Let me start off with an apology in case this isn’t available in your store and I get you all excited for nothing.

But when I saw that Abita had a new seasonal ale out and at Trader Joe’s, no less, I was all in.

Just a note: I live in Southeast, Louisiana and the Abita brewery is about 30 minutes from my house. So that may be why I could get my hands on this.

And let me apologize again: I don’t know much about beer. When I posted a photo of it to the Trader Joe’s subreddit, I got a long treatise about hops and heads and finishes and other stuff I didn’t understand that basically came out to:

“Meh.”

But, I had a whole 6-pack of it, so I decided I had to see for myself, and I’m glad I did. I may be a beer newb, but I really enjoyed it.

It’s somewhere between a red and a brown ale, and it reminded me a lot of Newcastle, which I happen to like. (I’m sure a beer lover somewhere is rolling over in his or her premature grave.) It had a nice thick head, and was very smooth, which I think is important in a beer.

It also didn’t set off my allergies, which I like, as well.

As for the pecan, I don’t know that I tasted pecan for sure, but there is definitely a warm, nutty undertone to the beer that just tastes like Fall.

All in all, I expect to have a fridge full of Abita Pecan Ale this season. And if you can’t, you’re definitely missing out. Sorry!

Price: $8.99
Seasonal: Yes
Buy again: Yes