I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: blueberries are about the best fruit you can put in your beer. The rich, full flavor of the fruit just works so well against a crisp biscuity malt backbone to provide a tasty, refreshing brew. When I lived in Rhode Island, I would drink blueberry ales frequently, fortified with luscious Maine blueberries.

Maine, though, is not the only place blueberries grow well. I have three blueberry bushes in my backyard and they keep us well supplied. Georgia blueberries are the magic ingredient in Sweetwater Blue, but Louisiana blueberries are equally acclaimed, and help to make Abita Blueberry Wheat, part of the brewery’s harvests series, a truly taste tempting treat.

From the label:

This crisp wheat beer has the aroma and flavor of fresh Louisiana blueberries. It’s brewed with pilsner and wheat malts and hopped with German Perle hops, then the juice from local blueberries is added to complement the toasty malt flavor. All our Harvest Series brews are made with the finest Louisiana-grown ingredients.

Abita Blueberry Wheat has an alcohol content of 4.4% by volume and runs $8.99 a six-pack in bottles in the Atlanta area. Amazingly, a 12-pack of cans is just $1 more. That’s an incredible bargain for such a wonderful beer.

Abita Blueberry Wheat pours to a pale blonde color with a thick creamy head and a robust blueberry fruit nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a smooth light biscuit maltiness up front with crackery wheat followed by rich luscious blueberry fruit. Tart wheat and a soft kiss of perfumey, gently bitter hops balance the beer and keep it from being cloying.

The juicy berry fruit and crisp malt are perfectly balanced here, as is the bargain basement price. What’s not to love? Rated as  fruit beer, I give Abita Blueberry Wheat high marks indeed, 4.5 stars, and I’ll tack on another half star for one of the best beer bargains out there right now.



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