Abita Fall Fest

Brewed by Abita Brewing Company
Style: Oktoberfest/Märzen
Covington, Louisiana USA

I began reviewing beers here just as the last of last year’s Fall Fests had disappeared from the shelves and the taps. Abita Fall Fest has been a seasonal favorite of mine for years, and I wanted to review it after a fresh taste, not from memory. The 2008 Fall Fests hit the shelves today, so here’s that review: Pours a slightly tarnished copper color with a medium sized and rapidly dissipating head. Nice lacy lacing is left on the glass. Nose, IMHO, is that of the quintessential Octoberfest beer. Bready and rich of sweet, caramel malt. Taste is very smooth and well balanced and also understated. There are lots of subtle little notes in the taste, yet none jumps out. The first obvious note in the taste is that of caramel malt, with just a hint of chocolate. Then, somewhat more subtle notes of nuts, biscuits, and hints of hops. Mouthfeel is smooth, wet, yet just a little bit creamy. Finish is short and consists of understated hop bitterness with just a slightly astringent component. This simply IS THE Octoberfest beer to me.

Pours a copper body with a little head. It Has a distinct fall aroma. Lighter boded, with a maltier mouthfeel and a hint of leaves. Finishes a little sweet with an accent of squirrels gathering nuts.

This quite possibly might be my all-time favorite Beer. It is a Rich flavorful Oktoberfest Marzen crafted by Abita. Each year I await September. I am more excited when this beer hits the shelves (or the streets for the pub crawls) than I am for my birthday (which is always soon to follow); the celebration of which is usually done by consuming mass quantities of this beer. This beer Has the necessary qualities to stand up next to the Munich marzens, such as Paulaner and Spaten. In my opinion, this beer is worthy of its own tent at those famed fairgrounds (Those being the fairgrounds where Oktoberfest is held annually in the last two weeks of September and the first week of October). Eats some Brats, Sauerkraut, and potatoes with a liter of Fall Fest and you’ll have one helluva evening.

I’m not really sure what this has to do with the Märzen style. It’s got a gold body with a short-lived head. The aroma is sweet and malty with a wee suggestion of earthy hops. The flavor is sweet and grainy, but the hops seem to disappear altogether. Drinkable, perhaps, but don’t pop one expecting a Märzen.

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12oz bottle-Pours slightly hazy orangish golden body with a head that dissipated into a small ring. Aroma of malt, a little hops and caramel. Taste was a light body with a taste of malt, pale lager, and a smalll amount of hops on the back end. Doesn’t really fit the style IMO but a decent tasting beer.

Hmmmm, this one is not much different from the amber. It really looks identical, and the basic profile is the same: an earthy crystal-malt driven amber, maybe a little maltier, maybe a little sweeter, but it seems that I’m splitting hairs really.

Poured from bottle. Slightly cloudy amber color with minimal head that quickly disipates leaving a slight bit of lacing. Aroma is weak and has hints of malt and citrus. Not the best Abita I’ve had but it’s ok. Flavor was a bit weak.

On tap. Not much head with a really good aroma. Very smooth to drink. Could use a little more flavor, but overall a good beer for fall.