Abita Select Hop Gator

History of the Beer Style
Abita Select Hop Gator is a term for a strong ale. There are really no other parameters to the style. Our Barleywine is a mix between the American version and the British version. The difference is that American styles tend to have more hop flavor and aroma while the British style tends to accentuate malt flavor. Ours is robust (9.6% ABV) and accentuates the malt character while still being liberally hopped to give a nice hop flavor and aroma.

The Abita Selection: Barleywine
Abita Barleywine is made with generous amounts of pale, red and caramel malts. These malts give it a deep brown color and intense malt character and flavor. It is hopped in the brewhouse with Apollo, Cascade and Amarillo hops. It is then dry hopped in the aging tank with Cascades. In all, we used about three pounds of hops per barrel. This blends wonderfully with the flavors from the malt to give the beer a very balanced profile. The result is a brownish colored beer that is very robust, malty, hoppy and flavorful.

Food Pairings
Abita Select Hop Gator is very robust and complements a number of dishes quite well. It is excellent with choice cuts of meat such as lamb and pork chops. It is perfect with steaks as well as game meats, such as venison and duck. It is also very good with sweet sausages and can accompany spicy sausages such as Louisiana andouille and boudin.