Abita Turbodog is a year-round flagship brown ale brewed by Abita Brewing Company in Abita Springs, Louisiana. ABV is 5.6%. The following is our team review of this beer:

Tom: I can’t say enough about this beer. Turbodog tippy-toes the line between Brown Ale and Porter with and wonderful array of roasted flavors, chocolaty smoothness, and lively hops notes. It is dry-hopped with Willamette hops which lend a floral spiciness present in the aroma and latter half of the sip. This is a beer that definitely grows on you during a session. Malt aromas are rich and hardy. There are hints of chocolate, deep caramel and toffee, and minor biscuit notes. While on the heavier side of a brown ale, the mouthfeel is balanced well between the amount of carbonation and malty backbone. A must try! Grade: A-

Michael: Maybe the name set me off, I don’t know, but the minute I got home from work today I sprinted around the house so I could enjoy this brew. It definitely pours on the dark side of ‘dark brown ale.’ When I stick my nose in the glass, its like I’ve just stepped in to my local bakery. Sweet bready notes pervade. The nutty finish seems in line with the other brown ales that I’ve tried, but the super-smooth mouthfeel and weight of this beer give it the substance that others I’ve attempted have lacked. Not incredibly complex in flavor, but rich and suitable for a cool, rainy evening. Grade: B

Matt: Pours a big, fluffy, light tan and dense head. Color is deep reddish brown. Smells of dark, roasted malts- and reminds me of a more malty and slightly bigger Negra Modelo. This beer tastes purposefully mostly of malt, hops are there but indistinguishable in my mind. Velvety mouthfeel and carbonation. I pickup hints of coffee and chocolate. Very enjoyable when I’m in the mood for a smooth, brown ale. Well done. Grade: B

Taylor: Abita Turbodog is a solid brown ale that isn’t exactly a brown ale. It’s roasty and chocolaty but also has some hop bitterness that really balances it out and gives it some unique character. I’ve had this in bottle, and also on tap: no surprise that it’s better from the latter. Nice dark brown color and tan head. Not too heavy, and the Willamette hops really do give it a nice finish. It is also well carbonated, which makes for a more crisp experience on the palate. I like my brown ales less carbonated and less hoppy, though. Still, I identified the characteristics quite easily in this brew, and it is definitely well brewed and delivered. Grade: B+

Noel: As one of the first brown ales I ever had the pleasure of tasting, Turbodog will always hold a special place in my heart. And it certainly has a lot going for it. A distinct crimson-brown color, foamy head, great balance, and smoothness. I love the use of chocolate malt as well; it gives it a bit deeper character than your average brown ale. Admittedly…browns don’t tend to be most creative beers in the world. And though I still love them, I believe it’s easy to make a “good” brown ale, but much harder to make a “great” one. Turbodog toes the line for me. Excellent aroma, body, and mouthfeel…and a satisfying complexity of dark roasted malt. It just falls a tad short on uniqueness. Grade: B+