Restoration Pale Ale - Abita Brewing Co.

dudecandle

New York

3.1/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Nice light golden-brown color with a wonderfully frothy head, with good retention and respectable lacing.
Sadly, it's downhill from here.

S/T: Slightly floral hops with a bit of cereal grain. Definitely some light citrus present. Otherwise, not much to remark upon.

M: Extremely light and overly carbonated and crisp.

D: Given the crisp body and the high grain presence, I assumed it was a lager, not knowing otherwise. I still can't believe this is a pale ale. Such a title belies its essence, which is overwhelmingly mediocre. But yes, it is drinkable, technically.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2009 17:58:56 | More by dudecandle

theboozecruise

Louisiana

3.1/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a pint glass... slightly hazy golden color with a nice head. Much better head retention and lacing than typical Abita beers.

Just a faint smell of hops... not strong at all on the aroma.

Bitter but floral hops on the taste... a little grain on the end of the sip. Overpowered by the hops, not well balanced. Not that it's bad, just so much chance for more.

A little watery as always for Abita, but I could see downing a few of these if I was in a hoppy mood!

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2009 17:47:33 | More by theboozecruise

wallaceandvomit

Florida

3.1/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

light amber in color,small head, little lacing

smells a little floral but mostly caramel, not bad but kinda average

tastes like it smells but a little milder,a little more bitter than sweet, not really impressed by this beer

not much for a mouthfeel, kinda light and a little astringent

overall its a decent beer but i prefer abita's jockamo and save our shores pilsner to this one for sure

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2010 15:29:39 | More by wallaceandvomit

Brent

Kentucky

3.1/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Perhaps a little hoppier than the average pale ale, but this beer seems to ring-in at that level as opposed to the APA category. Moderate malt body. Hopping is a little rough around the edges with some slightly raw herbal notes, but not quite enough to bump up the category.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2010 18:33:16 | More by Brent

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

3.1/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Abita Restoration Ale has a thin, off-white head and a very hazy, orange appearance, with lots of bubbles streaming up. The aroma is mild, to say the least, but some citrus does present itself. Taste is a very mild, citrus hop flavor, with some bready malts, but that is minimal. Mouthfeel is light to medium, and Abita Restoration finishes semi-dry and refreshing. Overall, not one of Abita's best. It's still probably worth trying, however.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2011 17:39:33 | More by RonaldTheriot

jujubeast6000

Texas

3.13/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed 7/21/2009 (bottle):

Pours a clear golden brown color body, with a small frothy white head. Somewhat musty aroma, some fruitiness, heavy grape. Grapy taste, some mustiness, some maltiness. Good taste. Somewhat dusty taste. Almost like a roasted taste.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2009 02:23:30 | More by jujubeast6000

alleykatking

Indiana

3.13/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from 12oz bottle.

A- Pours a light deep golden yellow color. Half finger white shows light retention.

S- Sweet citrus hops with a light caramel malt in the backing. Citrus hops dominate the aroma overall. Simple but works.

T- Light citrus flavor upfront. But this washes away to a strong caramel malt taste that lasts through the end of the beer. A very light citrus hops in the final part of the beer. The malts are really present in the beer.

M- Medium light mouthfeel. Carbonation is light for the style. Heavy sweet malts left on the palate with more malts and light citrus hops in the aftertaste. This beer is very underbalanced very much so for the style. Alcohol doesn't dry the palate much.

D- This beer is not very drinkable to me. The flavor is way off for the style. This beer is actually super sweet from the dominate malts in here. The ABV is low enough to drink many of these but I couldn't get past the sweetness for the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2010 04:18:25 | More by alleykatking

DoktorZee

Alberta (Canada)

3.13/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a schooner. No best before date on the bottle.

A - clear golden beer with a hint of a head with thin streaky lacing. Some visible carbonation in the glass.

