Turbodog | Abita Brewing Co.
Brewed by:
Abita Brewing Co.
Louisiana, United States
abita.com
Style: English Brown Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.60%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
Turbodog is a dark brown ale brewed with Willamette hops and a combination of pale, crystal and chocolate malts. 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 flagship brews.
28 IBU
Added by BeerAdvocate on 03-02-2001
Ratings: 2,898 | Reviews: 1,020
Reviews by ChrisCage:
More User Reviews:
3.71/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3/10/15 Draft (The Laughing Man DC) - Very dark pour, nice tan head. Nice malt aroma with a hint of caramel. Strong harsh taste, chocolate toffee flavor taste. Liked this a lot. Texture decent carbonation, nice finish and decent kick. Very good beer.
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look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3/10/15 Draft (The Laughing Man DC) - Very dark pour, nice tan head. Nice malt aroma with a hint of caramel. Strong harsh taste, chocolate toffee flavor taste. Liked this a lot. Texture decent carbonation, nice finish and decent kick. Very good beer.
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2.79/5 rDev -23.8%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
A: Dark brown with ruby highlights, almost cola in colour. Light brown head is dense and has cling. Gobs of lacing down the sides.
S: Sweet malts in the aroma. Fruit cake, chocolate, coffee.
T: Flavor is the same as the aroma. Rich and smooth, full bodied with moderate carbonation. Gives you the impression of a dense loaf of bread with touches of chocolate and coffee.
AT: Dark Chocolate and Coffee at the end.
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look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
A: Dark brown with ruby highlights, almost cola in colour. Light brown head is dense and has cling. Gobs of lacing down the sides.
S: Sweet malts in the aroma. Fruit cake, chocolate, coffee.
T: Flavor is the same as the aroma. Rich and smooth, full bodied with moderate carbonation. Gives you the impression of a dense loaf of bread with touches of chocolate and coffee.
AT: Dark Chocolate and Coffee at the end.
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3/5 rDev -18%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
This one has some auburn color going with it. Highly carbonated. Aroma has a bit of brown and chocolate malt vibe.
Some tea and toffee taste, mildly sweet. Smooth enough I guess, brown sugar, caramel and cinnamon. I like that it is heartier than the more popular Newcastle ale. This is about the viscosity and heft if you took a standard brown ale and mixed it like a black and tan with a porter. A tan and brown if you will.
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look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
This one has some auburn color going with it. Highly carbonated. Aroma has a bit of brown and chocolate malt vibe.
Some tea and toffee taste, mildly sweet. Smooth enough I guess, brown sugar, caramel and cinnamon. I like that it is heartier than the more popular Newcastle ale. This is about the viscosity and heft if you took a standard brown ale and mixed it like a black and tan with a porter. A tan and brown if you will.
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3.36/5 rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Didnt get much of a head on mine,nice color.Kinda buttery tasting?Can taste the alcohol in it thats for sure.Decent,but kinda overhyped.
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look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Didnt get much of a head on mine,nice color.Kinda buttery tasting?Can taste the alcohol in it thats for sure.Decent,but kinda overhyped.
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4.03/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance This one poured a nice, deep brown in color with a huge head. The head showed great retention and followed the liquid as I emptied the glass.
Smell This has a soft roasty malt backbone along with quite a bit of brown sugar. I can also pick up some mild coffee notes.
Taste The roasty smell gives way to a lighter, toasted kind of maltiness. The brown sugar is more on the mild side here and the coffee is perceptible but almost gone.
Mouthfeel This Brown Ale is almost medium-bodied with little hop bitterness and a light, sugary finish.
Drinkability One of the better American attempts at the English Brown Ale style. I really enjoyed this offering from Abita. Not a traditional EBA, but very tasty.
Comments Thanks to BigLove for sending this one cross-country. This is the sleeper of the Abita line.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance This one poured a nice, deep brown in color with a huge head. The head showed great retention and followed the liquid as I emptied the glass.
Smell This has a soft roasty malt backbone along with quite a bit of brown sugar. I can also pick up some mild coffee notes.
Taste The roasty smell gives way to a lighter, toasted kind of maltiness. The brown sugar is more on the mild side here and the coffee is perceptible but almost gone.
Mouthfeel This Brown Ale is almost medium-bodied with little hop bitterness and a light, sugary finish.
Drinkability One of the better American attempts at the English Brown Ale style. I really enjoyed this offering from Abita. Not a traditional EBA, but very tasty.
Comments Thanks to BigLove for sending this one cross-country. This is the sleeper of the Abita line.
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4.18/5 rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.4/5 rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2
This beer is a deep molases color with a frothy toasted tan head. The nose is rasted nut with a hint of coacoa. The taste starts bitter, with hints of chocolate before going to a more roasty, nut toffee finish. This is probably Abita's best offering. One is great, but there is something which keeps this from being very drinkable.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2
This beer is a deep molases color with a frothy toasted tan head. The nose is rasted nut with a hint of coacoa. The taste starts bitter, with hints of chocolate before going to a more roasty, nut toffee finish. This is probably Abita's best offering. One is great, but there is something which keeps this from being very drinkable.
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3.52/5 rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Dark brown with abundant creamy light-brown head; good lacing.
S: Odd, but, virtually no discernible aroma.
T: Malty and earthy malts with a hint of nuttiness. Hops near the finish are only slight, letting the heavy sweetness of the malts remain behind.
