By Joe Sixpack/For the Appeal-Democrat

It was the Year of the Cult Beer.

Extremely limited production runs of pricey, boldly flavored brews had beer freaks standing in lines for a chance to grab a rare treasure.
At Victory Brewing in Downingtown, Pa., $120 cases of Dark Intrigue bourbon barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout sold out in less than 45 minutes.

In California, The Bruery — fearing long lines and tears from fans who would go empty-handed — sold tickets for the opportunity to purchase bottles of its Black Tuesday barrel-aged stout.

On eBay, single bottles of Portsmouth Kate The Great traded for $130 each. Elsewhere, distributors took reservations for popular cases and breweries tweeted hints on "secret locations" that held limited supplies of its rarities.

It's all in good fun, of course, and the excitement often builds interest in the breweries' other brands. But I can't help but feel that other, equally fine beers are getting short shrift.

Exhibit 1: Fegley BrewWorks Hop'solutely, which is Joe Sixpack's 2010 Beer of the Year.
This "triple" India pale ale is utterly smooth with a powerfully hoppy presence and pleasing 11.5 percent content of alcohol by volume. Its Chinook and Amarillo hops are at once earthy and floral, and its full malt body provides a sweet, sticky finish that isn't so cloying that you wouldn't take a second sip. That next gulp soothes the palate with a softness you wouldn't expect from any IPA. You might even find honey and fruit notes that are sweet as melon.
While Hop'solutely is fairly well regarded on the blogs and at beer-rating websites, it can't match the publicity surrounding that other "triple" IPA, Russian River Pliny the Younger. The California-made ale, frequently voted the world's greatest beer, is made in an exceedingly short supply and — during its release each February — spawns giant lines at bars that are lucky enough to tap a keg.

(Pliny the Younger was the brand that sparked last winter's infamous Pennsylvania State Police beer raids. A jealous bar owner, upset that he hadn't scored a keg, reportedly ratted out a competitor over missing paperwork, prompting the ridiculous armed raids and ugly national headlines.)

Is Hop'solutely as good as Pliny the Younger? In a word, yes.

Its brewer, Beau Baden, has created an outstanding ale that deserves broader recognition. (Or maybe we should just keep this our little secret; relatively low demand has kept its price under $15 for a 750ml bottle.) In any case, beer drinkers are lucky the Fegley brewpub chain, based in Allentown, Pa., has begun bottling Hop'solutely for wider distribution.

Of course, there were many, many other great beers of 2010. Here are my runners up:

Abita Save Our Shore Pilsner. In the wake of the disastrous BP gulf oil spill, Louisiana's Abita Brewing Company — which had already experienced disaster during Hurricane Katrina — dedicated proceeds from the sale of this beer — more than $250,000 - to recovery efforts. And the beer itself — a strong, uniquely hoppy wheat-based pilsner — is pretty darn good.

Lancaster Kolsch. Small brewers have been making a big thing out of canning strong ales, like IPA, abbey ale, Scottish ale and stout. But when Lancaster came out with this floral, light-bodied beauty, it brought back the joy of slugging down a refreshing beer straight from an aluminum can — at less than $25 a case.
Timothy Taylor's Landlord. The famed British bitter won its 23rd medal at the Great British Beer Festival in August. When is somebody going to import this to America?

Jubiläumswiesnbier. The malty, traditional lager was brewed as a one-time collaboration between Munich's six breweries for the 200th anniversary of Oktoberfest.

Joe Sixpack appears Wednesdays in the Appeal-Democrat. For more beer news, visit www.joesixpack.net. E-mail: joe@joesixpack.net.

From Nola.com/outdoors

Abita gives $100,000 to DU

Abita Brewing Company has donated $100,000 from its SOS Charitable Fund to Ducks Unlimited for restoration of important wetland habitat along Louisiana's imperiled coast. The brewing company established SOS to assist with restoration and recovery after the disastrous oil spill. Abita created a special beer, SOS (Save Our Shore), A Charitable Pilsner, and donates 75 cents for every bottle sold to the fund. To date, more than $255,000 has been raised.

