The first time I saw a bottle of Abita Abbey Ale on store shelves, I was pretty impressed. Not just that is was packaged in a very attractive and smartly festooned 22 ounce bomber bottle, mind you, no, more because this seemed a somewhat radical departure for Louisiana's Abita Brewing. An Abbey Ale? Why this was the biggest brew for Abita since Andygator (which is also now sold in similarly decorated 22 ounce containers).

For a meager $4.50, I could not help but snap one up. Then too, 25 cents out of that paltry sum is donated to the good people at Louisiana's Saint Joseph's Abbey, that they might continue with the many good works they pursue. If you like, you can read more about the abbey at http://saintjosephabbey.com.

So, I had great expectations for Abita Abbey Ale. Following the European tradition of ales made in monasteries, Abbey Ale seemed a sure thing. Here's what Abita says about the beer:

Dark amber in color, the aroma of caramel, fruits and cloves invites you to contemplate the creamy head of this "Dubbel" or double ale. Abita Abbey Ale is a malty brew, top-fermented and bottle aged to rapturous perfection. This ale pairs well with barbecue, meat stews or a nice thick steak. For dessert, try Abita Abbey Ale with milk chocolate or chocolate bread pudding. We suggest serving this brew at 46 degrees.
 
Abita Abbey Ale is no lightweight, either: it has a hefty alcohol content of 8% by volume. The beer has 19.17 calories per ounce, too, meaning if you partake of the whole bottle you'll be packing on 422 calories. But who counts calories when it comes to good beer, anyway?

Abita Abbey Ale pours to a hazy reddish brown color with a very thick, rocky cauliflower head formation and a rather unappealing nose of sour apple and old bananas. I must admit that the nose here did not make me want to take a sip of this beer at all, but I did press on and take a sip of the brew. I get a hint of chocolate (just a hint), though not as much as I want in a dubbel style.

The whole affair goes downhill from there, sadly. There's some brown sugar sweetness that tries to poke through, but its overwhelmed by sour, fruity notes of bad apples and sharp vinegar. There's also caramel and spice (nutmeg? clove?), and the finish is warm with alcohol, but none of that can save this one for me. Indeed, every time I find a positive note in Abita Abbey Ale it's quickly subsumed by the unpleasant fruit. I don't find much about the beer to suggest a dubbel in style, either. And I really love dubbels, so you can imagine my frustration.

The off flavors make this a beer I found barely drinkable and one I would certainly not buy again. In this case, Abita Abbey Ale seems a noble experiment gone terribly wrong.



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