It’s Sunday night, and I finally got the kids to bed. There’s not much I find more relaxing that sitting down at the kitchen table and enjoying a beer, and this was a great chance to do so. I went to the beer fridge and found the corner that has a few slightly older beers in it. I picked this beer up as part of a mixed 6-pack of local beers on a business trip to New Orleans about a year ago. During that trip, I actually had this beer when we went to dinner at Jacque Imo’s in New Orleans. If you’re in the Big Easy, I highly recommend Jacques Imo’s for dinner, as well as a beer with a similar name.
Location: Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass from the bottle at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 6.5% ABV, 210 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s amber in color and very clear, with lots of carbonation in it, giving it a finger-thick, fluffy, off-white head. There’s also a piney hop aroma with a little bit of resin and grassy hop smells.
Taste & Feel: The body is medium and the mouthfeel is a bit crisp from all the carbonation. The crispness makes it tough to tell any flavor up front, except a little bit of light malty caramel. However, what emerges is a resin-piney hop flavor in the middle. These hop flavors are joined by a healthy dose of bitterness in the finish, and the hop flavors stick around for a bit in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: This beer had a good amount of hop flavor and bitterness, and when I was at Jacques Imo’s, I remember it going perfectly with the crawfish etouffee. The dish was very good and flavorful, and was cleansed between bites with the equally flavorful, crisp hop flavors. If you go to Jacques Imo’s, you MUST have to have the shrimp and alligator cheesecake, but don’t pair it with a beer – just enjoy it all by itself, one bite at a time.
Overall Impression: Overall, I thought this was a very drinkable IPA with some nice hop flavors. I enjoyed the resin-pine hops and the mix of hop flavor and bitterness. I would have enjoyed a bit more caramel maltiness, which was covered by the crispness a bit, but it was still a very solid IPA. If you find yourself in NOLA anytime, I highly recommend you try both Jacques Imo’s and Abita Jockamo IPA.
My Rating: 
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