Our second Christmas ale is Abita Christmas Ale, purchased at the Cornersburg Party Shop.
"Each year at the Abita Brewery we craft a special dark ale for the holiday season. Each year the recipe changes so that Abita Christmas Ale is always the perfect gift." It's suggested to drink this spicy beer with traditional holiday flavors like gingerbread or spiced nuts, as well as either bleu cheese or Camembert.
Overall average rating: 6.1/10
This pours a translucent light red amber, lighter than the previous beer. This also has tons of egg white head with a lot of lacing. There is a lot of citrus hop in the aroma, with a little malt and honey as well. The hop finish in the taste is exactly like the aroma.
Shawn- Normally a Christmas ale from Louisiana would seem odd, but their Pecan Harvest was really good. The crisp bitterness of the hop in this beer is refreshing, however it doesn't have typical Christmas flavors in it. I'd classify this almost as a "red winter" more than a Christmas ale, 5.5/10.
Angela- This tastes exactly like the smell, so it's consistency is good. I actually detect an aroma of sweet potato as well as the hop. It's not my favorite Christmas ale, but I think it would go really well with Shawn's sweet potato curry soup (hint, hint), 6.25/10.
Chris- This tastes like a hoppy amber beer with a little honey added. It's not bad, it's just not that Christmasy. My rating is based on the smell/taste consistency, 6.5/10.
Today's beer is Abita Pecan Harvest, purchased from Vintage Estate Wine & Beer.
The label is orange and brown, nothing too exciting. I kind of dig the retro 70's look of it. It is brewed with Louisiana pecans. According to the label, most ales with nutty flavors/aromas don't use actual nuts, but the natural oils from the pecans give this ale a light pecan finish and aroma. It is suggested as a pairing to red meats, seafood, and gouda cheese. It is a nut ale and 5% ABV.
Overall average rating: 7.2/10
This beer yields a slightly off-white, somewhat carbonated head, with a clear/translucent red amber color. The aroma gives off wafts of pecan, malt, and caramel, but not too much of any particular scent. There was a nutty sweet taste - pecan, maybe honey-glazed. It seems ridiculously carbonated and thin, but with no hop bite.
Shawn- I am pleasantly surprised with this beer. It gives me a homey feel - delicious, warming, the smell of pecan pie, 7/10.
Angela- It has a very unique flavor. I really enjoy the nuttiness and well-roundedness of the flavors. I liked it much more than the previous two because it had a more harvesty taste, 8/10.
Chris- I think it smells like pecan baklava (Angela- we had just eaten baklava, perhaps it had some influence?). It definitely seems to be what a fall/harvest beer should be because I get more fall-time flavors from this beer, 6.5/10.