M&D: Toward the heavy side of "medium bodied" with good carbonation. Mostly creamy in texture with an almost smoky aftertaste. Enjoyable overall.
I had this a while ago on tap but this review is based on a bottled portion. I recall ordering this then because it was the darkest brew they had on tap, and it was pretty good.
The complexity in the taste of this brew is a bit understated. With that earthy nuttiness and sweet maltiness, there is a nice fullness achieved with just a pint or so. Very satisfying. There are some hops present but they just serve to tone down the malty sweetness, they don't really strive for balance.
It's kind of a goofy name, but it's pretty good ale.
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look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Dark brown with abundant creamy light-brown head; good lacing.
S: Odd, but, virtually no discernible aroma.
T: Malty and earthy malts with a hint of nuttiness. Hops near the finish are only slight, letting the heavy sweetness of the malts remain behind.
M&D: Toward the heavy side of "medium bodied" with good carbonation. Mostly creamy in texture with an almost smoky aftertaste. Enjoyable overall.
I had this a while ago on tap but this review is based on a bottled portion. I recall ordering this then because it was the darkest brew they had on tap, and it was pretty good.
The complexity in the taste of this brew is a bit understated. With that earthy nuttiness and sweet maltiness, there is a nice fullness achieved with just a pint or so. Very satisfying. There are some hops present but they just serve to tone down the malty sweetness, they don't really strive for balance.
It's kind of a goofy name, but it's pretty good ale.
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4.03/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours caramel-brown not even a finger of lacing that dissapates in seconds. Right away, nut brown and rich.
A-Dark-brown in color(reminds me of rootbeer).
S-Picking up a good mix of the caramel/nut mixture. Predominantly nut, but toffee/caramel is in there.
T-Mostly roasted nuts, but there are undertones of the toffee-like sweetness.
M-Lacks carbonation from the start, but the nuttiness comes to its rescue quickly with a resounding roast finish.
O-I am a stout fan, but this gives me the curiosity to stray more often!
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours caramel-brown not even a finger of lacing that dissapates in seconds. Right away, nut brown and rich.
A-Dark-brown in color(reminds me of rootbeer).
S-Picking up a good mix of the caramel/nut mixture. Predominantly nut, but toffee/caramel is in there.
T-Mostly roasted nuts, but there are undertones of the toffee-like sweetness.
M-Lacks carbonation from the start, but the nuttiness comes to its rescue quickly with a resounding roast finish.
O-I am a stout fan, but this gives me the curiosity to stray more often!
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3.88/5 rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This was a near black beer in color, with a thick tan head and a fair amount of lace.
Aroma of dark fruit, sweet chocolate, and roasted malt.
Chocolate taste, some cherry, and coffee. It tasted better than the aroma suggested, and was pretty sweet.
The sweetness made for a more rich and filling mouthfeeel than I expected.
Still, not a bad beer by any means.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This was a near black beer in color, with a thick tan head and a fair amount of lace.
Aroma of dark fruit, sweet chocolate, and roasted malt.
Chocolate taste, some cherry, and coffee. It tasted better than the aroma suggested, and was pretty sweet.
The sweetness made for a more rich and filling mouthfeeel than I expected.
Still, not a bad beer by any means.
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2.18/5 rDev -40.4%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 1
Pours dark reddish brown with a frothy off-white head that quicky goes to a thin film.
Its aroma is some roasted malts with a kind of chemical diapery off smell.
It tastes a little better than it smells. Sweet nutty, toffee malts and cocoa. It's kind of acidic with a light bitter finish.
Overall, not very good at all. I couldn't get past the smell, and the flavors were a mish-mash of things, many of which were a little off.
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look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 1
Pours dark reddish brown with a frothy off-white head that quicky goes to a thin film.
Its aroma is some roasted malts with a kind of chemical diapery off smell.
It tastes a little better than it smells. Sweet nutty, toffee malts and cocoa. It's kind of acidic with a light bitter finish.
Overall, not very good at all. I couldn't get past the smell, and the flavors were a mish-mash of things, many of which were a little off.
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Turbodog from Abita Brewing Co.
Beer rating:
50.9% out of
100 with
2,898 ratings
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
A- The color of the brew is brown, with rich burgundy hues mixed in there as well. It is a perfectly clear ale and seems to have lots of big bubbly carbonation. The head is initially thick and tan colored, but dissipates quickly to a thin layer. Good clingy lacing sticks to the glass as well.
S- The aromas are of heavy sweet malt primarily. There is some roasted smells as well, but they are still sweet, like semi-sweet chocolate and some molasses. On the finish there is an ever so slight aroma of bitter hops.
T- A really good blend of sweet and toasted character. First there is some sweet chocolate flavors that has some caramel/toffee in it as well and maybe even some ground nuts. This turns into a more roasted tone of cocoa and/or fresh coffee....finally finishing with just the right amount of bitterness.
M- Good solid medium-full body and the carbonation, while initially quite fizzy, settles down to become finer, but still with a little zing. Feels to a point like I'm enjoying some bittersweet fondue.
D- This is an excellent beer, and although I wouldn't necessarily have more than one or two of these on it's own, I'd definitely like to try this again with a meal...some sweet rubbed baby back ribs perhaps. I recommend this beer for anyone who wants to have a very good example of a brown ale!
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