Geaux Brewing has been offering its own tasty, home-brewed beers since it opened in 2013 on Bellevue’s Northrup Way.

And when Geaux opens its second locale in Auburn next October, sandwiched between Parker Paints and Cascade Beauty College on East Main Street, not only will it bring a brewhouse but also a New Orleans-themed taproom and a kitchen.

“We are happy they are coming here. It’s a family-friendly restaurant,” said Mayor Nancy Backus.

Writing for Washingtonbeerblog, Kendall Jones said that with the move, the establishment’s barrel system will grow from four to 20, bulking up Geaux’s capacity to slightly more than 1,000 barrels in the first year.

“It was a combo of timing and, frankly, talking with City officials about their revitalization plans for downtown,” said owner Jeremy Hubbell. “We will be able open up a production brewery in a high-traffic corridor and be an early anchor as part of the City’s revitalization plans.”

According to washingtonbeerblog, Hubbell plans to keep the flagship brewery’s tap room but remodel it to seat more customers. And from the new kitchen in Auburn, there’ll be food on the expanded menu.

Bread and Circuses will help design the kitchen and develop the menu to offer New Orleans new dishes alongside classics such as jambalaya, gumbo and po boys.

Hubbell noted that whereas the flagship brewery locale is rather small at 1,800 square feet, the Auburn digs will be about 7,000 square feet.

As part of the expansion, Geaux plans to release a new brew, “Geauxin’ South”, a rye IPA evoking the spiciness of the flavors of New Orleans. The IPA will soon be sippable at the Green River Cyclery on South Division Street in downtown Auburn.

Is there a market?

“Go to Oddfellas on a Thursday or Friday afternoon,” Hubbell said, having recovered from laughter at the inanity of the question. “You’ll see a lot of people drinking beer. It’s hopping busy. We get that there is a demand. There are 300-plus breweries in the state, and the industry is booming. But for some reason, Auburn has never been part of that boom. It’s a good fit.”

Founded in 2012 as “The Brewery for Homebrewers,” Geaux Brewing has since produced a number of award-winning beers, including its Wee Y’at Scotch Ale and Vanilla Mint Chai Satchmo Stout.