From Clarionledger.com

ABITA SPRINGS, LA. — Amid a fortress of pines sits a Louisiana town known for its two liquid products: water and beer.

This St. Tammany Parish town - just a 2 1/2-hour drive from Jackson - is home to the Abita Brewing Co. And its freshwater aquifers are the best, locals promise.

Labels on beer bottles and Abita Springs water bottles have put the city on the map, despite its small population. Water has been closely tied to the origin of the 2,500-person town, located about 45 miles north of New Orleans.
Abita Springs was once a Choctaw village, and during the 1800s and early 1900s, it was a resort town for New Orleanians, who left the city for the town's medicinal springs.

That healthy water has been turned into a lucrative beer business, which still uses the town's aquifer as one of its core ingredients.

"In Abita, we are blessed with the purest of water," reads the company's website. "The result is beer that is the finest and freshest tasting as proven by our loyal customers and great chefs of the south who use Abita Beer in their recipes."

The brewery started in 1986, producing 1,500 barrels of beer in its first year. Now, more than 90,000 barrels are brewed annually. The brewery also produces 5,000 barrels of root beer.

Tours of the brewery are offered Wednesday through Saturday. Tours are free and include a sampling session of Abita's lineup of beers (yes, you have to be 21, even though it's Louisiana).

The original brewery has been converted into the Abita Brew Pub.

Abita-area native Brian Lozes said he has heard from visitors that the Abita Brewery and the Brew Pub were great experiences.

"I have heard the food is good and the beer, as always is good," Lozes said. "I was told, if you visit and are drinking - and who visits without drinking - you have to try the beer mixes. I've heard good things about the 'Barney,' which mixes Purple Haze and Andygator."

Abita Springs is more than beer. A cluster of restaurants sits at the town's central intersection, the corner of Louisiana 36 and 59.

One restaurant to check out is Mama D's Pizza, a recommendation of Ridgeland resident Ben Morvant, who grew up in nearby Covington, La.

"Abita is a great town to spend the afternoon in," Morvant said, recommending Jackson-area residents visit the town if they're ever heading that way. "If you don't have time to visit the town, you should at least drive through."
Cutting through town is the Tammany Trace, a 28-mile bike path connecting the town with other nearby cities. The trail is perfect for cyclists and joggers as it winds through the area referred to as New Orleans' Northshore.
Lozes also recommends visitors stop by the Abita House of Mystery, formerly called the UCM Museum (pronounced you-see-'em).

"I promise that you will never see any place like it in your lifetime. From the 1950s-style gas station entrance to the house of shards in the back, the Abita mystery house will amaze you with the moving models and antiques."
The museum was founded by Lozes' uncle, John Preble, one of the town's artists.

"I believe that the Abita mystery house is the one place that everyone should stop at. It is suitable for all ages and with it costing only $3, it's probably cheaper than that Abita, or two, that you'll buy at the pub."

See article & photos on-line here

From Beer News.org

(New Orleans, LA) – Louisiana-based Abita Brewing Company recently donated $100,000 to Ducks Unlimited, leader in wetlands conservation, for restoration of important wetland habitats along Louisiana’s imperiled coast.
The donation comes from the SOS Charitable Fund, established by the brewing company to assist with restoration and recovery after the disastrous oil spill. Abita created a special beer, SOS (Save Our Shore) – A Charitable Pilsner, and donates 75 cents for every bottle sold to the fund. To date, more than $255,000 has been raised for the cause.

“This leadership gift will help restore more than 3,000 acres of critical wetland habitat,” Chad Manlove, DU director of development, said. “Abita’s gift will be pooled with other public and private entities to create a substantial conservation impact in coastal Louisiana.”


The Louisiana coastal marshes provide critical wintering grounds for millions of waterfowl and other migratory birds. Unfortunately, these marshes are disappearing at an alarming rate. Louisiana has already lost more than one million acres of these continentally significant wetlands and continues to lose 16,000-20,000 acres annually.
“We feel compelled as one of Louisiana’s favorite brands to assist our neighbors and the coastal environment as we continue to recover from this disaster,” stated, David Blossman, president of Abita Brewing Company. “We’re proud to be a part of the efforts to conserve and restore coastal Louisiana.”

