Bourbon Street Old Fashioned
Abita Brewing Co.

 

Picked up a bomber from Kings Beer & Wine on 12-18-19 for $2.99. A Distributor's special that is best by 4-6-19; consumed on 3-6-20. Figured it was worth a shot at that price.

Beer poured an orangish brown with a beautiful white head that has some great hang time. Bottle had a mild gushing after opening.

Nose is nice, orange and cherry greet me along with a large malt base.

Taste is very good, a dash of orange and cherry blend nicely with the bourbon tinged malt base. Finishes very well balanced with the bourbon offsetting the sweetness.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth.

Overall a very surprisingly tasty beer! I suspect it benefitted aging longer at the distributors warehouse!

 

 

 

 

22 ounce bottle into a tulip glass. Best by 4/16/19, had 6/29/18.

Pours a clear golden amber- a pretty interesting color, really- with a two and a half inch foamy head with excellent retention and lots of foamy lacing. Aromas of cherries, orange, malt, some oak, light bourbon and vanilla, herbs from the bitters. Flavors of malt, bourbon, bitters, orange, dates, caramel, lighter cherries, some oak and toffee, an herbal flavor. Smooth, a good medium body, well carbonated.

Does a good job of being what it intends. Bourbon is on the lighter side, but effective. Enjoyable, and has a great price point. Worth a purchase.

Beautiful copper color. Meant to taste like an Old Fashioned cocktail, and it really does! You can tastes orange rind and cherries, plus bourbon. High ABV at 9.5%, which makes it a beer to savor. Well done Abita!

I am tasting a little of the cherries & the bourbon but the big notes on this beer that stick out are the orange peel & the bitters. The bitterness is a bit much for me. It's a very good take on the classic bourbon cocktail & the 9.5% abv is well hidden. Cheers! B

Smells very fruity almost like a wine. Tastes slightly citrusy. Can also taste the bitters and cherries.

 

 

 

 

L: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had an amber color and a mostly clear consistency. There was a quarter inch of foamy head that lasted an average amount of time. Not much lacing.

S: A good aroma of cherries, bourbon, malt, wood, and some citrus.

T: Tasted of a decent amount of bourbon (with the accompanying oak barrel), a bit of citrus (orange, mostly), some cherries, light malt, light spices, and vanilla. An interesting flavor that, for the most part, really does taste like an Old Fashioned. The fruit is more powerful than the bourbon, but it still works.

F: A fair amount of carbonation with a warm, smooth finish. Medium-bodied.

O: While this beer isn't perfect, it is one of those oddly enjoyable drinks. Worth a try.

 

 

Not many old fashioned inspired brews live up to the name. Not that I'm a big Old Fashioned fan, but I do enjoy whisky so it's a respect thing. This beer does a good job. Feels good on the tongue and tastes of a true southern traditional OF. You can pick up the orange bitter. Some caramel tones as well. Decent brew.

22 ounce bottle into tulip glass, best before 4/6/2019. Pours crystal clear medium orange/amber color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of big tangerine, lemon, cherry, berries, orange peel/zest, ginger, clove, cinnamon, pepper, wood, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, bourbon, oak, and toasted bread; with light notes of caramel, toffee, coconut, and herbal earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruit, citrus, spices, dark/bready malts, and light-moderate bourbon barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of big tangerine, lemon, cherry, berries, orange peel/zest, ginger, clove, cinnamon, pepper, wood, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, bourbon, oak, and toasted bread; with light notes of caramel, toffee, coconut, and herbal earthiness. Mild herbal/zesty bitterness, bourbon/oak spiciness, and fruit tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tangerine, lemon, cherry, berries, orange peel/zest, ginger, clove, cinnamon, pepper, wood, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, bourbon, oak, toasted bread, light toffee/coconut, and herbal earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruit, citrus, spices, dark/bready malts, and light-moderate bourbon barrel flavors; with a nice malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitter/spiciness and fruit tartness. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/silky/bready, and lightly sticky/tannic/acidic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 9.25%, with zero barrel booziness lingering after the finish. Overall this is an excellent fruited/spiced strong ale style. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruit, citrus, spices, dark/bready malts, and light-moderate bourbon barrel flavors; very smooth and easy to drink for the big ABV; with the mildly bitter/spicy/drying finish. Very impressed, tastes just like the cocktail inspiration. Perfectly balanced vibrant fruit/citrus/spice and malt sweetness; not a ton of barrel, but definitely adequate. A very enjoyable offering, and well made experimental style example.

I've had several of these "old-fashioned" inspired beers before, and they've all been disappointing. Either they didn't taste much like an old-fashioned cocktail or were just a malty, boozy, mess. Abita's version, actually tastes like an old-fashioned. It's definitely a bit on the sweeter side, almost cloying but not too bad. But with a hoppy, dry finish.