New Beer Friday! – Abita’s Louisiana Spiced Ale
I randomly came across Abita’s Louisiana Spiced Ale at the store the other day and thought it would make a great New Beer Friday brew. Admittedly, I have little experience with vegetable/herbed beers but even from my vantage-point, this one is obviously unique. To be completely honest, this ale is not going to be for everybody but for those with an adventurous palate, there’s little to be disappointed by.
Abita’s Louisiana Spiced Ale pours a golden yellow with quite a bit of haze to it. There was a full inch of bubbly head that dissipated quickly with some spotty lacing on the glass. It gives off a slight aroma of citrus before yielding to a host of Cajun spices.
The first pull is honestly a little confusing. For about half a second, it almost tastes like a saison or a farmhouse ale but that note immediately retreats and you encounter the spices. It’s loaded with paprika, bay leaves and heavy dose of cayenne pepper. Those flavors mellow out on the back end and that’s when you can taste the vegetables, most notably, celery and a little bit of tomato. That note of cayenne continues through and sticks around afterwards.
As with most Abita brews in the past, I enjoyed this one. It’s definitely an interesting mix of flavors that are not commonly used and this would pair well with Cajun food. So much so that I’m planning on making a batch of jambalaya tomorrow night just to have something to serve this beer with.
Easily worth picking up just to try it, though again, it’s not for everyone. If you’re planning a crayfish or crab boil or you intend on cooking up some gumbo or other Cajun fare this is the perfect complement.
Tried Abita’s Louisana Spiced Ale? Leave a message in the comments!
And remember… the food abides…
New Beer Friday! – Abita’s Christmas Ale 2014
In all the hub-bub of the Fall Beer season (which is my favorite), the holiday beers tend to get drowned out. So for today’s New Beer Friday, I chose Abita’s Christmas Ale. Okay so I cheated and actually tried this one for the first time on Sunday night, but I’m drinking another now and that will have to suffice.
I’ve yet to try an Abita variety that I didn’t like and their holiday offering is no different. Abita is another brewery that, like Goose Island, purposely changes their holiday recipe to give xythophiles a something new every year… just like a Christmas gift as their label informs.
Christmas Ale 2014 pours a dark reddish brown with a small bubbly head that dissipated quickly. There’s a hoppy aroma with just a little bit of spice.
The first pull is slightly bitter and brings a very heavy pine flavor evenly layered with cocoa. The bitterness mellows quickly and the back end brings some coffee, cinnamon and just a little bit of orange peel.
Maybe it’s the pine and the chocolate, but to me, this just screams “Christmas Beer” and I’m sure that’s exactly what the brewers at Abita intended. This is a great beer for a cold holiday night in front of a roaring fire and a brightly lit Christmas tree. True, there are other sweeter and spicier holiday brews available, but this one can definitely hold it’s own against them and is worth trying.
Tried Abita’s 2014 Christmas Ale? Leave a message in the comments!
And remember… the food abides…
New Beer Friday! – Abita Amber
In my search for decent reds and ambers during the summer, I recently came across Abita’s amber offering. The Louisiana-based Brewery puts out some really flavorful craft beers most notably Turbodog and Purple Haze. I’ve been a fan of Abita’s beers for quite some time so I decided to give it a shot since I’d never tried it before. It’s hard to associate ambers with summer because of their richness and depth, but Abita’s is definitely one I could consider a “summer” amber.
Abita Amber pours a deep red color with a good two fingers of head. The aroma is slightly more floral than I would have expected and it’s more akin to something I’d see in a lighter beer. Flavor is a mellow caramel with notes of lemon and just a little hint of honey. It doesn’t seem to sit as heavy as beers of its type typically do which is why it makes such a good summer offering.
The only drawback is that I would not consider this a “sipping” beer as the warmer it got the more the flavor started to sour a little. Which is a shame because this would be perfect for just kicking back on the porch on a warm summer night.
A good brew all the same however.
Tried Abita Amber? Leave a message in the comments section!
And remember… the food abides…
Tampa Food Dude 