S - grassy hops, hint of citrus

T - nice hint of resinous hops on the tongue initially but it's very short-lived and finishes very dry with practically no malt. It's gone very quickly.

M - very light, but also with mild carbonation. Exceptionally dry finish.

O - Initial promise was there, but it just didn't follow through. Very light and dry; not much to it unfortunately.

Serving type: on-tap

01-09-2012 03:39:01 | More by DoktorZee

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.13/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from bottle into pint glass

(Not sure if they recently changed their recipe, but the brew is listed as 5.1 % abv on bottle dated best by 10/28/12)

Appearance – Pours a clear golden color with a big white head. The head had decent retention, eventually fading to give a medium level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is heaviest of citrus hop upon pouring. Mixed the citrus were some notes of biscuit, caramel and a very light pine.

Taste – A very dry and doughy flavor meets the tongue. It has only the tiniest caramel sweetness upfront, which rapidly disappears as the taste moves on. A very dry but lightly hoppy citrus taste comes to the tongue and brings on some bitter. In the end a dry slightly bitter biscuit taste is left on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is rather thick and creamy for an only 5.1 % pale ale brew and is quite nice. The lower level of carbonation accentuates the creaminess, although some extra carbonation level would have added a bit more excitement and complexity to the brew’s more bland taste.

Overall- the look, aroma and mouthfeel were all really very nice. Unfortunately the taste was not the greatest. It was somewhat bland.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 00:27:16 | More by Darkmagus82

desertbronze

Idaho

3.15/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Got this beer as an extra in a trade with BeerBuddha.

Pours a clear golden color. Aggressive pour leads to a two finger head which fades quickly. Some lacing on the glass. Metallic tinge in the aroma - no outstanding hop or malt aroma. Slight metallic taste as well. I'm probably spoiled by PNW pale ales, but this beer doesn't have enough hop flavor for a pale ale, IMHO. Good mouthfeel - just right - not too light - not too heavy. Good drinkability - several of these would go down easy on a hot afternoon. Nothing remarkable but a good lawnmower beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2008 05:42:04 | More by desertbronze

cvfish

Louisiana

3.15/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - This beer poured a pale golden color that produced a soapy white head that dissipated very quickly and left no lacing on the side of the glass

S - The aroma of the beer was some citrus and floral hop aroma

T - The taste of this Pale Ale was grapefruit hoppy flavor, some slight bitterness on the finish

M - The body was light, but lower that normal Abita carbonation, although it was still pretty high

D - This example of a Pale Ale was a little lacking on the hops characteristics that I normally associate with the style, however this is a light beer with some good flavors that is easy to drink

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2008 05:16:21 | More by cvfish

DoppleJock

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

02/15/2010
12 oz. bottle poured into pint glass.

A: Poured a clear, clean amber with 1-finger off-white head. Quick dissipation but some decent lacing.

S: Mild citrus hops. Not much else.

T: Taste like it smells, with a super-mild bitter finish. Not very complex at all.

M: Felt a little watery. Not too robust.

D: There's so many great pale ales out there that make this one appear pretty bland in comparison. Just came back from a weekend in New Orleans but didn't try this on-tap. Maybe it tastes better from the source, but it didn't weather the trip up to Chicago well.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2010 05:02:08 | More by DoppleJock

Radome

Spain

3.15/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served from 12 oz bottle into a snifter.

A - Color is a light amber with some orange. The head faded quickly into just a ring around the glass, but there is some lacing. Strangely, there are particles suspended thickly throughout the beer. They look like tiny bubbles but they hang in place instead of rising. I've never seen anything like them.

S - Decent aroma for an American Pale Ale. The balance leans toward the malt, rather than hops. Some caramel. It almost smells more like an American Brown Ale than a Pale.

T - The taste does not live up to the smell. Again it has more of a malt focus than I expect for the style. Little hops taste, but moderate bitterness. The taste is dominated by malt, caramel and a sharp soapy or chemical note right at the end.

