David Blossman, president of Abita Beer, said brewing beer is not only his job; it’s his “passion.”

At 41, the Covington native was honored Friday night as a Rising Star by Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans.

While he said he was extremely honored to be recognized by a group he so heartedly believes in, his true joy comes from producing new and exciting ales and lagers for Abita Beer’s dedicated consumers.

David Blossman, president of Abita Beer, stands behind the bar in the company’s tasting room and visitor’s center. (Staff Photo by Suzanne Le Breton)

“I am very interested in beer,” he said, sitting in his office above what is Abita Beer’s new visitor center and tasting room. “I have been home brewing since and early age, and it has been a hobby of mine for most of my life.”

His interest in brewing came after he was assigned to create a family tree as part of a high school project. While interviewing family members, he grandfather told him about how he brewed strawberry wine during prohibition.

“He planted the little seed I needed to get interested in it,” Blossman said.

He began experimenting with different ingredients and admitted that many of his first creations were “not very good.”

He gradually graduated from using brewing kits to making beer from scratch, and in 1987 he won his first brewing competition.

Ironically that was the same year he talked his brothers in to pitching in and buying out the largest stockholder in Abita Beer.

The company had only been in business a short time and was very young, but then again at 18, so was Blossman. His contribution at the time was $2,500.

It doesn’t seem like much money to invest in a company, but Blossman said, “as a youngster in high school it was a lot of money.”

When asked why he put up the money, he said he believed in the product, and he still does.

Even at such a young age, Blossman has the foresight to see that a local brewery making beer using the already well-known waters from Abita Springs was something the local consumers would embrace.

But mostly, he said, it was the idea of brewing beer that intrigued him.

“I liked the idea of a craft brewery and micro brewing,” he said, “ and I knew Louisiana people were open about full flavored products.”

“People were looking for more flavor in their beers.”

When it came time for college, Blossman thought about using his love for brewing beer and majoring in chemistry, but said he was stronger in mathematics so he opted for a degree in accounting from LSU.

He worked as a CPA for Ernest and Young and worked for Southern Holdings, where he was the vice president of finance for Southern Scrap.

These jobs, he said, gave him the time and experience he needed to fine tune his management skills and develop the discipline needed to run a business.

In 1996 he came on at Abita Beer as its chief financial officer, and six months later was promoted to president.

Under his leadership, the company has continued to grow. When it began operations in 1986, Abita Beer was produced 1,500 barrels of beer the first year and was available only in Louisiana. It is now producing 90,000 barrels a year and is sold in 40 states.

“We have far exceeded our goals,” he said.

But more importantly to Blossman, the company has improved the “quality and consistency” of its product.

“It’s not about the bottom line,” he said. “I want to produce full-flavored beers and lagers. I want customers to really enjoy out product.”

Abita Beer has continued to increase the variety of beers it produces, which he said makes running the brewery more of a challenge but one he said it worth it in the end because creating new beers is what he enjoys.

“There is a lot more management involved, but as an artist, it’s nice to have a new canvas to work on,” he said. “It’s fun to make new beers, and what that does to moral is unbelievable.”

“I want to keep it fresh.”

Blossman hopes to see the company through its maturity and wants to continue giving back to the community as the business grows.

Following Hurricane Katrina, the company produced Restoration Ale, and donated the proceeds from the sale of that beer for the first two year to restoration projects in the greater New Orleans area.

Blossman said he learned a big lesson from Katrina.

“When you are threaten with losing everything, you really appreciate what you have.”

Restoration Ale was the first beer Abita Beer brewed when the brewery came back online after the storm. The company is now brewing Abbey Ale, and 25 cents from the sale of every bottle of that ale goes toward St. Joseph Abbey.

Blossman said he wanted to do something to show his appreciation for what monks have done for the brewing industry, and he thought this was appropriate. He hopes to raise $30,000 a year for the abbey through the sale of Abbey Ale.

Blossman is married to Caroline and has two children, 6-year-old Ian and 4-year-old Andrew.

He was among four others honored at the City Stars Soiree held by Junior Achievement Friday night in New Orleans.

For young entrepreneurs, Blossman offers this advice: “Find a career that you are passionate about, work hard and enjoy the important things in life.”