost vinegary. Grittman uses tropical fruits and other ingredients to accent the beer’s sour nature.

Sours are becoming more popular in the local beer market, but they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. Fortunately, Grittman produces IPAs, stouts, and saisons to round out the beer menu of 17 taps. The brewery has a small barrel program—where beers are aged in spirit barrels—that is starting to come to fruition. Ritter is especially excited about a Belgian tripel that was aged in both rum and bourbon barrels. “The bourbon-aged tripel is just like a Manhattan,” he said, adding that they plan to add muddled cherries and orange peel to enhance that flavor. They’re doing something similar with a rum barrel-aged tripel, adding passionfruit and orange to play up its similarity to a Hurricane.

Although Zony Mash has a deep respect for the past, they’ve got lots to look forward to in the future. In the coming months, they plan to move the tasting room from the back of the theater to a street-facing addition not original to the Gem (where the auto parts store set up shop back in the ‘60s), with an adjoining beer garden and in-house food truck. Greater visibility for those driving through the popular intersection of Washington and Broad streets is good for business, and the new tasting room will directly face the rest of the Broad Street corridor, which includes Broad Street Cider, Piety & Desire Chocolate, The Independent Caveau wine bar and retail shop, Happy Raptor Distillery, Roulaison Rum, Laurel Street Bakery, and homebrew shop Brewstock.

“We’re happy to be a part of this growth,” said Ritter. “We expanded New Orleans a little bit.”

Recalling its many years in disrepair, Ritter said he is proud to celebrate this new chapter in The Gem’s history. “This building was built to entertain and the baton has been passed to us to pick up and carry,” he said. “It’s an honor to have the ability to extend the bloodline of this place.” 

Details, Details, Details ...

Zony Mash Beer Project

3940 Thalia Street

New Orleans, LA 70125

zonymashbeer.com