Abita Christmas Ale

Brewed by Abita Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Covington, Louisiana USA

You might notice that Louisiana beers (dixi, acadiana) tend to have a cider taste to them somehow. I don’t know if they keep them in cider barrels or what, but Abita typicaly doesn’t have that distinction. This particular seasonal abita beer (after fall fest and before red ale) does have that distinction and is particularly good during christmas time. It’s aftertaste tastes like you drank out of a can, but the initial taste makes up for that fault. I prefer to drink it with something sweet like a desert, but it is definatly not something I would like to drink all day. Do give it a shot.

Cloudy orange appearance, sweet nose. Malty taste with orange peel. Piney blandish aftertaste. 28%??? Naw, the sweet maltiness deserves a better rating though it does not have the spicycomplexity of a xmas ale.

Has a flavor more like Newcastle than anything else, but a touch lighter. Makes for a great Christmas beer, as it should. A nice change from the Fall Fest.

Reddish amber witha thin but full, off-white head. A complex aroma of malt, hop, and spice(cinnamon) which is similar to an IPA but just a bit sweeter and spicier. Not much flavor, but, what it has is good on the hoppy side w/ toasty malt. It feel a bit on the lighter side adn finishes dry with toasty malt and hops.

2008 recipe. Perhaps due to the popularity of Jocamo IPA, this years Christmas Ale offering from Abita appears to be based on a modified recipe of Jocamo. Its a similar deep red/amber color with a medium sized tan head. Nose is of caramel and rich malts. Taste is malty with a slight hint of nuts. Where it differers from the IPA is that the hops are dialed way back in this one by comparison. The flavor of the hops begins to peek through in the finish, leaving a nicely bitter sweet aftertaste.

Look forward to this years brew, last years was good, nice and malty, with a underlying hop floral essence.

12 oz that has a shiny silver label, I assume this is the 2007 version. Medium-sized and lasting head on this uncloudy, dark copper-brown beer. Aroma is spicy wood and slight cocoa. Flavor is unsweetened cocoa, toasted nut, dried wood, fruity and piney hops, and some unidentified dry-earthy herb-spice(s). The hops combine with the subtle spice to give a nice bitter-fruit, deep woody finish to this beer. Palate is almost medium bodied, smooth and dry. Haven’t had the previous versions, but this year’s is unique and flavorful.

Found this one at Binny’s in St. Charles, Illinois. Nice ruby red, clear pour with a medium tan head. A sweet nose with some spiciness, follows into the taste, balanced with a sharp, hoppy finish. Pretty good. I am enjoying this season of Christmas brews.