Review of Abita Turbodog Ale

Size: 12 ounce bottles and available on draft.
APV: 5.6%
Availability: Select markets and select bars.
Website: http://abita.com/brews/turbodog.php

Abita Brewery based 30 miles outside New Orleans was established in 1986 and has been producing unique brews ever since. The Turbodog brew according to Abita is technically a dark brown ale, but don't let the dark color surprise you. This beer is a mind trip of a drink, at least for some who drink it.

I had the pleasure of trying this beer at a local bar I go to to find the latest unusual beers. A few of us tried this beer and came up with this realization: it tastes like you are drinking nothing and is like drinking air! This odd description requires some explanation.

Poured out of a bottle or from the tap, this beer has a foamy head that isn't quite normal. Instead of being creamy, say like Guinness, the head appears bubbly, almost fizzy like a soda. There are a lot of bubbles in the head and the brew itself is very dark, almost pitch black. The smell has hints of a roasted hops flavor.

So you would expect a very strong beer. Either very thick or very hoppy. Neither happens when you take a sip. Turbodog defies logic for what a beer looks like and how it tastes.

Abita describes the taste as a chocolate flavor mixed with toffee flavors. Perhaps this depends on your particular taste buds, but my personal experience with it was like drinking nothing at all. Which isn't so bad.

The beer is incredibly refreshing and smooth, but you almost sit waiting for a taste to hit your tongue and it doesn't. It is almost like you feel the beer hit your throat and go down, but as quickly as it touches your tongue, it is gone without a trace. There is no after taste and it has an odd light texture to it.

But don't take the "tastes like nothing" description the wrong way. Unlike cheap mass produced beers that taste like water, Turbodog's beauty is how its complex brew manages to be an easy to drink and satisfying beer. Those who hate dark beers or hoppy IPAs might shy away at first, but a sip of Turbodog confuses the mind. It looks heavy and looks hoppy, but the taste isn't strong enough to turn off light beer drinkers.

Abita says this beer pairs well with burgers and this is very true. I think the key of this beer's taste (or lack of) is that it accents food you eat because it doesn't get in the way of the flavor of the food. It's like the add on without overwhelming your taste buds.

Order a Turbodog if you get a chance even if just for the novelty of trying a beer that looks complex but leaves no trace of its unique flavor. Notice the detail of the bubbly head and the dark color, because once you take a sip you'll wonder how a beer that looks as it does can have such an indescribable flavor.