Abita Fleur-de-Lis Restoration Ale

Brewed by Abita Brewing Company
Style: Golden Ale/Blond Ale
Covington, Louisiana USA

Golden color. Moderate lasting white head. Light hoppy aroma. Refreshing light taste.

Golden/copper bodied topped with a white skin. Fruity citrus-hop aroma is all-orange. Flavor is a bit thin, yet the buttery mouthfeel still carries a well-balanced malt/hop profile to create quite the decent APA (or so I thought).

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Events-Detail.asp?Eve Park Brewhaha, June 24, 2006<font size=-1>

Taster at the Balmoral Brewhaha. A sharp, clean northwestern hop hit made me peg this as a Pale Ale. But no, I see it down as a Blond. Very close, either way. The malt base is a little light, and plays well of the featured hops. Regrettably, our taster cups were solid black, so I couldn’t tell you much about how it looks, except for a nice skimmer of foam on top. But it’s very nice on a warm, humid summer’s evening and lets me prepare for the more off-kilter beers at this event.

Bottle: Wet corn malt aroma. Gold body with white head. Mild bitter and corn no citrus hop in my bottle. Mild bitterness on palate.

Bottle poured golden yellow with a thick white head. Aroma and flavor of crisp malt, grass and light citrus with a tangy bitter finish. Rather boring.

Poured a pale golden color, but with a very nice head. Looked like a pale ale. Smelled like a pale ale, decent balance of malt and hops, the latter somewhat assertive (particularly for a blonde ale). The flavor was pleasant, smooth, and very drinkable for a light style beer. Some caramel malts noticeable, but there was a light toasted flavor underneath that made this thing fly. American hops presence is clear. After eating some barbecued pork, however, this thing picked up a somewhat annoying floral flavor: lavendar? Also, became somewhat watered down. For a blonde ale, not bad, but I’m wondering if they didn’t target a pale ale and screw up... Mouthfeel was thin, and would have gotten killed if an APA, but for a blonde ale, whatever... Finished somewhat dry. Not a bad beer for a blonde ale, but if an American Pale Ale... BOOOOO!!!! I’ll be somewhat lenient, since this is for a good cause.

Bottle... Clear, light golden ale with a small, creamy, white head. Sublte nose; almost nondescript. The flavor is perfectly balanced, but uninspiring. I can only pick up some tanginess up front, followed closely by a laid-back bitterness. Fairly thin on the palate. Medium-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and adequate carbonation. Medium length, almost tart, then dry finish.

Pours golden w/ a shallow, spritzy froth. Aroma is slight w/ malt and spice. Light to medium nectar w/ ample residual effers. Flavors are bright, crisp, clean, and slightly fruity with a slight hop character. Finish is wet w/ a perfect bttering. Overall: I like it. Well ballanced, complex, delicious.