Abita Brewing Company - Peach Lager

by Daver!

Hey all, Daver here. I finally crawled out from under my rock and picked up the keyboard to tell you all about a new harvest (to me) beer. Sorry for the long gap between entries; that's the thing about blogging for fun, on one hand I have no deadlines, on the other hand no content to keep an audience. Let's fix that.

What do we have on tap today? Well, it's a summer harvest release from my favorite Louisiana based brewery, the Abita Brewing Company Peach Lager. Yes, summer release. Another advantage of doing this for fun, the sheer randomness of the selections!

On first pour, this beer has a mostly clear and golden color typical to most other lagers. The head is thin and quickly disperses, though it leaves a white ring clinging along the glass. The locally-grown peaches come through the bouquet with the subtlety of a chainsaw. How many peaches did they pick, a million? Millions of peaches, peaches for me (to drink). It's certainly peachy-keen, both in aroma and flavor. The sweetness is muted, but the overall fruit flavor remains with the pale malt of the brew lending a dry almost effervescent crispness in the finish. It's light on the tongue, strong with flavor without being sweet, and easy to drink. With an ABV of 4.5%, it's an excellent beer to relax with on a hot day. Or even a chilly evening, since we're well into fall as I write this.

Here's the thing, would I recommend it? Yes, but with a caveat. It's good, you won't be disappointed 

by trying this, and you won't get tired of drinking it. But personally, it's not the best peach beer I've ever had. I'll tell you more about that one another time. Till then, this is Daver, closing taps and signing off. 

Oktoberfest! Abita Brewing Co. Octoberfest Marzen Style Lager

Greetings my fellow fall-fest fans, Daver here to once more imbibe a seasonal sample and relate the results of my research and reactions. Gods do I love October! 

I've chosen a brew from this side of the Atlantic but just barely this side of the Mississipi, the Abita Brewing Company's Octoberfest Marzen-style Lager.

A quick perusal of the blog archives will show I’m a little partial towards the Louisiana-based Abita Brewery. Haven't had a bad brew with their name on the bottle yet, let's see if the streak holds with this one. Once again, I’m serving this with the 12-oz jam jar with the handle. I have no idea what they’re actually called, but jam jar mug is as good as it gets.  Side note, the bar where I first saw these used claimed that these were pint glasses and charged me as much. LIES!!!  Will never go back to *establishment deleted* again.

On first pour, this lager has a dark, coppery, amber color, a clear body with a thin head that fades quickly. The bouquet is richer than anticipated, notes of sweet malt cutting through the expected tang of hops and yeast. A higher content of malt used in brewing is behind that, no doubt. It's a broader, full bodied experience for the palate. The tang is thinner,  more subtle, but it's ever present. The finish is still dry, but not so crisp and clean.  With an ABV at a respectable 5.4%, you'll be able to enjoy it casually this time of year.

In summation, if the German import was a basic brew done with great care to its substance, this Lousiana batch has more style to it. Yeah, I'd definitely drink this again. You should too!

Abita Brewing Company - Mardi Gras Bock

Happy Mardi Gras, everybody!

It seemed appropriate to write up this seasonal brew by Abita, since Abita's a Louisiana-based brewery and one of my favorite brands. This was also all I could do to kick off the season instead of hitting any Mardi Gras events (goddamn rain) like I'd wanted. May as well write something topical, y'know?

Enough bellyaching, let's get this review moving.

On first pour, you can see it has a thick head that slowly dissipates into lacy foam, which clings to the edge of glass. The brew is a clear amber, and the bouquet is easily detectable. You can pick up the malt, and something like brown sugar. The malt flavor comes through clearly as well, with some slight honey tones for sweetness, and a little like the taste of fresh bread.  The Abita website states that the strong malt is similar to German maibocks... something to compare later. The bite of hops is there at the start and finish, and it's a full bodied beverage all throughout.

My final thoughts, I like this. I like this a lot. Give it a shot, and don't be surprised if you like it just as much! Abita Mardi Gras Bock is only available January to March, so if you're gonna try it out, now's the right time.