Abita Turbodog
Beer No: 53
Page No: 828
Category: Dark
It really is a shame that this is Abita's only entry into the list of 1001. I'm a fan of their Purple Haze (which oddly enough is really lowly rated on RateBeer). For a "fruity" wheat beer, I think the Purple Haze balances the fine line of being too fruity and all wheat very well. If I'm ever in a pinch and need a refreshing wheat beer, Purple Haze normally is the way I go. I pretty much fell in love with it on my road trip when visiting Abita's home state of Louisiana. I wish I would have had time to visit the Abita brewery, but I do hope to go back to Louisiana sometime soon as even two full days in New Orleans was not nearly enough.
As for the Turbodog, billed as a "dark brown ale," the balance between going too dark and yet remaining a flavorful brown ale. Here, Abita has excelled. The malty and chocolate undertones of a darker ale are evident, but it doesn't get too heavy and remains a solid brown ale.
Looking back at my travels to Louisiana, I also remember having the Jockamo IPA from Abita many times with some local favorites such as gumbo and prawns, but again, I find the beer rated lowly on RateBeer. I think there's a tendency amongst the raters to stay "in line" and rate lowly rated beers low and highly rated beers high. Similarly, there's certain stigmas with regards to breweries. If everyone's rating Abita low on RateBeer, others just follow in step. Meanwhile, breweries like Cigar City and The Bruery are always rated high, and everyone just follows along. Even beers that might not deserve a high rating are just rated high simply based on the brewery's name. It's a shame, but there's really nothing you can do about it other than rate the beers honestly and try and avoid reading other reviews until your rating has been submitted.
But, even as I write this, I know that I'm not wholly innocent here. With an average score given of 3.28 and an average beer rating of 3.41, it appears that, even though I try and be objective and honest with each rating, I still end up within 0.13 points of each beer's average rating. And even with the Turbodog, which I rated 8 years ago, my rating of 3.2 is exactly what the weighted average of the beer is after 1,050 ratings.
My review, cross-posted at RateBeer.com:
Abita Turbodog from Abita Brewing Company
Aroma: 6/10
Appearance: 4/5
Taste: 6/10
Palate: 3/5
Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.2 / 5.0
A very dark brownish-red beer with a slight head (about 1/2 inch on pint glass). Had on tap at Callahan’s 10/16/02. The odor is slightly fruity and taste is similar with a mild nutty malt flavor. An interesting beer with a bit more carbonation than usual beers. A very drinkable beer, but nothing special.
