Abita Select Citra Hopped Satsuma Wit
Abita Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This beer poured a very light, golden color. The head was very thin (less than 1/4 of an inch) and there was no lacing. Just from the pour, the beer appeared to be very carbonated.

The beer has a very subtle coriander and orange scent. Beyond that, the beer smells like mass produced metal, almost bordering on a Miller Lite scent (that's right I said it!). Below average at best.

The taste is better than the scent but these two characteristics are inherently connected, so it is difficult to get past the nasty smell and actually taste the brew. If you can do this, it tastes like an average citrus ale. There is really no flavour that stands out; I was hoping for orange or some form of citrus but it is not there.

The mouthfeel is very carbonated. Leaves no flavour on the palette and lacks a lot to be desired.

Overall this beer is below average. Smells strange, tastes strange and has no extreme factor that sets itself apart. The brew leaves a lot to be desired. Wish it was better, but in my opinion it is not. Try a different beer if you get the chance.

 

I have been watching a marathon of "Drinking Made Easy" #DME and in one episode, they visited Baton Rouge, LA and drank a lot of Abita beers. Good for them, but the name really reminds me of the recent "The League" episode which guest-starred Timothy "Justified" Olyphant as a Caucasian sushi chef from "O-Ma-ha", emphasis on the second syllable. This beer may likewise be of Japanese origin.

From the bottle: "Abita Satsuma Harvest Wit is brewed with pilsner, wheat malts and oats. It is made with real Louisiana satsumas [time to get smarter, apparently] and spiced with coriander and orange peel. This unfiltered brew has a slightly cloudy appearance with a subtle citrus flavor and aroma."

It is a type of orange which was imported from Japan in the 1800's. Cool! Hai, domo! I agitated my bottle before the pour as I am not a fan of clear Wits. As such, I hand a dense finger of bone-white head above a deeply cloudy egg yolk yellow beer. It looked like a cross-section of lemon meringue pie. Nose had the typical black-pepper spiciness borne of the yeast, along with an orange citrusiness. Mouthfeel was soft, slightly effervescent, but just enough to allow the flavors to be able to roll around on the tongue. It tasted of orange and pepper and made me wonder if this could be made into a glaze for chicken. I have been a big fan of lemon chicken for many years and while I know that orange glaze exists for duck, I wonder how it translates to chicken. Enough of this fowl language! The finish was dry, thanks to the coriander and yeast, but I was still getting a lot of orange flavors also. This seemed much more naturally flavored than another fruit beer that I had recently. Very nice, especially as an accompaniment to Oriental cuisine.

 

Porus a hazy yellow with a medium head. Good lacing on the glass.

Smell is yeast, lemons, oranges.

Taste is fresh bread, yeast, oranges and lemons on th dinish. Little hop presence.

Mouthful is thick with good carbonation.

Overall a tasty beer, would enjoy again.