Sunday, February 28, 2010

Beer Review: Abita Strawberry


Abita Strawberry is probably one of Abita's best selling seasonal offerings.  Every year "Strawbita Heads" flock to local grocery retailers to get their hands on this seasonal elixir in the hopes they can get it before it sells out.  Abita Strawberry has a history of selling quickly and each year Abita ends up brewing more than the year before.  This year they are brewing 99,000 cases of Strawberry which is up from the 88,000 they brewed last year.

Now I'm sure many of my die hard craft beer readers are getting their panties in a bunch because I'm reviewing this beer.  Just wait to you see how many Buddha's it gets.  That'll really bother you!  As I've said before one of the reasons I have this site is to show that beer is fun and to take the snobbery out of it.  Abita Strawberry is what it is.  A strawberry lager.  And as strawberry lagers go....well, read my review and you'll see what I think.

Brewery: Abita Brewing Co.

Beer: Strawberry

Style: Fruit Beer

Glassware: Pint glass

Appearance: The beer pours a golden, straw color with foamy, white head which dissipates quickly. I expected a rosy tint because of the strawberries but no, there wasn't.

Smell: How do I say this? It smells like Strawberry Shortcake's vagina would probably smell. Like strawberries. Ok so that's just gross. I apologize. It smells like strawberries, strawberries and more strawberries. And then again more strawberries.

Taste: The lager flavor here is completely overwhelmed by the taste of...you guessed it, strawberries. Not neccessarily in a bad way especially if you like strawberries but it is a bit too sweet. I can only have one and then I'll switch to something else. This is a great beer to pair with a salad or to drink perhaps on a really hot, sticky Louisiana afternoon after you've spent your day walking around the Quarter.

Mouthfeel: Medium high carbonation with a somewhat thin to medium body.

Overall: As I've said before not a bad beer for a hot Louisiana day or maybe to go with a salad. Abita Strawberry is still one of Abita's best seasonal brews. if you can get your hands on it I say give it a try!

Score: Photobucket 3.5 out of 5 Buddhas

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Beeradvocate US South LIF #9

Here you go ladies and gentleman.  In order to win you have to name as many of the 14 beers that I have on here.  In order to win you must be a member of Beeradvocate and live in a state in the US South Group.  DO NOT ANSWER ON HERE IT WON'T COUNT! Good luck!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Beer Wars On Demand

Hey local beer nerds.  I was scrolling through my cable On Demand last night and saw that Beer Wars was on there.  If you missed this film now is your chance to see it.   It is a must see and may open your eyes to beer issues we are facing right here locally in Louisiana.

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Beer Rumors

 
So yesterday I told you about Schmaltz Brewing coming into Louisiana.  Well get ready because it looks like we may have two more coming as well.  Rumor has it that both Magic Hat Brewing and Boulevard Brewing are coming to Louisiana possibly in April.  I really can't express my excitement that these new beers are coming especially Boulevard.  I really enjoy Boulevard brews particularly their special releases.  Saison-Brett is one of my favorites!



Louisiana is definitely getting better in terms of its beer selection.  If we can maintain this steady growth of local breweries and out of town breweries coming I foresee New Orleans becoming a cultural hub for beer nerds everywhere.  We already have the best cuisine the US has to offer so it just makes sense that we have a great beer selection as well.  Get ready cause the times, they are a changing.  I can feel it!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

PS Be ready for April 22-25 for a Stone Brewing Jazz Fest extravaganza.  It'll be held at Avenue Pub and I hear they will have some cask beers, aged beers and possibly some rare bottles. More details to come!!

Friday, February 26, 2010

March Beer Madness



March is going to be a great month for beer here in Louisiana.  Get your liver ready because there is going to be A LOT of beer consumption going on.  In addition to the two beer festivals I mentioned in my last post we have some official brewery roll outs and Avenue Pub is going to be a madhouse of brew.

Events at Avenue Pub

February 27th

NOLA Dry hopped Hopitoulas on Cask this Saturday @ 5pm

Craig and Kimmie have come up with an amazing special to go with this;
Frenched Lamb over Barley in a chicken cheddar Reduction with Sauteed Green beans.
The dinner special starts today and will be available all weekend. It was designed for the IPA but it goes pretty damn well with the new whiskey barrel aged Rogue too.


March 11th 
The First Top 100 beers tasting 
Dieu de Ciel! Peche Mortel on draft
Cantillon St Lamvinus
La fin Du Monde
Bells Hopslam*
3 Floyds Dreadnaught*
Goose Island Bourbon Country Stout*
* Pulled from Polly's private stock will be and not available for individual sale.
March 27th 
The Second Top 100 Beer Tasting
Olfabrikken Porter
Fantome Saison
St Bernardus
Founder's Breakfast Stout*
Great Divide Old Ruffian*
* Pulled from Polly's private stock will be and not available for individual sale.

