Abita Brewing
2011 In Review: Top 20 Craft Breweries
Not everybody knows the Top 2o craft brewers in the United States. To be considered craft, you have to produced less than 6 million barrels of beer a year. Overall in 2011, the beer business declined by 1.5% nationally. (When you factor in the large breweries.) The craft sector saw an increase of 15% growth in volume of barrels shipped. Here’s the Top 20 brewers ranked:
1. Sam Adams
2. Sierra Nevada
3. New Belgium
4. Craft Brew Alliance (includes Red Hook, Kona, Widmer Brothers)
5. Spoetzel (Makers of Shiner)
6. Magic Hat
7. Deschutes Brewing
8. Matt Brewing (Makers of Saranac)
9. Bell’s
10. Harpoon
11. Lagunitas
12. Boulevard
13. Stone
14. Dogfish Head
15. Brooklyn
16. Alaskan
17. Shipyard
18. Abita
19. Long Trail Brewing
20. Great Lakes Brewing
Abita Bourbon Barrel 25th
Abita Brewing is now shipping a bourbon barrel edition of their 25th Anniversary Ale. Released a little over 4 months ago, 25th is a double edition of Turbodog, brewed with vanilla beans. The bourbon edition has spent over 5 months in barrels.
About 25th:
The robust dark ale has flavors of chocolate, toffee and vanilla. It’s brewed with generous amounts of pale, caramel and chocolate malts and Willamette hops. Whole natural vanilla beans are added during the aging process. 25th Anniversary Vanilla Doubledog is packaged in a commemorative, 22-ounce bottle illustrated with a design inspired by classic New Orleans wrought iron. This Doubledog brew is a tribute to Abita’s Turbodog, which was originally created as an anniversary beer in 1989. Today, Turbodog is an Abita Flagship brew and sold year-round.
Abita produced around 10 barrels (310 gallons) of this beer. Sold in 7.75 gallon kegs, thats around 40 purported floating around in the wild.
Style: American Strong Ale (Barrel Aged)
Additions: Vanilla Beans
Availability: Draft only. One time brewed.
7% ABV
Here Are The First Abita Cans
The first cans Abita Brewing has ever made have just started rolling off the canning line. The brewery announced last year their intentions to start canning in 2012.
The canning has officially begun, with Abita Purple Haze and Amber being first up. You’ll see them hit shelves first in Louisiana, and other markets mid to late February.
Next Abita Select: Imperial Red To Benefit Former Saints Player
Abita Brewing has announced the style of their next Select Series brew. An imperial red ale will follow Oyster Stout. Money from sales of imperial red will go to benefit former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason, and the Gleason Family Trust. Gleason announced in September that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease. There is no cure. $.25 cents of each pint will go to help the family offset the costs of living with ALS.
“I’ve always been a beer lover and a big fan of Abita’s brews,” said Steve Gleason. “One of the brewers at Abita is a family friend and when he approached me with the idea of creating a special fundraising brew I was both honored and really excited. I helped create the recipe, which is a dream come true for a beer guy like me. …“I’m asking fans of Abita and members of Team Gleason to visit my Facebook page and suggest names for this very special brew. There are so many creative brains out there, I know they’ll come up with something really special.”
The author of the winning name will join Gleason for a pint of the Abita brew at a special event when the beer is introduced to the public in early February 2012. The Abita Select Imperial Red Ale is a very malty brew with a slightly fruity yeast flavor. It has a nice hop flavor and aroma and is 8 percent alcohol by volume. .
Style: Imperial Red Ale
Availability: Draft only. One time release
Arrival: February 2012
8% ABV
Abita Releases Android Edition Of Beer Finder App
Abita Brewing released the iPhone edition of their Beer Finder App about 9 months ago with the promise of an Android app coming soon. Good news Android users, your Abita app is now available.
We hope you enjoy this FREE Abita App. Abita is the #1 Craft Beer in the southeast and is sold across the USA. The Abita App allows you to find where Abita is sold. Find nearby retail stores, restaurants and bars that sell Abita and which brews they offer. Learn more about the varieties of Abita Beers and how they pair best with food.
Other features:
Report Abita – Discover Abita Beer at a location not listed in this App? Does your bar or restaurant sell Abita? Tell the world about this new Abita location. Report your discovery,
Abita Release Oyster Stout
(Abita Springs, LA) — Abita is proud to introduce their newest Select brew, made with real Louisiana oysters. Last year the Abita Brewing Company sponsored a home brew competition and offered the winning brewer a unique prize, a chance for their beer to be brewed by Abita and distributed as an Abita Select offering. The winning home brewer is Kerry Dale Yoes of Zachary, with Imperial Louisiana Oyster Stout. Home brewers from around the region gathered in March of last year at the Abita Brewery to compete. Yoes’ beer was the judges’ favorite and earned him the “Andy Award.” The award was named in honor of Abita’s first home brew contest winner, Andy Thomas who created the base recipe for Abita Andygator many years ago.
Abita Celebrates Louisiana Seafood
“We are especially pleased to offer this new Select because it contains real Louisiana oysters,” said David Blossman, President of Abita Beer. “We want the world to know that seafood fresh from Louisiana is ready and waiting for them to enjoy in so many ways…including as an ingredient in craft beer. Using Louisiana ingredients in our brews, from strawberries and satsumas to pecans and oysters, is just another way Abita Beer keeps their promise to always stay Louisiana True.”
Abita’s Imperial Louisiana Oyster Stout is made with pale, caramel, roasted and chocolate malts. Oats are also added to give the beer a fuller and sweeter taste. The roasted malts give the beer its dark color, as well as its intense flavor and aroma. The flavors of toffee and chocolate are prevalent but not overpowering. The beer is hopped with Willamette hops. Since the beer gets so much flavor from the malts there is not a lot of hop flavor. There is just enough bitterness to complement the sweetness of the malt. Finally, freshly shucked Louisiana oysters are added to the boil. The salt from the oysters gives the beer a more intense aroma and mouthfeel.
Abita Select is an exclusive premium draft product line from Abita that features a new style every few months. These specialty brews can be found only on tap and only at certain restaurants and bars. Consumers can locate Abita Select by using the beer finder on the Abita website or downloading the free Abita iPhone app.
About the Abita Brewing Company
The Abita Brewing Company was founded in Abita Springs, La., in 1986 and is the oldest and largest craft brewer in the southeast. Abita is the 24th largest commercial brewer by production volume in the nation and the 15th largest craft brewer in the United States. Sales for the company should exceed 130,000 barrels this year. Abita Brewing Company produces seven flagship brews year-round: Abita Amber, Golden, Light, Turbodog, Purple Haze, Jockamo I.P.A. and Restoration Pale Ale. Abita also offers five seasonal beers, three Harvest brews, four Big Beers and a draft-only series of Select beers.
Abita Select: From Andy Gator To Oyster Stout
Last year Abita sponsored a homebrewing contest with the prize winning beer to be brewed as part of the Select Series. The winner was Kerry Yoes of Baton Rouge, LA with Imperial Louisiana Oyster Stout. He first received a homebrew kit from his wife for Christmas three years ago and the rest is history. Kerry’s beer was made with pale, roasted, caramel, and chocolate malts with oats added for sweetness. Freshly shucked Louisiana oysters were then added to the boil in the last 15 minutes of the process.
The first winner of this annual homebrew competition hosted by Abita was over 20 years ago and the winning beer was what we all know now as Andygator.
