New Orleans, Louisiana – a place for me that is synonymous with family vacations, troubling questions about how my mother has so many beads, outrageous food and of course, one of a kind beer. More specifically Abita Brewing. Nothing goes with silky, salty oysters, spicy, succulent crawfish and hearty jambalaya better than a nice cold Abita Amber or perhaps the better-known Purple Haze.

Although these are both great choices, on my most recent trip to Louisiana I wanted to take advantage of my escape from the oscillating Chicago spring/winter and try another Abita brew that could be brought back to the Windy City and enjoyed when the weather finally caught up. The beautifully warm, humid New Orleans weather left me no choice but to diverge from the tried and true brews and delve into a wonderfully aromatic Abita Wrought Iron IPA.

Wrought Iron IPA is the type of beer you could easily get carried away with on a nice spring afternoon. Upon cracking open my first bottle, a flowery hops aroma lingered out of this beautifully golden, hazy beer. The first sip revealed an intense grapefruit zest that slowly transforms into a pleasantly bitter finish leaving you begging for more.

 

As I sat on an outdoor balcony looking out into Jackson Square wearing shorts and a t-shirt, I couldn’t help but daydream about the day when I could once again enjoy such a beer on a patio in Chicago. So as I write this article today, I’m sitting on my back porch soaking in the sun and enjoying this gorgeous beer in between bouts of snow, sleet, rain and sunshine. Wrought Iron IPA will absolutely be my springtime ale.

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