Andygator - Abita Brewing Co.

NJpadreFan

New Jersey

3.38/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Abita- Andy Gator

Huge thanks to Deepsouth for a growler of this stuff!

A- Light clear copper with a good frothy white head. Nice light lacing down my Abita Andy Gator glass, also courtesy of Deepsouth!
S- Very light pine hops with a light sweet buttery malt.
T- Light crisp pine hops and sweet buttery grainy malt. This is a Barleywine?!
M- Again light and sweet but there's a nice creamy malt body and a touch of tangy pine hops. This ones ends a little thick and cloying.

Overall- Actually quite easy to drink an tasty. I can't really see it being a barleywine though. Regardless tasty and refreshing while I attemt to frame my basement. (Thanks Jason!)

Serving type: growler

08-09-2008 19:08:37 | More by NJpadreFan

deepsouth

Mississippi

3.98/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

i had this at the abita brewpub today and while i'm not sure it fits the "standard" as a barleywine, it was a damn fine beer.

it was fairly light in color and in the nose, but the taste was very good. very well balanced.

the mouthfeel was good. not too heavy and great on a summer day.

the alcohol content (whatever it was) was well hidden, but apparently on the high side as i had one and decided i'd have to switch to a different beer in order to drive home safely. i made barefootbrewer trade me his jockomo ipa (which was way better on draft as well btw).

this was good enough for me to buy a growler to bring home and a another to send to a person that i'd consider lucky, despite it's low score on beeradvocate.

i honestly think this beer is at least a full letter grade higher than the beeradvocate ratings suggest.

i hope the guy i send it to digs it as i did.

Serving type: on-tap

08-03-2008 02:39:59 | More by deepsouth

theghost3

Louisiana

2.9/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I ordered this at the Abita Brew Pub. It has a golden appearance with a thin white head. The smell is a little sweet, faint hops. It tastes somewhat spicy with hops and grains. There is a certain bite to it--likely because of the relatively high ABV--dry with a lot of carbonation, watery. Overall, not that drinkable. I'll order something else the next time I'm in Abita.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2008 03:23:14 | More by theghost3

garcia2a

Pennsylvania

2.88/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had this on tap in Spring House a while ago and just found my review!

The beer pours a pale golden color and crystal clear. The head was light and laced. Light carbonation.

The bouquet was a bit musty with very light grain and even lighter malt. Alcohol creeps in on the end to boot.

The taste has a bit of sweetness and light hops. Clean, crisp, dry finish, posibly due to the alcohol or the liberty hops.

This is lighter in body than I expected and as long as it is cold, has decent mouthfeel. Andy Gator is a simple beer, dry finished and honestly, perfect for those high humidity Louisiana summer days!

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2008 16:45:54 | More by garcia2a

sirgeoph

Louisiana

3.23/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I can only find this on tap, which is a bit disappointing.

It's a great beer to sip at your leisure, and has a nice taste that does hide the higher than average ABV.

The only issue I take with it is that it can often times have a slightly unpleasant aroma that can lower its drinkability.

Overall, it's a good beer and worth a shot if you ever have the chance.

Serving type: on-tap

05-01-2008 21:22:54 | More by sirgeoph

ckeegan04

Texas

3/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Ordered this at a local Mexican restaurant. This place only has a liquor license which meand they can only sell high ABV beers (over 6.2% I believe) so they always have some unique stuff available. Problem is, they know nothing about what they are serving. I was told by the waiter that they had a light colored beer and a dark colored beer. Hoping for an IPA of some sort, I went with the light colored. So I went into this beer having no odea what I was getting.

A - Golden yellowish color with clean white one-finger head. Quickly faded and left almost no lacing. Looked almost pilsnerish in color and head.

S - Very weak aroma. Hints of some sweetness and alcohol.

T - Weak taste as well. Hints of fruity sweetness and alcohol.

M/D - Crisp and light bodied. Went down real easy but didnt have a memorable taste at all.

Still not sure what I drank. Looks like there is speculation of either doppel or barleywine. I didnt get the impression that it was either. A rather dissapointing beer from Abita.

Serving type: on-tap

04-27-2008 14:02:19 | More by ckeegan04

gwong

New York

3.05/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours golden with a thin white head that quickly dissipates.

