Abita Brewing Christmas Ale

Despite the lackluster experience I had with Abita's Pecan Harvest Ale yesterday, I chose Abita Christmas Ale as the beer of the day. Based on the description on the label, Abita Christmas Ale is Abita's winter seasonal beer, and is a hop-centric Brown ale built around Pacific Northwest hops.

Abita Christmas Ale had a loose but copious foamy head and poured a gorgeous ruby red in the glass. The nose was interesting in that it had no real character; there was an even balance of bready malt and piny hops, but both were faint and generic.

Abita Christmas Ale opened with a light, lemon hopped front that fizzled slightly in my mouth. The ale had a subtle dry malt background that didn't add much flavor so much as supported the body.

In the end, Abita Christmas Ale wasn't a bad beer... it was just bland, generic, and unable to deliver anything more than a passable session drinking experience. Whereas the character of Abita Pecan Harvest Ale was too overbearing, Abita Christmas Ale really needed to find one before being released. It's especially discouraging that this is their Christmas ale... as it's the equivalent of hoping for a puppy and getting a hamster.

Abita Brewing AndyGator Helles Doppelbock

In addition to their regular release, harvest, and seasonal beers, Abita Brewing offers a small line of beers called Abita Big Brews, available in 22oz. bottles and leaning towards the more European side of varietals such as Pilsner, Abby, and Doppelbock. I selected the appropriately Louisiana themed Abita AndyGator Helles Doppelbock to kick off my Sunday night.

Poured in the glass, Abita AndyGator Helles Doppelbock was an apple juice amber with out much head and mild but long lasting carbonation streams. AndyGator had a mellow nose dominated by yeast, bur there were sweet honey and lemon notes to support it.

On the tongue, Abita AngyGator opened bright and lively with a lemon hop taste. The citrus front fades to a sweet pear flavor, which transitions to banana and hints of clove. AndyGator ended on an extended sweet bread note.

My disappointment in their other exotic beers, coupled with my general indifference to Doppelbocks, made me approach Abita AndyGator with little enthusiasm. The complexity and drinkability (especially at 8% ABV) of this Doppelbock caught me off guard. Abita AndyGator Helles Doppelbock is a great beer, balancing a nuanced profile and high ABV with the drinkability of a session beer. Abita... One in three isn't what I'd call a good average, but this beer is enjoyable enough I'm going to just pretend the other two don't exist.

Abita Brewing Company Pecan Harvest Ale

As I will be in New Orleans for the next few days, I'm focusing on their regional brews. Abita Brewing Company, hailing from Abita Springs, Louisiana, is the ubiquitous brewery in the Big Easy, with their Amber and Turbodog being poured at every bar and restaurant in the Quarter. Abita Brewing is built around the philosophy of using only natural ingredients (no extracts or additives) and keeping as many of the ingredients local as possible. In the spirit of adventure, I picked up a few of their more exotic sounding beers. Today I started with Abita Pecan Harvest Ale, which the bottle purports is a brown ale Brewed with Louisiana pecan oil.

Poured in the glass, Abita Pecan Harvest Ale was a light orange color with a sudsy head that was loose but ample. The nose was disturbing, as the hints of pecan were overshadowed by the distinct odor of dry dog food.

Drank, Abita Pecan Harvest Ale was carbonated and mineral flavored, and for a brief moment the sweet, nutty taste of pecans came through, but as the nose warned, my palette was quickly overcome by a dried dog food taste. The taste lingered for a few seconds, and the ale ended on a note that was equal parts pecan and dog food.

I like the idea behind this beer, and really wanted to like it, but the taste was terrible. I think the combination Of malts, hops, yeast, and pecans just came together in an unappealing way, and while applaud Abita for embracing regional foods to create new beers, they have no excuse for bottling this ale and selling it.

Abita Vanilla Doubledog 25th Anniversary Ale

Abita Vanilla Doubledog 25th Anniversary Ale, an Abita offering from their Big Beers lineup that builds off a base of theri Turbodog ale, poured big and black into the glass, with chestnut highlights peaking through the almost non-existent head. The nose was led by milk chocolate and light coffee, backed by a hint of vanilla.


Abita Vanilla Doubledog Ale opened thick and creamy, with a paradoxical light and dry underbelly that clearly recalls Abita Turbodog.  There was a crispness from the hops and roasted grain notes (again, Turbodog to a "T") before a rising vanilla and caramel sweetness took hold and never gave up their footing.  The ale ended with the same combination of "thick but light, sweet but dry" that it settled in to.


Abita Vanilla Doubledog Ale has less vanilla than one (at least I) expects from an ale touting it proudly on the bottle, but that's not a bad thing.  The Turbodog essence of bright and toasted plays interestingly with the milkshake-like creaminess in the lead and the sweet fade.  While I wouldn't adopt this as a go-to beer, there is a lot to love about Doubledog.