M - The body is moderate, as is the carbonation. There is some mouth coating sweetness after the swallow.

D - Not a bad beer, but I think it would be improved by a little more hops aroma and flavor. Without that, it just seems out of focus.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2010 05:17:51 | More by Radome

bnes09

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Transparent, straw color. White head with poor retention and minimal lacing.

Nice piney hop aroma and some toasted grain.

Piney hop in the taste also, assertive but seems a tad stale. Smooth and subdued malt backbone with a bready character. Finishes semi-dry with a soil-like aftertaste.

Medium-bodied and well carbonated.

Pretty standard for an american pale overall. I would appreciate more substantial malt charcter and a younger hop flavor. That being said, it will still do the job.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2010 05:22:37 | More by bnes09

Kitt

Delaware

3.18/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a golden-amber with a < 1 finger weak white head. Aroma very weak (I'm almost getting nothing here) only a hint of a musty straw-like malt scent. Taste is light and slightly flavorful - I'm getting a hint of burnt barnyard hay and light caramel. This ale is lightly hopped leaving a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Mouthfeel is terrific, carbonation is well balanced, and the light body is smooth not leaving an oily afterfeel. Drinkibility is good, ABV low (5.1%) so alcohol is not overwhelming. Overall, this pale ale lacks rich and eclectic flavors. But its light alcohol content, smooth light body, and slightly bitter aftertaste is appealing. This makes a fine mid-afternoon brew.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 02:51:59 | More by Kitt

cameraman

Kentucky

3.2/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A medium amber color, with touches of gold along the sides of the glass. A substantial two and half inch high head, white in color, lacing slowly, and clinging to the glass. A citrus scent at the start of the aroma, then it blends to a bread and cracked grain fragrance. It finishes with a piny and grassy scent. The malt is very striking at first taste Then about two thirds across the palate a mild citrus bitterness followed by a touch of grassiness at the end. A thin feel, almost like a lager in feel, but it does not have that crispness. It finishes with a mild dryness across the back of the palate. The color and scent are very strong, the taste is lack luster, the feel is very weak. All together it is a descent beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2009 01:49:59 | More by cameraman

MrHungryMonkey

Texas

3.2/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Nose is softly hoppy and bready malty. Soft metallic. Smells pretty good.

Pours clear deep yellow, moderate head. Looks good.

Bready malt as in nose, slight nut. Moderate bitterness. Mild hop - floral and leafy/earthy. Soda-like carbonation. Metallic and astringent qualities fairly harsh. Finishes dry. Tastes okay. Feels pretty good. Okay drinkability.

I support the idea, but this is just another mediocre beer from Abita.

Serving type: bottle

01-18-2010 02:57:58 | More by MrHungryMonkey

DubBrewer

Louisiana

3.23/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured into a glass and a thin white head was visible that quickly vanished.

Appearance is a a golden color. The smell is something to be desired. I expect a pale ale to be full of hop aroma but with this beer I smell more of a caramel malt profile. There are some light citrus notes in the background, but they are barely identifiable.

Taste is light and refreshing, with hints of caramel sweetness balanced with a good bitterness. There is also a slight citrus taste in the finish.

Mouthfeel is average, though a bit on the watery side.

This is a drinkable beer, however, there are much better examples of the style to be found.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2008 21:11:08 | More by DubBrewer

Spidey13

Kentucky

3.23/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Abita Restoration pours a clear, yellow/orange color, though a bit more yellow than I would like in an APA. A small white head sits on top. The nose is pretty good, with some nice citrussy hop notes along with a bit of sweet caramel from the malt.

The flavor is a bit of a let-down. There are some toasty notes followed by a bit of hop spiciness and then some bitterness on the back. The mouthfeel is medium. Carbonation is a bit higher than most APAs, I think.

