Abita Andygator

Brewed by Abita Brewing Company
Style: Heller Bock
Covington, Louisiana USA

22 ounce bottler purchased at BevMo in Natomas. Aroma is metallic, with lightly sweet doughiness and some corn notes. Transparent golden body with a smallish white head that leaves fair lacing. A little sweet to start with some biscuity malts in the middle. Finishes pretty metallic, dry, with some noble hops. I’m generally not a huge fan of the style, and nothing about this beer really stands out. Why isn’t this listed as a hellerbock?

Pours a clear orange with a small white head. Very slight, sweet aroma. Taste is of sweet malts, with some spices and a slight taste of apples. Didn’t really like it very much.

22 oz. bottle. Clear, deep copper tinged gold with a voluminous off white head that collapses into itself rather quickly. Toasty, grainy aroma with hints of toffee and some spicy hops. Smooth, medium body with medium carbonation, and a fairly dry palate. Starts of sweet, but not the rich caramel sweetness of most doppelbocks, and ifnishes some soft bitterness. Rather unusual, advertised as a "helles doppelbock", it certainly is not representative of a classic doppelbock, but does offer some decent qualities.

Pours clear orange gold with an initially moderate white head that fades to a small ring pretty quickly. Aroma of corn, caramelized popcorn, juicy fruit, slight citrus (like lemon jolly ranchers) and peach pie crust. Tastes very sweet with a caramel-coated popcorn, creamed corn, lemoncello (sp?), and it finishes sweet with a sort of roasted corn taste. Medium bodied, but slick, and the mouthfeel is much stickier and sweeter than it needs to be. Aside from the lack of skunkiness, there are many similarities to a malt liquor in this beer. And it’s not nearly as enjoyable as Rogue’s Dad’s Little Helper.

Bottle. Large and initially very effervescent head that bubbles down to almost nothing atop a pale almost pink copper body. Nose is aromatic and fruity caramel, apricot, white raisins, sweet clementine citrus, and a slight lemon zest. Flavor is a mash of caramel and light citrus with some toasty undertones but slightly reminiscent of cough medicine due to the strong dry finish. Palate full, warming, and rather enjoyable except for being over carbonated which is unfortunate. I would describe this as a high gravity vienna rather than helles dopplebock although I doubt the presence of vienna malt.

Dark gold with big white head. Nose of hops, fruit and some malt. Flavor is maltier than the nose. Nice tart pitted fruit flavors mixed with the hops and citrus flavors.

Pours deep gold with 3-finger white head. Nose is hopcitrus, pale malt, mild fruit. Tastes malty, apricotty fruity, with hopcitrus and a tart finish.

Bottle Poured bright yellow with a super sheen and poofy white head. The aroma on this evokes bad memories of tasting some cheap malt liquors, or the ritual punishment we used to do at the office of having to drink Colt 45 when you screwed up. Frankly, I kinda think this drinks the same way, too ... a slick mouthfeel delivering an extremely sweet beer with an impression of corn flakes. I wonder if Colt 45 could be sold as a "helles doppelbock." (#3602, 12 July 2009)