S: Slight scent of hops but that's all I can detect in the nose.

T: An off-putting sweetness that's not balanced very well by the hops. I thought it would be hoppier.

M: Light body with a good amount of carbonation to keep it easy on the palate.

D: It doesn't seem to be very high in ABV and it has decent mouthfeel but the taste is just not right. I won't be having another one.

Serving type: growler

03-21-2008 05:53:29 | More by gwong

micahgoldfus

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served to me as clear, orange-ish, with a 1-finger head. The smell was faint, but pleasant. I could get plenty of sweet smells, sugar and fruit. It almost smelled like apple juice. I found the the taste to be complex, but light on the tongue and subtle. There was definately the fruit and sugar, but it also had some floral and grassy hops and a slight presence of the malts. The beer finished with a tiny bitter buzz that still left the palate wet. Amazingly, even though the overall taste was quite subtle, I could taste no trace of alcohol in this 8% beverage: very impressive. The beer was well carbonated with a thin mouthfeel. Overall, I was quite pleased with this beer. It was refreshing, like drinking a tall, cool glass of well-flavored water. It was as thin and easy to drink as a session beer, but it quickly leaves you lightheaded.

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2007 21:45:10 | More by micahgoldfus

dteal1

Louisiana

3.4/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had it on tap at the Chimes. Nice light gold color with not much of a head. Smell was flowery and sweet. Taste was malty and finished salty. Almost overpowering taste that got better as I drank more. Mouthfeel was nice, not too runny, not to thick. A nice drinking beer. I will definitely have another.

Serving type: on-tap

10-22-2007 16:14:49 | More by dteal1

dnichols

Washington

4.03/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I enjoyed this fine beer at a blues and brews festival.

A: It poured bright yellowish-blond and generated a very modest white head that didn't linger very long.

S: There was a hint of caramel from the malts but otherwise the aroma was unremarkable.

T: It was sugary sweet on the front end then a zesty spice hit followed by a warm sweetness on the back side. The beer packs a punch but the alochol is well hidden.

M: Light to medium bodied with a kick from the heavy carbonation and slight dryness from the alcohol.

D: This is a very refreshing beer that is easy to drink. It sneaks up on you given its somewhat punchy ABV which is well hidden.

Comment: A solid beer that I would enjoy trying again. To date I believe it is only available in kegs....I hope Abita bottles this little gem. I do agree that I would not class it as a doppelbock. It has characteristics of a Belgium pale ale.

Serving type: on-tap

09-19-2007 18:40:26 | More by dnichols

biggmike

Mississippi

3.43/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had on draft at the Brewpub in Abita Springs, LA. Abita calls this a barleywine and not a doppelbock that it is listed as on this site. Nice smooth taste and dry finish. Seemed to hide its alcohol content very well. Not the best Abita beer that I've had, wouldnt go out of my way to seek it out, but not bad.

Serving type: on-tap

07-19-2007 09:29:37 | More by biggmike

Beerbuddha

Louisiana

3.5/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had it poured into my Abita growler at the Abita Brewpub in Abita Springs, LA. They list it as a barleywine.

Appearance- dark golden, very carbonated with white head.

Smell- slight earthy smell with smell of hops and yeast.

Taste- earthy, strong alcohol taste, dry

Mouthfeel- High carbonation with light body.

Drinkability- It wasn't bad. I guess it doesn't travel well after reading the other reviews.

Serving type: growler

07-15-2007 15:12:18 | More by Beerbuddha

goochpunch

Texas

2.03/5  rDev -42.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Came to me on tap from the Greenroom (formerly Froggy's [RIP]) in a translucent plastic cup. Lights were kind of low, but it poured a sickly malt liquorish brassed-orange body with no head. Nose is all grain, sugar and alcohol. There is some weird estery thing going on too. The nose is really the same in the flavor here, but the sweetness ended up being much worse than I had expected. The phenols or esters or whatever the hell was going on with this beer come out way too much also. Lots of medicinal alcohol. Mouthfeel is slick, syrupy, prickly, and tongue-coating. I finished the cup, but only because I'm cheap.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2007 08:13:39 | More by goochpunch

