Abita Christmas Ale

Brewed by Abita Brewing Company
Style: Amber Ale
Covington, Louisiana USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

Bottle pours amber with a white head. Aroma is toast and caramel malt. Flavor is earthy and malty, some toasty notes with an odd bit of spice I can’t put my finger on.

Amber and garnets deep as the deepest ocean greet me from their glassy abode while coppery clouds drift on by. Thin slivers of lace creep and I find myself nose deep in Christmas glory. Cinnamon sticks, treacle, red apples, prunes and raisins lead into tropical fruits while graham crackers are a solid platform upon which they stand. Papaya and star fruit come to mind, their skins especially for that bitter-sweet tropical fruit dryness which I love oh-so-much. With nothing more to discover in her nose, I rip into her palate to find all kinds of wintry goodies waiting. Clean and brisk, she is sweet with dark syrups and dark fruit first. Cinnamon sticks and a generous helping of treacle ride above chocolate and a kiss of toffee. Her finish is dry with a lingering presence of red apple and papaya skins. As the main spice, cinnamon is all over her palate and my breath. Despite all the above, she manages to maintain a bright palate which makes for a quicker than expected session. One last crunch of pumpernickel sticks underneath with the graham crackers and like all good Christmas’ past, she comes to an end.

I’m glad I got to try this winter classic from Abita when I did because she proved to be an elusive creature of comfort. Try as I might, she was never able to grace the shelves at work, even if only for a week or two. Good thing there is another Christmas in the makings not that long from now.

Pours a medium-dark amber with a super creamy beige head that has great retention and leaves nice lacing. Aroma is citrus, ginger, caramel, light cereal notes and something that reminds me of decorative glycerin soap. Flavor is of spiced cookies, butter, toast, lots of butter, citrus rinds and a touch of pine. Palate is somewhat light bodied, with a full, creamy entry and off dry finish and a light, fairly sharp carbonation. Decent little brew, the spice adds something nice to what I’m sure would otherwise be a pretty plain brew.

Pours Amber with a lot of head. Spicy aroma does remind you of Christmas. Flavor is malty, spicy, with some cinnamon, and nutmeg. Slight bitterness to the flavor. Overall OK. Probably won’t get again.

Had a 2009 version of Christmas Ale. Pour a dark brown. has usual consistency(which I like) of Abita beers...but tasted like sour grapefruit juice. Hard to drink. Did somebody replace my beer with grapefruit juice?

Opaque brown pour, low head and lace. Peppery alcoholic aroma. Strange orange peel with green apple, spicy, pepper. Thick and slightly unpleasant. A hint of cinnamon, I think they were going for a hot apple cider flavor, could be worse.

This beer was strange, basically just a bolder and thicker amber. Honestly this beer was a bit of a let down and honestly really no different than most ambers. Light notes of burnt caramel and toasted nuts with a slightly bitter finish. Eh whatever.

A crystal clear but lightly reddish copper topped by a dense, creamy tan khaki colored head. Lots of fine lacing down the glass. Lightly fruity caramel malt. Crisp and light faint caramel malt, some herbal English-style hops. Light and crisp in the mouth with a very clean finish. That’s about it. A light, mildly refreshing ale in a style I’m not that crazy about to begin with. Not bad I suppose, just not much here.