A Pint Half Full

Purchased from:
Gift!

ABV%:
4.5%

Color:
Light amber with a frothy head

Aroma:
Mild hop aroma with a sticky-sweet caramel backbone

Taste:
Crisp and clean, light-medium bodied.  Malty, buttery, caramel sweetness up front end combined with a rounded hop bitterness.  Goes down smooth.  Finishes with a bit of residual sweetness.

Overall:
I've had a few of the offerings from Abita, including Turbodog, Purple Haze, and Restoration.  All of them are good, solid beers that are well balanced and unique (ok, Restoration wasn't that good, but the rest were good.).   One common thread that I like in all these beers how fresh and clean the water tastes in them.  I think it helps to keep the flavor of the malts and hops in tact, as well as create a nice mouthfeel that is crisp and refreshing. 

The Abita Amber is quite distinct from the other beers I've tried from Abita but maintains the signature quality of the water.  There seems to be an emphasis on the malt in the Amber and a more dulled hop flavor, probably from the types of hops used.  The sweetness kind of lingered throughout the entire drink with some stale hop bitterness hitting the sides of the palate then fading quickly.  I'm not sure I liked the prominence of the malt flavor at the expense of the hops and would have preferred a better balance.  However, this beer was very drinkable and had good flavor overall.

3/5