Other Draft Beers Coming in March to Avenue Pub
Dieu du Ciel! Péché Mortel Stout
Dieu du Ciel! Aphrodite
Dieu du Ciel! Dernière Volonté
Mikkeller Simcoe Single Hop IPA
Cantillon Vigneronne

Brewery Roll Outs

Enters the New Orleans market March 18th


March 24,25,26- Three day roll out event.  Avenue Pub will have some really cool kegs just for the event.






Releases their highly anticipated(and delicious I might add) Hurricane Saison.






Cheers!

The Beer Buddha


Thursday, February 25, 2010

Beer Dinner: La Cote Brasserie March 24th


I received the following information from La Cote Brasserie regarding a beer dinner they will be doing in March.  I just copy and pasted the info below.


Chuck Subra, Executive Chef of La Côte Brasserie, has crafted a 5-course menu in harmony with two regional brew houses, Lazy Magnolia and Heiner Brau. Each brand will feature several of their varietals, one with each course. This Southern Beer Dinner will be held on March 24, 2010 at 7:00pm and is $60 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity.

Southern Beer Dinner Menu: Reservations are required and can be made by calling the restaurant, 504-613-2350.

I
Red Fish Ceviche - Bechnel Farms Myer Lemon, Red Naval, Pear Tomatoes
Heiner Brau - Kolsch Unfiltered

II
Spiced Pecan Salad - Mache, Candied Apples, Stilton, Sherry Vinaigrette
Lazy Magnolia - Southern Pecan

III
Lacquered Pork Belly - Celeriac Slaw, Satsuma Reduction
Lazy Magnolia - Indian Summer Spiced Ale

IV
Veal Paillard - Butternut Squash Pasta and Sage Beurre Noisette
Heiner Brau - Festbier

V
Marzen Poached Plums - Marzen Ice Cream, Louisiana Brown Sugar Tuille
Heiner Brau - Marzen

Lazy Magnolia, founded in 2003, is the state's first local brewery located in Kiln, Mississippi. They are dedicated to providing the best possible products through our tireless efforts, our superior motivation, and our Southern heritage. The line of beers is made in true Southern Style, complementing the traditions of the South and remaining true to Southern tastes. They include: Southern Pecan, Southern Gold, Red Ale, Jefferson Stout, Indian Summer and Gulf Porter.

Heiner Brau boasts one of the only German Brewmasters in the United States, Henryk "Heiner" Orlik, who has been brewing since 1972 and opened in Covington, Louisiana since 2005. Year-round beers include: Kölsch, Maerzen and Strawberry Ale. There are also several seasonal specialties, such as: Mardi Gras Festbier, Maibock, Hefe-Weisse and Festbier Oktoberfest.

Native Louisianan, Chef Chuck Subra Jr., Executive Chef of La Côte Brasserie, has a passion for pairing the abundant seafood available in Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico with local and international flavors. He has been recognized as Epicurious.com's "Top 5 Hot Spots in New Orleans," the Times Picayune "Top Dining Guide", Louisiana Cookin' Chefs to Watch, Jamie Shannon Award recipient (given to New Orleans Chef for strong community involvement), a World Championship Gumbo Cookoff participant and will be cooking at the James Beard House in March 2010.

La Côte Brasserie is located at 700 Tchoupitoulas Street in the New Orleans Arts District. Phone: 504-613-2350. Website: www.lacotebrasserie.com / Facebook / Twitter. Free Valet Parking at the Renaissance Arts Hotel.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

New Orleans Beer News: Release Parties, Classes and Festivals Oh My!



Got the below email from Lucy's Retired Surfer's Bar and Restaurant. They're doing a release party for Abita Strawberry. It's going to be a crawfish boil. Not really sure Abita Strawberry and crawfish pair real well but hey, it's beer and crawfish and I sure have been craving some crawfish.


Just so y'all know, we'll be opening the "Attic" upstairs at Lucy's for the Abita Strawberry Release Crawfish Boil - Plenty of space for all - great music, beautiful space, perfect crawfish and Ice Cold Abita Strawberry beer





Another bit of cool news came my way this week courtesy Polly Watts from Avenue Pub. The Pub has been selected as the location for Ray Daniel's Cicerone Program. Dates will be announced later. The Cicerone program gives those who serve beer to consumers the tools to maximize the consumers beer experience . It's similar to a wine sommelier. I hope to start working my way through the program over the next year.




