The two most common local brews in New Orleans are Dixie and Abita. I had not heard of Abita before but I had a few while I was there and it's not bad. Abita brews several varieties of beer; I had the Amber and the Golden (pictured below).
It turns out that the Abita folks have made a (gag) chocolate beer. Or something...
Abita Turbodog is a dark brown ale brewed with Willamette hops and a combination of British pale, crystal and chocolate malts.Now, I never saw any of this stuff while I was in New Orleans. Maybe you have to know somebody or it's only available in the Voodoo shops. I don't know but I'm not inclined to try this unholy mixture.
This combination gives Turbodog its rich body and color and a sweet chocolate-toffee like flavor. Turbodog began as a specialty ale but has gained a huge loyal following and has become one of our three flagship brews.Just a bit stronger than our other brews, so . . .beware of the dog!
Having said that, the Abita web site claims Turbodog has been named America's #1 beer by Stuff magazine. Ummm...I've never heard of Stuff magazine but it looks like a lad mag and supposedly has a circulation of over 5 million, so who am I to argue? Still, I'm not going to try it. Chocolate-toffee beer? Nope.
2 comments:
I've had chocolate-based ales before and they're quite tasty, although it isn't a slam-one-grab-another type of beer. One will usually suffice. They're more cocoa-y than chocolatey, not really sweet but definitely rich and creamy. There's no mistaking that it is an adult beverage however, you'll feel the warmth of the alcohol immediately. If you like Guiness, it isn't too far removed from that type of taste. I'm a big fan of oatmeal stouts that are also rich and creamy. In closing, allow me to encourage you to reach for the gusto and try a Turbodog.
By chocolate toffee they are referring in beer terms to its flavor, it is not a true chocolate toffee beer. This beer is in the same family of beers as say a NewCastle, a Brown ale. Do you know that most HefeWeisens technically have what they call a banana/clove ester to them. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale has what is considered a Grapefruit ester to it. Though these flavors don't come out to most, if you really are looking for words to describe beers, chocolate, toffee, roasted, banana clove, grapefruity, earthy, piney, are all words to describe the beers themselves.
Try a turbo dog, great beer.
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