Abita Abbey Ale

Brewed by Abita Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Covington, Louisiana USA

This was badly positioned in my night of tasting--right after the remarkable La Chouffe. It suffered badly for it. A little bit of smokiness which rises up in your nose, with a lot of dirty caramel providing most of the flavor here.

Pours a deep amber, slightly chunky, with a creamy off-white head, that sticks around. Bad aroma, musty malt, rotting fruit, and sugar. Same flavors with some spice, caramel malt, and yeast. Blech, I do not like it.

This one surpirsed me with its greatness. The pour was turbid deep brownish with 1-finger, off-white, fluffy head and great lacing. Nose is hops, caramel malt, spicy yeast. Tastes spicy, yeasty, clovey, with hefty bready earthy malt, and late cacao notes. This one is very good.

(Sample Date: 6/12/2009 Source:Other) 22 oz bottle. Malty grainy aroma with some nutty fruityness. Clear amber with a small off white head. Caramel with toasty nuttinees and slightly sourness. Dry fruity lightly bitter finish. Not bad.

Bomber all to myself. Pours a murky dark orange with lasting khaki head. Pretty good nose with caramel malt, slight belgian yeasty, biscuit. Aroma is definitely better than the flavor, which is a little medicinal, very sweet malt, and some orange rind, brown sugar, and Very big chewy creamy body with a chocolatey dark fruit finish. Definitely gets better as it warms. It may not be as tasty as some other dubbels, but it is one of the cheapest, and has a cool bottle. This one scores well above average in my book.

Bottle. Poured hazy and effervescent copper at first but then settled into a beautiful translucence of the same color with a thick tan head that produced some nice lace. Redolent of caramel, strong honey-nut combination, cinammon, preserves (or perhaps candi syrup), subtle lemon zest, maple wood, slight earthiness, and clove. Flavor was sweet moderate malt, caramel nut, candied ginger, cinnamon, some vanilla, candi sugar, grape, orange zest, vinous, undertones of chocolate, clove, and alcohol. Palate was smooth and viscous, soft carbonation, slightly crisp, but poured gloopy and syrupy. All over complexity but not as malty as I expect a dubbel to be. Great belgian but I wouldn’t say it was an abbey at all.

What is this, the 8% + beer kick? Abbery brown. copper color with the traditional 2 inch off white foamy, tan, dense, head. Nice wild, belian yeast aroma with a faint caramelized sugar. Quite sweet though. The flavor is nutmeg, caramel, spice, dark sugar, and clove. Very easily qualifies for a monks meal. It’s quite good for the style. Sharp finish, and spicy aftertaste.

The 750 ml bottle was obtained in a trade with Erik of Indiana. It poured a muddy brown with a very large and long lasting light tan head and very distinct lacing rings. Nose of caramel malts, ripe fruit, and belgian yeast. Very rich and creamy mouthfeel. Flavor is sweet and the alcohol is well hidden. Good example of its style, and easy drinking.