The donation from Abita Brewing Company will be combined with a North American Wetland Conservation Act grant and financial support from other partners to restore hydrology to the Grand Bayou Unit on Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife Management Area in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes.

“Particularly along the Gulf Coast, it is essential that corporations, individuals, public agencies and private organizations join together and combine resources to accomplish meaningful restoration,” Bob Dew, DU manager of conservation programs for Louisiana, said. “DU is fully committed to this philosophy, and we are very pleased to add Abita Brewing Company to our list of partners supporting a sustainable coast.”

Pointe-aux-Chenes has one of the highest public use rates among all of Louisiana’s wildlife management areas. Hurricane Rita damaged levees there, and in three short years without management capabilities, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries documented significant habitat deterioration and reduced wildlife use. The proposed project will allow managers to manage salinity and water levels and encourage production of submerged aquatic vegetation, an important food source for waterfowl.

The Abita Brewing Company was founded in Abita Springs, LA, in 1986 and is the oldest and largest craft brewer in the southeast. They brew more than 108,000 barrels of full flavored ales and lagers and 6,000 barrels of root beer in their state-of-the-art facility. Their lagers and ales are brewed in small batches, hand-crafted by a team of dedicated workers.

Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

From The Journal For Water Resource Management:

Abita Brewing Company Supports
Ducks Unlimited's Louisiana Coastal Conservation Initiative

NEW ORLEANS, La. December 3, 2010 – Louisiana-based Abita Brewing Company recently donated $100,000 to Ducks Unlimited, leader in wetlands conservation, for restoration of important wetland habitats along Louisiana’s imperiled coast.

The donation comes from the SOS Charitable Fund, established by the brewing company to assist with restoration and recovery after the disastrous oil spill. Abita created a special beer, SOS (Save Our Shore) – A Charitable Pilsner, and donates 75 cents for every bottle sold to the fund. To date, more than $255,000 has been raised for the cause.

“This leadership gift will help restore more than 3,000 acres of critical wetland habitat,” Chad Manlove, DU director of development, said. “Abita’s gift will be pooled with other public and private entities to create a substantial conservation impact in coastal Louisiana.”

The Louisiana coastal marshes provide critical wintering grounds for millions of waterfowl and other migratory birds. Unfortunately, these marshes are disappearing at an alarming rate. Louisiana has already lost more than one million acres of these continentally significant wetlands and continues to lose 16,000-20,000 acres annually.

“We feel compelled as one of Louisiana’s favorite brands to assist our neighbors and the coastal environment as we continue to recover from this disaster,” stated, David Blossman, president of Abita Brewing Company. “We’re proud to be a part of the efforts to conserve and restore coastal Louisiana.”
The donation from Abita Brewing Company will be combined with a North American Wetland Conservation Act grant and financial support from other partners to restore hydrology to the Grand Bayou Unit on Pointe-aux-Chenes Wildlife Management Area in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes.
“Particularly along the Gulf Coast, it is essential that corporations, individuals, public agencies and private organizations join together and combine resources to accomplish meaningful restoration,” Bob Dew, DU manager of conservation programs for Louisiana, said. “DU is fully committed to this philosophy, and we are very pleased to add Abita Brewing Company to our list of partners supporting a sustainable coast.”

Pointe-aux-Chenes has one of the highest public use rates among all of Louisiana’s wildlife management areas. Hurricane Rita damaged levees there, and in three short years without management capabilities, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries documented significant habitat deterioration and reduced wildlife use. The proposed project will allow managers to manage salinity and water levels and encourage production of submerged aquatic vegetation, an important food source for waterfowl.

The Abita Brewing Company was founded in Abita Springs, LA, in 1986 and is the oldest and largest craft brewer in the southeast. They brew more than 108,000 barrels of full flavored ales and lagers and 6,000 barrels of root beer in their state-of-the-art facility. Their lagers and ales are brewed in small batches, hand-crafted by a team of dedicated workers.

Ducks Unlimited is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

http://www.waterefficiency.net/the-latest/ducksunlimited-abita-wetlands.aspx