Overall, a pretty average pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2009 11:05:40 | More by Spidey13

gford217

Georgia

3.23/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a clear gold with hints of orange and a small white head that dissipates quickly and leaves no lacing.

The aroma is very light and has plenty of lemony hops up front. There is a light bready malt smell in the background.

The taste is just as light as the aroma. The initial kick is of lemony hops before giving way to the bready malts and other grains.

The mouthfeel is light bodied with lots of carbonation and very crisp and dry in the finish.

This is what I would consider a very good summer beer. It's a beer that doesn't deliver much in the way of flavor or body, but it's very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2009 03:50:25 | More by gford217

scooter231

New York

3.23/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a golden amber color that's pretty clear, with some sticky white foamy head that barely sticks to the glass. Nose is lemony and hoppy, with some sweet malts backing it up. Not terribly intriguing, but not off putting. Simple.

Mostly malty flavors, breadyness, a hint of bitter hops, but not much. Not a lot of crisp, earthy stuff going on here, and no citrus notes, save some residual lemon flavors that are quite weak.

Mouthfeel is quite nice for a pale ale, very sudsy and chewy, slick as well. Overall this is a great hot day pale ale, but nothing to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2010 07:02:51 | More by scooter231

mikey711

New Jersey

3.23/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Nice slightly amber huge with a big fluffy white head that was over an inch thick and retained well. Lots of carbonation rising of the from the bottom and perfectly cclear. Could use a bit more webbing but otherwise it is quite nice

S: Mild caramel and sweet biscuit smell with a mild hint of floral soapy hops

T: Slight bread nice but loads of flowery hops that almost bring out a slight bit of sourness, it does not taste like it looks.

M:Slightly rough around the edges but there is a decent amount of body

D: I probably wouldnt go out of my way to try this one again because of the overly soapy and slightly sour flavor

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2010 21:05:20 | More by mikey711

CrellMoset

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Abita Restoration, bottle courtesy of and split w/ dkachur - thanks! Poured into a fitted pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a light golden color, clear, with lots of well-distributed, medium sized, and relatively moderately paced effervescence. The head is fluffy, big, with average retention, though it does leave a big persistent dusting on the surface. Lacing isn't too hot, though, which is where this one loses the point.

Aroma: Pale, simple sweet malts dominate the nose, with a kiss of light fruit and a few dry, grassy hop flourishes. Nothing special.

Taste: More pale simple malts, graham cracker like in places, and reasonably well attenuated - that is, not too sweet - with a faint kiss of hops. Pretty average.

Mouthfeel: Too much carbonation as attested to by the appearance in a relatively thin body, resulting in a little too fluffy and uneven mouth.

Drinkability: An average, reasonably drinkable brew from Abita, representative of much of their repertoire. The alcohol on this one is reasonably low (at least, I believe so), so I can't complain there, but it's just not too complex or even tasty in a simplistic way to make me come back for another.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2009 17:05:15 | More by CrellMoset

beer2day

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pale orange color. Sparse, but large bubbled carbonation evident. 1.5 finger light foamy head. Nice retention and fairly thick lacing.

Nose is slightly musty with a faint orange citrus twist. Not bad, but lacking in intensity.

Sour to tart on the hit. Goes very malty midway through and finishes very ... odd. Hops are trying to come through in the end, but a vegetable feel overcomes them.

Creamy enough in texture with a slight fizz in the finish.

Tastes good enough, but that strange twist in the finish would keep me from ordering a 2nd.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2010 01:50:51 | More by beer2day

welldigger888

South Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours an orangish hue with a snow white head and minamal lacing.
Slight yeasty with an almost caramel maltiness and a hint of grassy hops.
Pretty tame profile that is very approuchable, that said nothing stands out here. Yeasty malty vagueness with a splash of hop bitterness.
A little thin and over carbonated for my liking but not bad.
Highly sessionable given the right conditions. Hey it's fat tuesday, I believe I will have another!

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2011 00:39:23 | More by welldigger888