As I mentioned with the last few beers I’ve had, I’m cleaning out the beer fridge of beer that have been in there a while. I picked up this beer, along with a mix of other Abita and Dixie beers, during a trip to New Orleans last December.
The bottle says, “Restoration Pale Ale is brewed with pale, caramel and carapils malts. It is liberally hopped and dry hopped with cascade hops. This golden ale has a rich body, mild bitterness and a snappy citrus hop flavor and aroma. With your help restoration raised over $550,000 for Louisiana hurricane relief.”
Location: Poured into a slightly curved pint glass from the bottle at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 5.1% ABV, 25 IBUs, 9 SRM, 167 Calories (15g Carbs, 1.9g Protein)
Appearance & Aroma: It’s bright yellow in color and very clear. It’s got a lot of carbonation, leaving a thick, foamy head with some tremendous retention. It’s got a pale malt aroma that reminds me a bit of dry hay.
Taste & Feel: The body is light and the mouthfeel is smooth. There’s not a lot of flavor up front, just a little bit of pale malt graininess. It continues through the middle, with a little bit of breadiness joining in. There’s a hint of citrusy-earthy bitterness coming in during the watery finish, which, with a bit of bready graininess, lasts briefly in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: The flavors in this beer are pretty light, except for a bit of breadiness and graininess. For me, in the New Orleans spirit, I’d pair this beer with some spicy cajun or creole food, as the flavors would help knock down some of the spiciness a bit. In particular, I’d love some spicy crawfish etoufee with this beer.
Overall Impression: I thought this was a very drinkable beer, mostly because there wasn’t a lot of flavor in it, only a little bit of breadiness and graininess, with a hint of bitterness in the finish. This would be a good beer for a hot, humid, Louisiana day, but for this time of year, it didn’t have enough flavor or body to it for me. Overall, I thought it was a middle of the road, pale ale with some generally bland flavors.
My Rating: 
Recent Comments