Hop-On By Abita Brewing
I haven’t tried many beers from Abita. For one reason or another, I tend to skip over them and drink hyper local beer or something that catches my eye. But when multiple people told me to check out the Abita Hop-On, I knew I had to give it a try.
After picking up Hop-On from Abita, I thought about the last time that I had a beer from them. And if my memory is accurate, it was during a business trip to New Orleans. Their beer is everywhere in that city so I took advantage and tried quite a few of their beers while there.
It was nice to have a reason to pick up some of their beer once again. Let’s see what I thought of Hop-On.
Review Of Abita Brewing Hop-On
I recently wrote about the best New England IPAs that you can pick up at your local grocery store. It was a great article because it highlighted that this trendy beer style has finally gone mainstream.
Abita Hop-On makes me wonder if I need to go back and add this one to that list.
Let’s check out what we know about this beer before I give my thoughts on it.
Everyone is jumping in on the New England IPA trend. Once this style was only found at small breweries where it was released in limited amounts. They were sold direct to the customer out of their taproom and would sell out immediately.
Needless to say, you had to really make an effort to get this style in the past. But that’s all changed now as large breweries have started to understand this style and develop it in a way that makes it stable enough to sell through retail stores.
Abita has thrown their “hat into the ring” with Hop-On. The can lists it as a “Juicy Pale” while their website calls it a New England IPA. But those terms nearly mean the same thing.
Abita Brewing Hop-On has an ABV of 6% and IBUs of 45.
Here is how Abita describes Hop-On:
Abita Hop-On is a full-bodied “juicy pale,” packed with Cascade, Citra and Ekuanot hops to deliver refreshing tropical and citrus notes. It pours a vibrant light gold while the unique brewing process produces a distinctive haze. It’s also super food-friendly, great with seafood ceviche, fresh fruit or a nice aged cheddar. Give Hop-On a try and enjoy our brewmaster’s latest journey.
Initial Thoughts
Having tried many New England IPAs, I knew exactly what I wanted Hop-On to be. However, I did my best to restrain my expectations so I wasn’t disappointed if it missed the mark.
But since it came highly recommended, I couldn’t help but assume that it was going to be really good.
Hop-On pours a beautiful golden, orange color that reminds me of an unfiltered wheat beer. The haze was accentuated by the cold temperature that I poured it at.
The aroma was very subtle but provided a nice citrus scent. It is well carbonated and produced a good sized white head.
Tasting Notes
The Abita Hop-On provides a nice juicy, mouthwatering feeling that we’ve come to expect from the New England IPA. In fact, I think it might be the “juiciest” among those made by the big breweries.
In addition, there are lively notes of citrus throughout. This isn’t the orange juice flavors that we find most often but instead it has tangerine and lemon.
The difference is it doesn’t have a citrus acid taste but rather a nice sweet and a tiny bit tart flavor. And there was ample amounts of flavor in this one.
It has no noticeable bitterness and it is soft and rounded in the mouthfeel. It is a very well constructed beer that is easily one of most session-able of this style that I’ve had.
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to brew a trendy style without being compared to everyone else. But Abita has done a really nice job producing a trendy beer that lives up to expectations.
They haven’t overdone anything but instead allowed the most desired characteristics to shine. It’s got big flavor while being soft and balanced.
I’d highly recommend checking out the Abtia Hop-On.
Conculsion
The New England IPA isn’t going anywhere. As more and more breweries learn this style, we will see waves of new options hit store shelves.
I also believe that this style will continue to evolve as more brewers get their hands involved. I’d love to see Abita continue to expand what this beer can be with new hop varieties and potentially the use of fruit.
But even if this one stays the same, I’ll be pleased with their ability to give me exactly what I want in a New England IPA.
