Benjamin Franklin is reputed to have said, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
Bob Skilnik, Chicago brewer and professional wet blanket, says this is a misquote . Mr. Franklin, he points out, was talking about wine. If Mr. Franklin had grown up eating crawfish in south Louisiana, I guarantee you he would have said beer.
Wine is all well and good and I'm even developing a keen appreciation for it thanks to the wine of the month club offerings that Doug has shipped to the office, but you won't see any wine at the crawfish boil. Beer, however, will be flowing freely.
Beer is the crawfish's best friend. It doesn't matter if he's boiled, fried, etouffee'd, or baked in a pie. Nothing pairs better with a crawfish than a beer, at least not in New Orleans. The Swedes like to take a shot of some sort of unreasonably alcoholic beverage after every crawfish they eat, but they also boil them in dill, eat them cold, and treat them like such a rare delicacy that they only consume a handful of them in a sitting and then only once per year.
Any self-respecting Cajun consumes at least as many beers at a crawfish boil as he does pounds of mudbugs. Not only is it the choicest beverage to pair with the rich flavor of a crawfish, but it's good fun too. The DGA crawfish boil always features a wide selection of beers, but this year we will be paying particular attention to one of our favorite local microbreweries: The Abita Brewing Company.
I love Abita beer. The Abita Brewing company is absolutely my favorite microbrewery. The official story is that my decision to move to Abita was all about the large yard and small-town atmosphere, but it's no coincidence that I live six blocks from the Abita Brewpub. The distribution of Abita beer is growing all of the time, but it's a good bet that many of you out of town folks aren't familiar with the brewery. So today I thought I'd give you a quick run-down of the varieties of Abita beer that we'll have at the crawfish boil, as well as some personal pairing suggestions.
One thing that all Abita beers have in common, apart from excellent craftsmanship, is that they're all brewed with the beautiful, crystal clear artesian spring water that gives the town of Abita Springs its name.
Amber
Up first is Abita Amber. Amber is the brewery's staple beer. It was the first beer produced by the brewery and it is still quite popular today. Amber is used for cooking as often as it is for drinking, and you can find Abita Amber in many dishes prepared by New Orleans chefs.
It is a Munich style lager brewed with crystal malt and Perle hops. It has a smooth, malty, slightly caramel flavor and a rich amber color. Amber has a 17 (of 120) on the International Bittering Units scale (IBU).
Amber is an enjoyable beer and it pairs well with rich, smoky foods like sausage. It also goes well with crawfish and other rich Cajun foods. It pairs especially well with red beans and rice. I enjoy Amber, but it is not my first choice among the brewery's selection. It goes better with a meal than it does on its own.
Golden
Ah...Abita Golden. This is my favorite Abita beer and it is also one of my wife's favorites. Golden is a crisp, clean continental lager. It is an incredibly simple beer with only four ingredients: Abita spring water, American malt, Mt. Hood hops, and German lager yeast. It has a brilliant golden color and an IBU of 11.
Abita Golden is beautifully simple. I'm partial to continental lagers, but this one is just about perfect. It is best served slightly chilled and it is wonderfully refreshing on a hot day. Golden is delicious all by itself, but it pairs well with most creole dishes and fried food. In my opinion, it is absolutely the best beer for fried green tomatoes. It goes reasonably well with crawfish, but its light flavor can be a little overwhelmed when you're elbow deep in crawfish. I suggest Golden for when you're taking a little break from the crawfish, or sitting on the balcony before food is served.
Cafe Maspero on Decatur in the French Quarter (across the street from Jax Brewery) has Golden on draft. If you're in the city, I highly recommend stopping in for a Golden and a platter of fried oysters.
Jockamo I.P.A.
Jockamo is a traditional India Pale Ale made with pale and crystal malts. It is hopped and dry hopped liberally with Willamette and Columbus hops from the Pacific Northwest. The spicy aroma of the hops contrasts with the pleasant sweetness of the malts. It has an enticing flavor and an IBU of 52.
I'm not terribly partial to IPAs, but I enjoy Jockamo on occasion. It is a fragrant beer that stands well on its own and pairs nicely with spicy foods. It has a rich, spicy flavor that compliments such dishes and doesn't become lost in a plate of hot boiled crawfish.
Restoration
Restoration is a fine beer. I highly recommend it. Restoration was first produced in response to Hurricane Katrina. The Abita Brewing Company donated 25 cents from the sale of every bottle to the restoration of the New Orleans area, but the beer was such a hit that it is still being produced today.
Restoration is a Pale Ale made with Pale, Lager, Crystal, and Cara Pils malted barley. It is liberally hopped and dry hopped with American Cascade and fermented with California Ale yeast. This is a rich bodied ale with a complex, somewhat hoppy flavor with a splash of citrus. It is eminently enjoyable with most anything or on its own. With an IBU of 20 it can seem a little too bitter to those that aren't looking for it and a bit weak on the hops for someone expecting an IPA. Restoration has many subtleties of flavor that keep you coming back time after time. It is one of Doug's favorite Abita beers.
