Abita Strawberry 2013 is Coming Soon!

I'm sure most of my readers also are fans of Abita on Facebook or follow them on twitter, but for those who aren't, they announced today that the wait is over for Abita Strawberry.  I didn't see an exact release date for the seasonal brew, but my guess is that it'll be in stores this week.  In 2011 it released in late January, but I think it was closer to March in 2012.   

Previously, the hype for this beer was so overwhelming that it got to be hard to find, but in recent years the supply seems to have caught up to (or exceeded) the demand, so no one should go thirsty for their strawberry fix. I think I saw it in stores for at least 6 months in 2012 and I have no reason to expect different this year. 

You probably know that I'm not the biggest Abita fan in the world, but this is one of their better beers, in my opinion.  It's just a simple strawberry lager, but that's also exactly what you get.   A light-bodied, low alcohol strawberry beer that pairs well with hot weather and spicy crawfish.  Once I get my hands on a 6-pack I'll let everyone know how the 2013 version stacks up, but for now, be on the lookout.  

In related news, The Beer Buddha seems to be on to a rumor that Abita will be replacing their regular wheat beer with a lemon wheat beer... interesting. I also haven't had a chance to try their new Spring IPA, but first reviews from a few friends are underwhelming as expected. 

Review: 2011 Abita Strawberry

It's that time of year in South Louisiana... okay, it's actually a good bit early this year... but still, the Abita Strawberry is out, and flying off the shelves.  Needless to say, the majority of people down here love this stuff.  The release each Spring Winter is definitely the most anticipated and heralded launch of any of the local seasonal brews.  When it was first released several years ago it was off the shelves before everyone could get some to enjoy... since then Abita has stepped up their production, even going national this year.  

Fortunately, the quality is still there.  Some years have been too sweet for my tastes, but Abita really seems to have the recipe down now.  For those that haven't had the pleasure, it's a gold colored lager, with a large white head.  You can see that to the right, I don't really need to describe the look for it when a picture can do the job!

I checked out my old review on this... and I remarked about it being overly sweet, and tough to drink more than one.  Well, that's definitely changed.  I can down a 6-pack of these guys in 8.7 minutes these days.  The wheat base is much more a part of the beer, making more of a strawberry beer and less of a strawberry malt liquor.  This turns the Abita Strawberry into a tasty, sessionable lager with enough sweet kick to let you know it's a fruit beer, but also enough malt base to retain it's beer characteristics.

What the result is, in my opinion, is the perfect beer compliment to a batch of spicy crawfish.  So, give one a try, the new batch is great, and enjoy!

My Rating: B+

BeerAdvocate: B

Fruit Beer

Abita Strawberry Harvest - Hitting Shelves 1/18/11!

Hey everyone, I'm sure you're already aware, but if not, Abita announced on their facebook page, and Twitter, that they will be stocking the shelves with the 2011 version of their Strawberry Harvest this morning in Louisiana, and nationwide next week!  

It seems a little early to me, but hey, I'm not going to argue, if the crawfish are in the restaurants, Abita Strawberry should be too!  This should be available shortly at any grocery or liquor store in the Baton Rouge area.

Cheers!