Abita - Strawberry Harvest Lager

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Strawberry Harvest Lager
Abita Brewing Company, LLC
Abita Springs, LA USA
Est. 1986
www.abita.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.2 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0

Postmortem Brew Review
Brilliant golden color.
Wheat grains and bright hops along with berry and bready smells.
Two-finger bright white head that leaves nice amount of stringy lacing.
Delicious strawberry fresh sweetness that balances with the finishing hops.
Good amount of carbonation.
Light tartness.
Light mouth feel. Easy to drink at low ABV and brisk, refreshing taste.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
This is some crazy good brew. I love the strawberry flavor. It tastes so very fresh, not like some additive, and I should mention that it isn't over-the-top either. Just a simple lager with pilsener and wheat malts. And oh those strawberries. Very refreshing. Try this as a great switch from your everyday lager or wheat.

It's quickly becoming my go-to beer, at the pool or after mowing the cemetery lawn. Muah haaaa haaa haaa!

Abita - SOS (Save Our Shore)

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
SOS (Save Our Shore)
Abita Brewing Company, LLC
Abita Springs, LA USA
Est. 1986
www.abita.com
and
sos.abita.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 7.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0

Postmortem Brew Review
Brilliant golden color.
Wheat; bready aroma. Bright finishing hops noticed.
Two-finger bright white head that leaves ringed lacing.
Dry, tart wheat taste. Citrus (like tangerine) touches. Slightly acerbic on finish.
Modest amount of carbonation.
Light mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
At the intersection of Mardi Gras and exaggerated gasoline prices, we find this wonderful Louisiana beer. A bright pilsener done with a twist; wheat instead of barley. An unusual 22 ounce pilsener weizen. Truly a Big Easy beer, if ever there was one.  As a side note, the finishing note of the beer and the the aftermath of the 2010 gulf oil spill, reveal a bitter finish. Poetic justice, Abita!

The idea for such a beer was created as a response to help with the community, suffering from the great oil spill from 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico, along the shores of Louisiana. For every bottle sold, Abita donates seventy five cents towards, "... the rescue and restoration of the environment, industry and individuals fighting to survive this disastrous oil spill."  Nice effort on their part. They have gone above and beyond by even creating a superb web page for all to view. You can help the cause by viewing it here at http://sos.abita.com/

Beautiful bottle, web page, beer and cause. Do visit them and see what you can do to help out.

Dixie - Blackened Voodoo Lager

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Blackened Voodoo Lager
Dixie Brewing Company
2401 Tulane Avenue
New Orleans, LA USA
Est. 1907
www.dixiebeer.com 
Brewed by:
Joseph Huber Brewing Company
Monroe, WI

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Dark amber brown color.
Two finger off-white head that leaves little lacing.
Sweet malt and slight chocolate smells.
Fresh tasting, malty and just a slight watery presence.
Good amount of carbonation.
Light bodied; crisp and easy to drink.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
I rather enjoyed Dixie's straight up lager this summer. It was a go-to favorite. This all malt brew is pretty fantastic as well. Done in the Munich Dunkel Lager style, the neck lable stated that it uses "old-world brewing methods".

Those methods might include some brewing friendships as well. Dixie suffered at the hands of Hurricane Katrina. With a little help from their friends at Joseph Huber Brewing in Wisconsin, they were able to make this beer. Meanwhile, the operations to restore the Louisiana operations continue as the century old Dixie continues to turn out beer for the masses.

A little voodoo and some good friends can go a long way.

Abita Pecan Harvest

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Abita Pecan Harvest
Abita Brewing Company, LLC
Abita Springs, LA USA
Est. 1986
www.abita.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear copper color.
Pronounced nutty aroma with a bit of hops present.
One-finger off-white head that leaves no lacing.
Dry, nutty taste.Taste and smell of pecans.
Modest amount of carbonation.
Light mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Although classified as an American Brown Ale, I didn't get that while sampling this beer. It was in a world of its own with the addition of pecans. Abita makes mention on the label that while other beers hint at nuttiness in flavor, it is usually due to the process of brewing, but not by adding nuts.  They have gone the step farther and added some of Louisiana's finest pecans to the batch making a uniquely flavorful beer.

Don't be fooled by the 'brown ale' handle, it doesn't taste at all like your usual brown.  But that said, it does make for an interestingly off beat version. I liked it.

Abita Satsuma Harvest Wit

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Abita Satsuma Harvest Wit
Abita Brewing Company, LLC
Abita Springs, LA USA
Est. 1986
www.abita.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.1 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0

Postmortem Brew Review
Lemony yellow, straw color; bit of haze.
Pleasant citrus orange-like aroma with wheat and hint of spice.
Two-finger head that mellows to a wisp leaving scant lacing.
Very refreshing leaving pleasant sweet aftertaste of citrus.
Modest amount of carbonation.
Light and airy mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
This is an extremely fine refresher, whether it's a hot day outside or just as a switch up between sessions of hoppy beers.  I found the Satsuma to be satisfying and easy to drink.  The satsuma makes the wit especially pleasant in aromas and in taste.  Very unique.

Simply put, I can imagine this being my new go-to beer at the beach, by the pool or after cutting the lawn.  ABV is a very modest 5.1% so it wont slow down your day.

Dixie Beer

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Dixie Beer
Dixie Brewing Company
2401 Tulane Avenue
New Orleans, LA USA
Est. 1907
www.dixiebeer.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear light golden color.
Two finger crisp white head that leaves slight lacing.
Sweet, malty and slight grainy smell.
Fresh lager taste with nice hops finish found in European pilseners.
Good amount of carbonation.
Light bodied; refreshing.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
A fine and surprising lager from New Orleans.  This company survived Hurricane Katrina after the century old brewery was nearly completely destroyed.

