HISTORY OF THE BEER STYLE
Weizenbock is German term for a strong hefeweizen, which means yeast “hefe” and wheat “weizen.” What makes this beer very different is that wheat malt is used, thus the name. These beers are made with 50% wheat malt and use a special yeast that imparts a distinct flavor. These beers are not filtered and are supposed to be cloudy in appearance. THE ABITA SELECTION: WEIZENBOCK Our weizenbock is an American style strong wheat beer. It is made from 50% malted wheat and 50% malted barley. The wheat is used to give a distinctive flavor and because of its high protein content, a light hazy color. We use an American wheat yeast strain that will give the beer a fruity aroma and flavor, but not a clove flavor that is associated with German styles. We use Cascade hops to give a slight citrus flavor, but only in very small amounts so the flavors from the wheat and yeast will be predominant. This beer is not filtered so it will be cloudy in appearance, but will still be very refreshing even though it is 8% ABV. FOOD PAIRINGS Our weizenbock is very versatile and can be paired with almost anything. It is very good with most salads and also cheese plates. It is also a perfect match for traditional New Orleans brunches. This beer can accompany veal and most seafood dishes. Check here for locations offering Abita Select. Enjoy, Mark Wilson - Brewmaster Abita Brewing Company
Released January 2010
History of the beer style India Pale Ales are a unique variety of British Pale Ales. Pale ales became popular in Great Britain in the mid 1800’s with the invention of pale malting techniques. Before this all beers were dark in color. The pale ales that were produced, however, had a very short shelf life. This became a problem when English citizens and soldiers in the British colony of India wanted a pale ale from home. The brewers at the time came up with an excellent solution. They made a pale ale that was much stronger in malt flavor and alcohol and also stronger in hop bitterness and aroma. The extra alcohol and hops acted as a preservative so that the beer could survive the journey from England to India and still be in good condition to be consumed. Craft brewers is the U.S. have now taken this style to a new level with even stronger versions of IPAs called double or imperial IPAs. The Abita Selection : Double IPA Our Double IPA is made with pale and light crystal malts. It is going to give the beer a deep pale color and malty flavor. It will also give it a very strong taste. It is hopped liberally with Apollo, Cascade, Chinook, and Centennial hops. This is going to give the beer a pleasant bitter taste and an intense hop flavor and aroma. The extra bitterness will mix with the strong sweet flavor from the malt to give the beer a very balanced taste. The result is a very bold and flavorful IPA. Food Pairings Our IPA is a strong beer that compliments a number of dishes very well. It is excellent with choice cuts of meat such as steak, lamb, and pork chops. Our beer stands up well with the strong flavors from these meats. The beer’s spicy hop flavor will also compliment spicy dishes like jambalaya and blackened meats and seafoods. 9% ABV 13 Lovibond (Color) 70 IBU Check here for locations offering Abita Select. Enjoy, Mark Wilson - Brewmaster Abita Brewing Company
HISTORY OF THE BEER STYLE
Stouts originated in Great Britain in the 1700s and were among the most popular beers until the early 1900s when pale ales became the drink of choice. Although they declined in popularity there was still a considerable market for stouts, especially in Ireland. Stouts have become more popular in the last 30 years in the U.S. with imports from the U.K. and craft beers in America. Imperial stouts originated as a much stronger version of a typical stout that were brewed for the Russian royal families. Our selection is an Imperial Stout. The Abita Selection: Imperial Stout Our Imperial Stout is made with British pale, caramel, chocolate, and roasted malts. Oats are also added to give the beer a fuller and sweeter taste. The roasted malts give the beer its dark color as well as its intense flavor and aroma. The flavors of toffee and chocolate are prevalent but not overpowering. Since the beer gets so much flavor from the malts there is not a lot of hop flavor. There is just enough bitterness to compliment the sweetness of the malt. The strong malt flavors also balance out the flavor of the alcohol as this beer pours at 8.5% ABV (alcohol by volume). FOOD PAIRINGS Our Imperial Stout pairs well with grilled steaks and most red meats. However, stouts are best served with sweet desserts, especially ones with chocolate in the recipe. They are also excellent as a stand alone after dinner drink. Check here for locations offering Abita Select.. Enjoy, Mark Wilson - Brewmaster Abita Brewing Company  I recently had the opportunity to take part in the taping of a television show called, The Endless Feast. The show airs on PBS stations around the country. The program brings together farmers, chefs, fishermen, brewers, vintners and food lovers. Each episode features an amazing meal and