Abbey Ale
Abbey Ale is a trappist style "Dubbel" or double ale. It is a malty brew, top-fermented and bottle aged. It has a rich aroma of caramel and cloves with a hint of citrus. It is creamy on the palate and pairs well with steak, barbecue, and dark chocolate. It has an IBU of 32
I like Abbey Ale, although it isn't one of my favorites. This has a bit to do with my personal taste in beer as well as the fact that Abbey Ale is a relatively new addition. I believe it was only started two years ago. It is a bit of a departure from what the brewery normally produces and it has stiff competition from other similar beers. If I'm in the mood for a Belgian Dubbel I typically go elsewhere before I reach for an Abbey Ale, but it is beginning to grow on me.
Andygator
Thinking of Andygator always makes me smile. I like this beer. Its a very fun, unique high-gravity brew made with pale malt, German lager yeast, and German Perle hops. Unlike other high-gravity brews, Andygator is fermented to a dry finish with a slightly sweet flavor and a subtle fruit aroma. Andygator has an IBU of 25 and a stiff ABV of 8.0%.
Andygator is like the rowdy cousin of the Abita beers. It has a fresh, slightly sweet taste that grabs your attention from the first sip. It pairs well with just about anything made with crawfish and with most fried foods. I like it best with a drippy crawfish pie or a bag of Zapps Gator Tators, a local type of spicy dill pickle chips. Andygator packs more of a punch than its snappy flavor suggests, so be careful not to go overboard.
Save Our Shore (SOS)
Like Restoration, SOS was produced in response to a disaster, only this time it was man-made. The Abita Brewing Company generously donates 75 cents from the sale of every SOS to the rescue and restoration of the environment, industry, and individuals fighting to survive the BP oil spill.
SOS is an unfiltered Weizen Pils made with Pilsner and Wheat malts. It is hopped and dry hopped with Sterling and Germal Perle hops. It has a brilliant gold color, a sweet malty flavor, and a pleasant aroma. SOS has an IBU of 35.
SOS is an interesting beer. The brewery doesn't make many Weizen, but it has a unique character and some interesting subtleties. I don't think SOS will catch on as strongly as Restoration, but it is a rather enjoyable beer that is great all by itself. As SOS is relatively new, I haven't had much of it, but it pairs nicely with tangy or salty foods. I enjoy it with something lighter and it goes well with fresh Mexican style dishes. I especially like it with fish tacos.
Seasonal Beers
Abita produces a wide variety of seasonal beers including a red ale, a wheat, and an Oktoberfest. The brewery also produces three beers made with local seasonally-available produce. This is the best season to be in, and I wish these beers were available year-round. Right now we have the Mardi Gras Bock and the Strawberry Harvest beers available.
Mardi Gras Bock
I absolutely love the Mardi Gras Bock and I wish it was around all of the time. From January through March there's always a Mardi Gras Bock in my fridge. It is brewed with Perle hops and pale and caramel malts. It is similar to a German Maibock with a high malt content and full body. The Bock has an IBU of 25.
This is a great beer. It has a wonderfully rich, malty flavor without being too heavy. It has a lingering finish that tends to stay on your palate. It is great all by itself, but I enjoy it with salty meats like pork and sausage. It goes very well with Boudin and it is excellent to cook with. I put a bottle of it in the gumbo I made this weekend and it came out great.
Strawberry Harvest
Last, but not least, is the Strawberry Harvest. A lot of people like this beer. That sounds suspiciously like I don't like it, although this isn't the case. My only problem with any of the Harvest beers is that they quite naturally fluctuate in taste and quality year to year and batch to batch throughout their respective seasons. The Strawberry Harvest Lager is the most sensitive. When the strawberries are tops, the beer is tops. Fortunately, Ponchatoula strawberries are usually tops.
It is a crisp, light lager with just a hint of strawberry sweetness. The Strawberry Harvest has an IBU of 13. It is very light on the palate, a little delicate, and has a little bit of sweetness from the strawberries. It is a little less aromatic than I like and sometimes the beer doesn't pop. It also has to be paired delicately in order to appreciate its flavor. The Strawberry Harvest is certainly a beer to try every year, and I haven't had any this year, but I suggest having a Strawberry Harvest before food is served as it won't pair well with the rich, spicy flavor of crawfish and jambalaya.
The Abita Brewery produces a few other beers, but these are the best and the ones that we'll have at the crawfish boil. Abita also makes a very nice root beer with more sassafras than sweetness and with minimal bite. Its a characterful soda and if you like root beer you should give it a try while you're down here.
As for the winner of my personal crawfish boil recommendation, it will have to be Andygator! I love Golden to death, but Andygator wins on its miraculous ability to pair with crawfish. This is the beer to drink when you're peeling pounds of mudbugs and stuffing your face.
That's all I have for now. The boil is coming up in less than two weeks! If you're coming and you haven't sent us an RSVP you might miss out on some cool New Orleans swag.
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