Abita English Bitter

Brewed by Abita Brewing Company
Style: Bitter
Covington, Louisiana USA

Serve in English pint

Light golden color. Average in every way. Hard to figure why they call it a bitter; flavor is too light for my tate and too light to qualify as an English Bitter. Hard to imagine that I had the same beer as the other reviewers.

Had this on tap at the Abita Brewpub. The aroma was a bit pungent. The appearance was just a little coloudy. Hid a distinct bitter taste. Short lived head.

Best brew I've had from my 12 pk sampler by far. This (Symposium Ale 2003) pours from the bottle a clear sparkling golden. The tall white frothy head has good lacing but is mostly diminishing. The nose is perfect- fruity, floral, pine, brown sugar and apples, caramel and even oatmeal cookies. The balanced flavor is delicious with flavorful hints abounding as brew warms. The finish is soft, but is well rounded and enduring. The medium fizzy body is dry with an astringent feel to the finish. A very good brew.

Abita Symposium Ale (2003). This is an English style bitter. Minimal head with relatively large bubbles. Head quickly dissapates into a minimal sheet of floating white residue, similar to a fresh sheet of ice on a pond that forms overnight. Minimal lacing as well. Aroma smells slightly fruity. The taste was non-obtrusive. Simple but effective. Fresh peaches was the first thing that hit my taste buds, quickly followed by a smooth refreshing mild bitter taste. Good palate makes this a very easy beer to drink. Not as robust or structured as I like. Color was a mild orange yellow hazy beer. Finishes kind of weak, but overall a simple decent brew.

I was quite surpised by this beer, given Abita's history of servicable but non-noteworthy brews. Dark golden almost tan. Very nice Otter malt and Fuggles aroma. Surprisingly smokey flavor, moderate peaty acidity, dry. Good CO2. Medium body. Either a smokey PA/bitter or a dry Scotch Ale. Good hard water chalkiness helped it to be true to the bitter style.