Abita Christmas Ale

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

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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A beautiful beer in the glass. Its not really fair to rate this brew though because they change the recipe every year. Very malty with a slight bite and a little spice. A great beer to enjoy by the fire!

12 oz bottle of 2006 version. Pours to a beautiful, bright, deep amber color, with a soapy, tan head that fades, and a good bit of carbonation. The nose on this beer is inviting, with aromas of light toast, nuts, and caramel. The palate is lean, with some light toffee, toasty, and light nutty malt flavor. Abita Christmas Ale finishes with more toffee, toasty, and nutty flavor up front, then ends with some grassy hop bitterenes to balance the sweetness of this beer. All and all a tasty, malty ale, but not the most impressive of the Christmas beers out there. I could detect no spice notes in nose, palate, or finish, so I don’t think Abita spiced this year’s version. Nice easy drinking Christmas Ale, one you could enjoy a few of.

Pours very dark brown with basically no head. Nose is mildly leafy and earthy, though not very firm. Flavor is leafy and earthy. Smooth and even. Seems to be a touch of vanilla on the back side. Feel is a bit crisp with the carbonation and the liquid is decently smooth. An easy drinker. Can’t really say it has a mass of character or is overly interesting. But it’s nice to drink.

2010 12oz bottle. Filtered amber-brown. Steady, soapy off-white/beige head. A pretty solid Amber Ale, quite hop forward. Some spices Id assume, but they are pretty well integrated, maybe adding a touch of cinnamon bite. Rather flavorful, but kind of a watery backbone. Sugary caramel, candy orange hops. Vanilla tinged fruity pungency of the amber malt. OK.

Minty pine aroma with some sweep malt and dried fruit. There’s a hint of some barnyard smells mixed in. Dark ruby brown in color... simply gorgeous. Malt flavor with a hint of sweet cherries and minty hops. Overall, a nice beer, smooth and not heavy at all.

355ml Bottle - Dark brown with some red tinges. Fruity and hoppy aroma with notes of caramel, pine and some metallic hints. Nicely balanced taste with notes of hops, pine, raisins, nuts and caramel.

(Bottle, 0.355 l, from Systembolaget, 20111229) The beer poured reddish brown and clear. Its head was medium sized and white. Aroma had malts, hops and molasses. Palate was medium bodied with medium carbonation. Flavours were malts, molasses, hops, sweetness and bitterness. Aftertaste was malty, hoppy and bitter. Nice hoppiness with strong malty background but not extreme.

Bottle thanks to Suttree. Amber colored orange-red, beige color. Aroma is citrusy hoppy, caramel and toast malt. Taste is a bit more metallic, but the same light toast and citrus hops, light bittering. Unexpectedly nice if a bit simple.

Bottle. Pours deep amber. Some sweetness, but fresh, fruity and quite hoppy. Aromas of spices and citrus.

Bottle. Dark amber, beige head. Aroma: caramel, vanilla, light hoppy. Taste: caramel, berries, some nuts, low to medium bitter, vanilla. Medium-bodied. Pretty nice, but doesn’t really give me the Christmas spirit.