local and sustainable food providers.The host of the show Elizabeth (“E-Beth”) Johnson visited the brewery and spoke with David Blossman and me about Abita’s many green brewing initiatives and the wonderful pure Abita Springs water used to make our beer. In the Tasting Room E-Beth and the crew sampled the beers we had chosen to pair with the feast. Many people are familiar with choosing different wines for a meal, but don’t consider doing the same with beer. Like wine, beer has different flavors, aromas, subtleties and aftertastes. In fact, beer stands up very well to many strongly flavored foods that wine just can’t handle. Join us at the next Abita Beer Dinner and experience beer pairings for yourself. At the end of the afternoon the Endless Feast crew said it was the best day they’d ever had while working on the program. Abita Beer made some new fans that day.  A few days later we travelled to the Victoria Inn Bed & Breakfast in Lafitte for the feast. Chefs Susan Spicer (Bayona), Donald Link (Cochon) and Aaron Burgau (Patois) prepared a great meal which was served under the oaks in the gardens of the Victoria Inn.  Watch for The Endless Feast featuring Abita Beer in April of 2010. I’ll keep you updated on the exact broadcast date. Thanks to everyone for a great experience and an amazing meal. Enjoy, Mark Wilson - Brewmaster Abita Brewing Company Menu Crab and pumpkin soup with toasted pumpkins seeds Paired with Abita Pecan Harvest Ale Fried oyster and market lettuce salad with L’hoste meyer lemon buttermilk dressing Paired with Abita Restoration Pale Ale Grilled goat roulades with rosemary olive vinaigrette Paired with Abita Amber Shrimp and Farro Risotto with Grilled or Roasted Squash Paired with Abita Fall Fest Lemongrass Panna Cotta with Citrus-Kefir Lime Salad Paired with Abita Purple Haze Others who contributed to the Endless Feast included: Accardo’s Gourmet Produce – produce Four Winds Seafood - shrimp GROW Farm, Nick Usner – produce L&L Seafood - crab meat Motivatit Seafood - Oysters Pontchartrain Vinyards – wine Tales of the Cocktail, Ann Tuennermann - Sazerak cocktails Your Event Delivered - rentals
We’re happy to introduce the newest Abita Select, Amber Ale. Don’t
confuse it with our flagship brew, Abita Amber – it’s a lager and this
brew is an ale. They’re very different and I hope you’ll enjoy
discovering how they contrast and compare.
Amber Ale History of the beer style: The history of amber ale is relatively short. It has come to prominence in the last twenty years in the U.S. with the rise of craft brewers. It is a favorite of craft brewers everywhere because there is plenty of room for creativity when brewing an amber ale. The only rule is that it must be darker than a pale ale and lighter than a brown. The alcohol content, sweetness, bitterness, and yeast are all left to the brewer to determine. This is our version. The Abita Selection: Amber Ale Our Amber Ale is made with a blend of pale, munich, and caramel malts to give the beer an intense malt flavor. It is also liberally hopped to give the beer a pleasant hop flavor and aroma. The result is a fairly strong, malty beer with a good balance of hops. Food Pairings: Our Amber Ale is very versatile and compliments a number of dishes quite well. It is an excellent accompaniment to a plate of select nut, cheese, and breads. It pairs well with almost all red meats, but is mild enough to not overpower all seafood dishes. It would go well with trout meuniere or trout almondine. It is also excellent with almost any barbequed dish. Check here for locations offering Abita Select.. Enjoy, Mark Wilson - Brewmaster Abita Brewing Company
There are two new Abita brews available for you to enjoy. Our current Abita Select - Doppelbock and the newest member of the Harvest series, Abita Satsuma Harvest Wit.
Dopplebock
History of the beer style: Doppelbocks are a unique variety of German bock beers. The word “doppel” means double. These beers are more or less stronger versions of traditional bock beers. Bock beers were first brewed by monks in Germany in the 1600’s. These lagers were fermented at cold temperatures and conditioned or aged at even colder temperatures. Traditionally, doppelbocks were brewed and conditioned in the cold winter months to be enjoyed in the springtime. Since we now have climate-controlled breweries, we can brew and enjoy these beers year round.
Abita Select - Oatmeal Stout
History of the beer style: Stouts originated in Great Britain in the 1700s and were among the most popular beers until the early 1900s when pale ales became the drink of choice. Although they declined in popularity there was still a considerable market for stouts, especially in Ireland. Stouts have become more popular in the last 30 years in the U.S. with imports from the U.K. and craft beers in America. Our selection is an Oatmeal Stout.
Brewmaster, Mark Wilson
For our select this time we’ve tried something a little different. The brewers and I have decided to use four different grains to create a beer that is truly different. We call this new style Four Grain Ale. There really is no history of this style. |
