And the Valley Drinks: Abita’s The Boot

Nobody’s enjoyed the Louisiana Craft Beer Revolution more than your humble correspondent, but there’s just always going to be something about our friends on the Northshore at Abita.

I joke about them being the Godfather of the movement here in Louisiana (Dixie as the Father, obviously), but they’ll always have that place for me. My dad was always loyal to Miller Lite growing up, which has certainly passed on to me, and while he’d have his little wild hairs with Heineken, Newcastle, even a weird Amstel Light phase, but that first time he handed me an Abita Amber there was just a cool factor to it being something local. And it wasn’t hard to see that it was just...different. I wouldn’t figure out all those different flavor profiles and stuff like that for years, but I knew there was more to this beer that I liked.

It’s what showed me that there could be more to beer that I liked.

And as the other crafts have popped up around the state, Abita has stepped their game up in a lot of ways and seem to have a new specialty almost every season. It should be no surprise they’ve had a few ideas to celebrate their 30th, including a very special project they’ve named The Boot:

Over thirty years ago, we planted our flag in the Boot to brew for the way we love to live. The Boot is a crisp, refreshing brew made proudly and sold only within our home state. Brewed with white wheat, oats, and barley, hopped with Hallertau Blanc and fermented with German Kolsch yeast as a thanks to the folks who have been with us from the start.

Review

The timing is a bit off for this one, because while its hitting in the fall this will be a fantastic spring beer. Perfect for a Tiger baseball tailgate, seafood boil or even post-yardwork. But maybe that’s the more appropriate move for Louisiana, right?

The bouquet is citrusy, not hoppy, but almost like the smell of a peeled lemon. The first taste is kind of neutral, but it really brightens up through the middle and finishes with a crisp, slightly refreshing tang. There’s a fruity undertone, but its never sweet. Very light, very drinkable. Kind of beer you can really session, and I could see it going really well with some spicy seafood.

A strong four out of five stars.