Abita Fall Fest

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

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.

The look is a hazy light copper color. Decent white and foamy head. Light bubby carbonation. Sturdy and pretty nice-looking. Has a rich bittersweet toasted malt aroma with fresh (English?) hops wafting above. Light caramel and hints of liquid yeast. The taste is rich toffee and molasses notes over a roasted (not burnt) malt. The hops are a bittering accent which is mild and serves to balance all that sweetness. Hint of pale malt as well. It feels creamy and thick. Remains on the tongue for sometimes after. Quite substantial. It’s a sweet (caramel/molasses) thick beer with mild and bitter hops. More like a roasted pale than a fall beer, but quite good. A fine Oktoberfest.

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.

My personal favorite of all of Abita’s five seasonal brews, Fall Fest is a bit lighter than Amber, but adds a touch of chocolate taste to it. Chocolate and caramel? Sounds like a thick desert, but this beer certainly goes down more smoothly and actually tastes lighter than most of their beers. Come fall, I’m stalking the grocery stores untill this beer hits the shelves.

Very very good fall brew. Bock I think. Smooth and bitter- very good.

Abita Fall Fest pours to a beautiful, bright amber color with a nice white head, and a good bit of carbonation. The nose is very malty with big aromas of sweet malt paired with toasty and nutty aromas. The palate is firm with lots of toasty and nutty flavors that roll over the tongue. The body is round and clean, making this beer very drinkable and delicious. Abita Fall Fest finishes with more toasty and nutty flavors, then ends with a nice touch of grassy hop bitterness that balances this beer out to perfection. This was a very well done domestic example of marzen, and perfect for the Fall in Louisiana. I matched this beer with a number of dishes when I was in New Orleans. It went very well with spicy barbecued crab claws, sea food gumbo, jambalaya, muffaletta sandwiches, Lucky Dog Creole Sausages, even raw oysters.

This one was a grower. I wasn’t immediately impressed, but started drinking it by the bucket by the time the Christmas Ale rolled around. Has a light, malty flavor with a hint of caramel.

Adequate beer, decent malts and hops, I like their bock better.