This past week my favorite local bar was having a tap takeover. Once or twice a month, good bars will host a brewery representative and feature 4-5 beers from that brewery. Normally the bar will have 1-2 year round brews, 1-2 seasonal brews, and hopefully, 1 special or limited release from that brewery so tap takeovers are a great way to try different beers from breweries. This weekend I am enjoying a seasonal beer I was first exposed to during a tap takeover. I was anxious to give this beer a try. As I write this, I am already on my third so that’s a good thing. This weekend, Abita Brewing Company’s Spring IPA is What’s on Tap!
A brewery from just north of New Orleans, Abita started in 1986 and has grown to a brewery that produces over 150,000 barrels of beer a year. I have known about Abita for sometime by living in a college town that’s home to the East Carolina University Pirates (a top underrated party school). Since ECU’s colors are purple and gold, Abita’s Purple Haze is a hugely popular fruit beer. However, I’m sold on their seasonal Spring IPA and I hope it becomes a year-round selection!
Spring IPA is a bayou take on a West Cost IPA. On the nose I get mostly pine and earthy notes but each sip is filled with a huge hop profile that is mixed with a citrus ending that includes a a sweet and bitter finish. Given this brew’s hop presence and bitterness I am shocked that it is only 6.25% ABV, makes for a perfect brew to have another!
You cannot have a beer from the bayou and not steam some shrimp (or crawfish). Steamed using beer with Cajun seasoning Spring IPA will be a perfect pairing. So this weekend, kick-back, relax, and enjoy an awesome, crisp, drinkable IPA!
Cheers!
Beer Stats
Style: Indian Pale Ale
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6.25%
Bitterness (IBUs): 65
Color (SRM): 9
Color: Hazy Golden Copper
Hops: Amarillo and Centennial
