http://www.parade.com/food/blue-plate/2010/06/10-Raise-the-Root-For-New-Orleans.html

With no end to the BP oil spill catastrophe in sight, and experts and journalists trying to survey the damage to the environment, my thoughts have wandered to New Orleans many times the past few weeks and the damage that is being done, once again, to its local economy and food industry.

I understand that many are concerned about eating seafood from the Gulf. However, I worry that this reluctance will cause people to forget that there are other artisanal producers and foodstuffs there, which would be even more harmful.

So how can we support the Crescent City... While flipping through Louisiana native David Guas' cookbook DamGoodSweet, it came to me: Abita Root Beer!

Check out Chef Anthony Bourdain's ("No Reservations") t-shirt in this interview segment from the Travel Channel's "Tony & Friends".  Pretty good looking!  You can order yours by clicking on the shop button at the top of the page!

As I watched TV news last weekend, waves of workers cleaned up oil washing ashore in Louisiana. I wondered what I could do to help. Should I text in a donation, write my congressional representative or shear off my beard and make a boom to soak up gallons of British Petroleum’s spill?

The gulf disaster seems so large; I wasn’t sure where to start and what to do. Then, as I casually scoured the shelves at a local beer retailer, I spotted a pile of Abita Beer boxes stacked on the floor. It hit me like an oil slick rolling over pristine Louisiana wet lands. I can drink to show support for my brothers and sisters on the Gulf Coast.

Worst Beer
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
(12 oz bottle) 330 calories / 32 g carbohydrates / 9.6% alcohol
Most beers carry fewer than 150 calories, and even your average extra-heady brew rarely eclipses 200. That makes Sierra's Bigfoot the scariest beast in the beer jungle. Granted, the alcohol itself provides most of the calories, but it's the extra helping of carbohydrates (three times what you'd find in a can of Guinness) that stuffs almost 2,000 calories into each six-pack.


Drink This Instead!
Abita Amber
(12 oz bottle) 128 calories / 10 g carbohydrates / 4.5% alcohol This trusty Louisiana label has expanded production in recent years, and you can probably find it in a cooler near you. That's great news, since you'd be hard-pressed to drink a more robust, satisfying beer for under 130 calories. Set it up next to a plate of tacos or a bowl of spicy gumbo -- after all, it's from Creole country.

Do we have a regional beer style? David Blossman, president of Abita, believes we do.

“When we started out at Abita,” Blossman said, “we wanted a well-rounded beer that was more malt focused.”

Calcasieu hosts regional beer dinner on June 3.That taste fits our food, he said, and Blossman notices a similar approach among other breweries in Louisiana and Mississippi.

“Some people think that heavy bitterness goes well with spicy food,” he said. “Me, I like to contrast the spiciness in food with the malt.”

WINE SIPPER
April 28, 2010

Abita Brewing Company
by David Kirkpatrick

As great as our Western microbrews are, it's nice to see the arrival of
standout offerings from further east. Abita Brewing outside New
Orleans opened its doors in 1986, making it the oldest craft brewery in
the Southeast. The name comes from Abita Springs, which Louisiana
citizens have been flocking to since the turn of the 20th century for its
pure artesian waters, and the brewery uses that same water for its
ales. Here's my take on three new arrivals to the Boise beer scene:

Abita Jockamo IPA
Compared to most Northwest versions, this is on the lighter side of the
IPA spectrum. There's a vibrant hoppiness on the nose that's matched
by sweet malt and honeyed biscuit. It has a good, lightly bitter hop
presence throughout, matched by roasted malt and touches of caramel
and citrus. This well-integrated, stylish brew satisfies without
overwhelming.

Abita Purple Haze
For this small-batch wheat beer, Abita adds fresh raspberry puree to
the mix. The result pours a hazy beige with just the faintest hint of
lavender. It's a lively combination of soft wheat and sweet raspberry on
the nose. Smooth and creamy, it offers bright raspberry flavors up
front, backed by grain-laced malt and just the right hint of hops. All in
all, a nicely balanced and pleasant quaff.

Abita Turbodog
Presented as a brown ale, it pours more like a stout--an opaque ebony
with reddish tints. The aromas are highlighted by chocolate malt,
caramel and dark fruit. This nicely textured ale with smooth mocha
and toffee flavors, along with lightly sweet malt, is impeccably
balanced by a smooth hop bite. A touch of smoke lingers nicely on the
finish in this definitely worthy and delicious cult classic.

99 BOTTLES

Abita Brewing Company Andygator

The style is a light-colored bock that, a century or two ago, was brewed in the fall to coincide with the grain harvest. The beer was brewed fairly strong and stored over the winter to be consumed in spring. History has it that drinking bock, the German word for goat, made one feel frisky. By tradition, bocks have names that end in 'ator,' which works neatly into Abita's marketing, which conjures images of its Louisiana roots. Andygator delivers a nice American twist on the helles bock style, keeping malt to a minimum while playing up flavors that are almost fruity. Hints of white pepper and other spices trail in the clean, dry finish. It's 8 percent alcohol by volume.

No. 1 ABITA BREWING CO. Craft brewers enjoyed their fifth straight year of increased sales and volume, despite a year in which U.S. beer sales were on the decline. Fans of the North Shore's Abita Brewing Co. are helping float that independent keg. In the past three years, the company has grown from 45 to 65 employees and become the 28th largest commercial brewer and 15th largest craft brewer in the United States. Abita beer is a staple in south Louisiana restaurants and groceries and is distributed in 44 states.

Nestled in the piney woods of Abita Springs, about 30 miles north of New Orleans, Louisiana, Abita began brewing simple, no nonsense beers in 1986 and have been growing successfully ever since. They are a company with deep roots in the nature that surrounds the brewery and pride themselves on pure, simple ingredients. Their seven flagship brews consist of an Amber, Light, Golden, Jockamo, Restoration, Turbodog, and my favorite, Purple Haze. There are also 5 seasonals and 3 harvest brews, Strawberry, Pecan and Satsuma. Abita is also famous for their one of a kind homemade rootbeer.

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