Abita Restoration Pale Ale
I’ve had a few Abita brews in my time, from Turbo Dog on a balcony overlooking Bourbon Street to an Andygator in my own home. This, however, is my first time enjoying their liberally hopped Restoration Pale Ale. The result of tossing plenty of Cascade hops into the mix along with four malt varieties is a brew that is not only well balanced and refreshing, but one that also carries with it a nice bit of hoppiness to compliment the malt base.
The beer comes in at 5.1% ABV and 20 IBU — just about perfect for recovering from a long day hiking or captaining your shrimp boat. I found it more than suitable to enjoy while watching the Super Bowl.
Appearance
Restoration Pale Ale pours a clear golden amber in color with a smallish white head that fell to excellent lacing.
Aroma
Toasted bread, light piny hops and a touch of grapefruit come together nicely.
Taste
The flavors echo everything that I picked up in the nose. Biscuity malt dominates as a moderate helping of piny, earthy hops come in halfway through each swallow. The bitterness is solid, but far from overbearing. There’s also a touch of grapefruit and other citrus in the relatively dry finish.
Overall
I thoroughly enjoyed Restoration Pale Ale. It’s not as hoppy as some of the icons of the style, but it is quite drinkable and well balanced. At the relatively lower alcohol level, it’s not quite sessionable, but it certainly won’t frown upon you for having a couple on a beautiful Spring day — which is exactly what I plan to do once the weather warms up.
Rating: 3.5/5
This is a review of a promotional sample received from a PR company representing the brewery.