Abita Purple Haze

Brewed by Abita Brewing Company
Style: Fruit Beer
Covington, Louisiana USA

Bottle sampled at NFB&WF ’08 at Martha Clara Vineyards. Pours a hazy pale gold, no evidence of purple haze. Light aroma of raspberry. Flavor is dominated by raspberry with some wheat. An ok fruit beer I suppose, although I personally prefer my summer fruit beers with blueberries.

slightly hazy gold color with a small white head which fades quickly to a film. grainy, musty, woody aroma with the distinct aroma of artificial raspberries. flavor is the same... musty, earthy and tart seemingly fake raspberries with a dry finish. medium body with prickly high carbonation. strangely drinkable especially from the bottle and it pairs really well with plain m+ms.

Wow, this beer poured with the trademark purple haze, and a somewhat fruity aroma, but the flavor was not what I expected. The aroma had some plum/ cherry hints, but the flavor had some plum with a lot of sour malt. Unbalanced and not something I’d go after again.

On Tap at Map Room in Chicago (shared this one with my wife). Darker golden color. Weak white head. Mild fruity aroma. Slight rapberry flavor. Highly carbonated. Reasonable drinkability. My wife picked this one which probably isn’t suprising because it really is more of a girly beer. Not a bad beer, just nothing to get excited about.

Bottle from Ruby’s in Asheville. Knowing my wife likes wheat beers and raspberries, I suggested she get one; besides, I hadn’t had one in probably 10 years. Kind of an ugly pour. Cloudy yellowish with pink hue. Sour wheaty smell, with notes of raspberry and grape candy. More candy taste on the palate. Not so great, but perhaps not a terrible introduction to fruit beers?

On tap at Mellow Mushroom (Orlando, FL). Pours a pink lemonade color with a off-white, pinkish head. Aroma is fruity and sweet with notes of raspberry and wheat, grain. Flavor is fairly bland with light fruit notes. Light-bodied, watery mouthfeel with a sour, fruity, bitter finish.

Pours hazy golden with thin off white head. Nose is sweet, wet wheat and raspberry. Go figure. The flavor is not as nice, and a bit bland. It’s very easy drinking, in a Coor’s Light kind of way, but I wouldn’t buy it.

Appearance: Pours a clear, golden body with a slight pinkish tint to it and a very thin white head. Smell: Delicate wheat scent with a distant aroma of raspberries. Pretty straight-forward. Taste: Sweetish wheat malt merges with a taste of tart, fruity raspberries. A couple drop of orange juice. Slight grainy hint. Drying, spritzy finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium-high carbonation. Drinkability: Fine enough for a fruity flavored beer if that’s your thing.