On the beer festival front we have two coming our way. Not sure who was in charge of scheduling these two events but they are being held on the same day. Yup, you read it correctly. The. Same. Day. Since the Zapps International Beer Festival has been around longer we can only assume it is was the newbie festival that didn't check its dates. That newbie festival is called Top of the Hops and looks pretty interesting. They have some interesting vendors like Defend New Orleans and New Orleans Craft Mafia and also a nice beer list as well. I would give you more info on the Zapps beer festival but their website doesn't give me any. Anyways here is the dates, times, places and prices:

Zapp's International Beer Festival
March 20th 2010
3:30-6:00pm
Rural Life Museum/Baton Rouge, LA
Price: $30


Top of the Hops Beer Festival

March 20th 2010
2pm-6pm
Fontainbleu State Park/Mandeville, LA
Price:

GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS

$35 – Advance
$40 – Day of Festival

* General Admission Tickets Include the Following:

* Souvenir, Two-Ounce Sampling Mug
* Full Color Festival Guide
* Unlimited Sampling of 100+ Craft Beers
* Live Entertainment on the Full Sail Brewing Stage
* Free Parking
* Games
* Access to the Samuel Adams Brew University Tent with Seminars Such as Cooking with Beer, Brewing 101, Pairing Food with Beer and More!

STELLA ARTOIS VIP TICKETS

$60 – Advance
$65 – Day of Festival

* Stella Artois VIP Tickets Include the Following:

* Entrance into the Festival 1 Hour Early to Take Advantage of Exclusive Beer Tasting Experience
* Reserved Parking for Advance VIP Ticket Holders
* Access to the Stella Artois VIP Lounge
* Private Beer Tasting Selections Not Available to the General Admission Ticket Holders
* Complimentary Food
* Private Restrooms
* Souvenir, Two-Ounce Sampling Mug
* Full Color Festival Guide
* Unlimited Sampling of 100+ Craft Beers
* Live Entertainment on the Full Sail Brewing Stage
* Free Parking
* Games
* Access to the Samuel Adams Brew University Tent with Seminars Such as Cooking with Beer, Brewing 101, Pairing Beer with Food and More!

Have fun deciding which one to go to. Which one am I attending? Neither. I will be attending my daughters 4th birthday party!




Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Monday, February 22, 2010

Abita Strawberry Release

Every year Abita releases it's Abita Strawberry lager to much fanfare. If yoy like strawberry shortcake in a bottle this brew is for you! You can find this locally on store shelves right now. Get it while you can because this one goes quickly. Very quickly.

On another note sorry for no graphics on this post. I'm typing this one from my phone while my computer is getting fixed!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Monday, February 8, 2010

Beer Video Of The Month: February 2010



Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Da Super Bowl


So I was going to have a cool little poll asking you folks which beer related Super Bowl commercial was your favorite but since almost every Super Bowl commercial sucked I changed my mind.

Usually Anheuser Busch puts out some pretty funny commercials but this year was very disappointing. And I'm not even sure I saw a Miller or Coors commercial. If they aired some I just completely forgot about them because they sucked that bad. Isn't Coors the official beer of the NFL? Whatever.

Anyways the Saints won the Superbowl, New Orleans has a new mayor and The Beer Buddha is back home where he belongs. New Orleans. What's next? Maybe this will be the year we can convince Dogfish Head, Bells Brewing, Lagunitas and many others that they are foolish for not entering into our market. New Orleans is quickly becoming a hot market for craft beer and I can't wait to see what the next year will bring!

Cheers!

The Beer Buddha

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Back in The Big Easy


So we made it safe and sound back to the Big Easy on Friday. I haven't posted anything for awhile cause I've been trying to settle in and look for some employment. That and we have a virus on our computer which is making life hell for me. I did have the chance to stop by The Avenue Pub, Steins Deli and NOLA Brewing which was a breath of fresh air compared to the Panhandle. No offense to my people out there but man there was just nothing going on out there. I was lucky enough to try NOLA Brewing's Saison which was nice. Peter, NOLA's Brewmaster, said they had decided to change up the recipe and remove some of the sugar which they believe was making it too sweet. It was definitely on the sweet side but was still pretty good.

I was told by Kirk that NOLA Brewing hopes to be bottling by the end of this year. I think the people of New Orleans are really looking forward to being able to pick up some NOLA beer in bottles. They do have the NOLA draft packs out there on the market so be on the lookout. I saw some NOLA Hopitoulas at Rouses on Tchoupitoulas St for $36.99.

Apparently Bayou Teche Brewing is bottling their beer and were handing out samples of their LA 31 to local bars and stores here in town on Monday. If I can get my hands on a sample I'll be sure to review it here on the website.

As most of you know the New Orleans Saints are in the Superbowl and the city is gearing up for Mardi Gras as well. The next couple weeks I will probably be sporadically posting if I survive. No job + Mardi Gras = Hella Good Time.

Cheers and Who Dat!!

The Beer Buddha