Turbodog - Abita

Turbodog is considered by many to be the best that Abita has to offer. I’ll make no mention to hide the fact that I’ve avoided Abita at every chance, considering their short, red stripe sized bottles to be the ranks of posier beer. And I have somewhat of a good reason to believe this, as every time I’ve seen someone drink Abita, it’s been Purple Haze, and it’s usually a 23 year old white woman trying to be edgy. Nothing against that demographic, but it’s just not my scene. To put it another way, Abita would seem right at home next to a sixer of Shocktop.

 But holy jesus was I wrong about Turbodog, and I was wrong about Abita in general. This English brown ale poured a domineering dark black with shadows of red on the edges. The head was a beautiful fluffy affair, khaki colored and three fingers at first pour before settling down to two. Nice bit of lacing clinging to the side of the glass too.  The smell is even more inviting than the dark richness of it in a glass. Caramel, Dark chocolate, stings of coffee mixed with Toffee. Not a lot of sweetness upfront but a decent amount of toasted malts.

But I truly knew this beer was a winner when I had my first sip. Rich, roasted malted flavors, incredible dark chocolate, Toffee, and hints of smooth coffee danced over my palate. And to be such a full-flavored beer, it tasted so light! Incredibly smooth and easy drinking.. On the whole, I’d describe it as being very Neal Degrasse Tyson-esque: Dark, smooth and complex.

So should you pull the trigger on a sixer of Turbodog? At $10.00 for a six-pack at the local grocer (neither the local liquor store nor the local gourmet grocery carries it), it’s a pretty pricey beer. But it also happens to be incredibly worth it. This English Ale is strong, rich, delicious, complex, and most importantly drinkable. The only thing that would go better with a Turbodog is another Turbodog.

• Brewer: Abita 
• Style: English Ale
• 5.6 ABV 
• Price: $10.00\6 
• Rating: 8.5 out of 10