Abita has another IPA! Abita Spring IPA is the one I’m talking about today folks. This one happens to be a seasonal release from March to May, while the other two (Jockamo IPA and Wrought Iron IPA) are sold year-round. I believe this one is actually older than the Wrought Iron IPA, though the Jockamo predates them both if memory serves.

Before we see how Abita Spring IPA stacks up against the others, here’s a comparison I did between Jockamo and Wrought Iron. Right away, you can see some differences between Wrought Iron and Jockamo IPAs. For one thing, the hops are completely different. While Wrought Iron uses Apollo, Equinox and Mosaic Hops according to Abita, Jockamo uses more classic Willamette and Columbus hops. Wrought Iron is stronger, too (6.9% ABV versus 6.5% for Jockamo) and has more bitterness (80 IBUs to 52 for Jockamo).

Abita Spring IPA is the lowest in strength of the three Abita IPAs at 6.2% by volume. It’s in the middle on IBUs with 65. The hops are different still here, as Abita explains on their website:

Spring IPA (March-May) is a West Coast-style IPA with an up-front intense hop flavor and aroma. Amarillo and Centennial hops give the brew a rich and resinous flavor of citrus and spice. This bright pale ale has a malt sweetness that will give way to a pleasant bitterness. It pairs well with Mexican or spicy Szechwan Chinese food. Spring IPA is a nice accompaniment for cheeses with strong flavors, like sharp cheddar or goat cheese.

Abita Spring IPA pours to a bright orange amber color with a very thick and creamy head formation and an intense resiny pine and citrus nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a firm chewy caramel maltiness up front followed by lots and lots of resiny pine and bitter citrus grapefruit peel. The finish is long and dry and very, very bitter. All in all, this one is a very nice old-style American IPA with lots and lots of resiny and citric hops going on.

Do I like Abita Spring IPA better than Wrought Iron or Jockamo? I like them all well enough you see, and picking a favorite is like asking a father to choose his favorite child. Really, they’re just different from each other, but all special in their own way. Abita Spring IPA is welcome refreshment in the dawning days of spring and will refresh even into summer. And at $8.99 a six-pack it won’t break the budget in doing that.



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