This brewery dates back to 1907.  The only other New Orleans brewery, Falstaff, has since closed, leaving Dixie with the distinction of being the only brewery located inside the city of New Orleans.  Dixie has been under contract during the rebuilding process, post hurricane.

I found this to be an unassuming bottle; the label is fairly plain, save for the flourishes around the logo. I didn't really give it much thought when perusing the nearby beer vault in search of things not sampled.  Oening, pouring and looking at the beer still didn't offer any hints of what lay in wait.  What I found upon the first sip was a very clean and refreshing beer that is certainly worthy of standing up to any other of the macro beer's flagship brands.

Give it a try.  Let's help rebuild New Orleans one bottle at a time!

Abita Jockamo IPA

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Abita Jockamo IPA
Abita Brewing Company, LLC
Abita Springs, LA USA
Est. 1986
www.abita.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0

Postmortem Brew Review
Murky and turbid copper color.
An up-front hops presence with malt undertones in the aroma.
Minimal head that rapidly disappears.
Two finger head, off white color.
Slight lacing clings to the glass.
Taste of hops later part of sip and finish.
Minimal carbonation.
Medium mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Abita makes some fine, interesting beers. I state this because I was a bit underwhelmed at first, with Jockamo.  Where's the hops I smelled? Where's the hops heat for that matter? The more I sipped, the less it excited me.

About half way through the glass, the hops started to sneak up with a tongue drying flavor. Ninja-like, this IPA began to reel me in bit by bit.  Still, in all, it wasn't the experience I look for in an IPA.  And while it wasn't bad, I probably wouldn't go again for a while.  Guess I'm used to the knockout punch of hops in American IPA's.

Your take?

Abita - Andy Gator

Taps for a Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Abita Andy Gator
Abita Brewing Company, LLC
Abita Springs, LA USA
Est. 1986
www.abita.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 8.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 (On Tap) 

Postmortem Brew Review
Near clear golden color, surprising for a Doppelbock.
A bit of malt sweetness and floral hops smell.
Minimal head that rapidly disappears.
Scant cover of head.
Two and a half finger head, off white color.
A good amount of small ring lacing clings to the glass.
Minimal carbonation.
Light mouthfeel, smooth.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Not what I was expecting in a Doppelbock, however it was a tasty little pint.  And 8% ABV to boot.  It's easy to sip this beer and relax a bit with it as the high ABV will catch up to you.  But that aside, it is no 'croc' and will give you no bite.  The alcohol is not present in the taste or aftertaste.

Why dontcha' roll into your favorite watering hole and pull one of these from the swamp.  Before you know it, you'll be up to your neck in 'gators.

Abita - Amber Beer

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Abita Amber Beer
Abita Brewing Company, LLC
Abita Springs, LA USA
Est. 1986
www.abita.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Rich amber color.
Soft caramel malted barley, easy floral notes of hops.
Two and a half finger head, caramel in color.
A good amount of small ring lacing clings to the glass.
Medium bodied, silky smooth.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Abita states this amber is a Munich style lager. Ah-ha! That squarley places it in the Märzen-Oktoberfest classification.  Pale and Crystal malts, soft understated yet surprising hops.  Clean and refreshingly easy to drink. It's a sleeper of a beer.

Abita produces this beer in small, cold filtered batches.  Cold filtered that is, with the Abita Springs artesian water.  Care and quality are among the important details that go into this beer and it surely shows.  No additives, nothing un-natural.

Truly worth picking up a sixer, maybe more. So, what are you waiting for?

Abita - Restoration Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Abita - Restoration Pale Ale
Abita Brewing Company, LLC
Abita Springs, LA USA
Est. 1986
www.abita.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Hazy orange yellow color.
Barley with hint of hops in the nose.
Short and fast dissipating head.
Virtually no head by end of glass and little lacing on glass.
Good but not pungent amount of hops in finish.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
This "Big Easy" pale ale was easy to drink but just not that big to set it apart from others in its style.  It could be a session drinker if you are looking for something to mix up your next party, away from the BMC set.  It does offer some hops character, but for a pale ale it needs more presence.  Hmmm...and their Turbo Dog was pretty good.....

The ale gets its 'Restoration' name after the tragic hurricane that befell New Orleans in 2005.  I'll call this one a work-in-progress. As with all restorations, we'll wait and see if the hard work pays off down the road.  Mean time, there are many more Abita brews out there just waiting to be had.  Stay tuned.

Abita - Turbodog Beer

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Abita Turbodog Beer
Abita Brewing Company, LLC
Abita Springs, LA USA
Est. 1986
www.abita.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.6 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Deep brown color.
Malted barley, chocolate and toffee tones in aroma.
Tall, actively bottom forming head that is frothy and caramel in color.
Small clumps of foam cling to the glass.
Full bodied, yet not over powering.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
This little sleeper of a beer drinks like a good brown ale. It can be recommended as a starting point if you've never experienced a brown ale. Maybe you are afraid of heaviness or overpowering hoppiness. You'll get none of that from Abita. This is pleasant and easy to drink without being filling. Laisser les bons temps rouler!

It's no secret that a famous celeb chef (think "Bam!") loves this Louisiana beer; not only in his cooking recipes, but also on occasion, straight from the fridge. Certainly 'lagniappe.' The Willamette hops are not too 'in your face' powerful, but oh so right. It is distinctly different from other brown ales.

Ca c'est bon! There's no denying it, you should get some of this tahyo and you'll see what I mean.