barefootbrewer

Mississippi

3.1/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured a a clear straw color with a quickly diminishing head. The smell is sweet and a bit floral. The taste is sweet and floral. It is very well balanced. The mouthfeel is smooth and full but not heavy. These characteristics hide the hight alcohol content of this beer – which is very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2006 21:46:51 | More by barefootbrewer

oberon

North Carolina

2.63/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

First off this is not a doppelbock in any way shape or form not even close its a strong malt liquor beer that will kick you in the teeth.Poured a dull light golden with a thinner white head that doesnt last to long,whoo the alcohol is there in the nose for sure along with some toasted malt but the sweet alcohol is more prevelant than anything.Just not in to the flavors of this malt licka starts out pretty sweet the somewhat watery mouthfeel does not hold up to the big sweetness at the start of this beer melding into a grainy,alcoholic burn into the finish.Eh the flavors are just to wicked for me to sweet and to much of a burn,I guess for malt licka its ok but I stay away from that shite.

Serving type: on-tap

07-08-2006 21:51:49 | More by oberon

guinness33

New Jersey

3.35/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Why this is listed as a doppelbock is beyond me, as I felt it was moreso a Bock or even a bit like a stronger Marzen at times. It seems most others have been confused by this one as well. Hmmm...

Anyway, it pours a slightly oily looking amber colour with a thin head to it that does not stick around for very long.

The aroma is malty but a touch sweet and grassy as well. Hints of alcohol come through here and there but nothing overpowering by any means.

The flavour is similar to the aroma. There's a definite sweetness here, along with maybe a touch of spice and certainly a bit of alcohol once again, although it doesn't come out bold enough in order to force you to make this one a sipper, so beware. Malt is again the backbone and is the mainstay throughout. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and a touch slick.

As mentioned this one is easy to drink, it's just not overly drinkable. It's not bad, but it just can't decide what it wants to be or where it wants to go.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2006 21:10:47 | More by guinness33

AChamberlain

Texas

3.7/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The wife and I visited Bierkraft on a little fact-finding mission this evening. We have been there a few times. Tonight we decided to go for a growler, or jug o' beer as I like to call it. Right now they are offering six (maybe nine?) beers on tap. In the end we went with the Andy Gator.

The taste is very sweet and sparkly in the mouth. From what I've read (and feel) the alcohol content is quite high, but there is no strong alcohol flavor. Malty, fruity, nutty, honey is what I taste.

It poured softly and had a beautiful golden hue.

Recommended.

Serving type: growler

06-10-2006 01:01:51 | More by AChamberlain

Brent

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Not sure why this is listed as retired - I had it on tap at a place in Destin, FL. Also not sure why it is listed as a doppel - if anything it is a bock. Poured a amber-chestnut with nominal head. Mildly malty and nutty, with some sugary notes wafting in toward the end. Alcohol added a touch of pepper, but overall the beer was wanting in the flavor department - needed some punch somewhere in the flavor profile that never came through.

Serving type: on-tap

10-18-2005 13:31:51 | More by Brent

Gagnonsux

Texas

3.48/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer is listed on BA as a dopple, above the bar at the Abita Brewpub as a barleywine, and in the Abita Brewpub's menu as a "continental malt liquor". So really what is this? Served in a small chalice. The color is light golden, head is very small. The aroma is sweet and beery. Pretty much a richer version of the smell in a standard malt liquor. The taste is most reminiscent of a malt liquor, I really can't see this being classified as a barley wine or a dopplebock. A flavorful light malt taste is backed by subtle hops. A mild taste of alcohol is in the finish. Basically, I'd consider this a craft beer version of malt liquor. I'd drink this again, but Abita has plenty of beers I'd rather have.

Serving type: on-tap

05-03-2005 17:36:21 | More by Gagnonsux

aracauna

Georgia

3.18/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Surprisingly pale gold with not a lot of head at all. A faint bit of apples in the aroma and a bit of sweetened straw malt. The flavor is low on bitterness, lightly sweet with a little malt character and that apple flavor. It’s really a boring beer and far from the best doppelbocks available.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2004 22:22:24 | More by aracauna

schoolcb

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I had this on tap at the Abita Brew Pub in Abita springs. The bar wench called this a barleywine, but by appearances and taste I would say it's closer in style to a Strong Belgian Ale. It's not a bad beer, but when you have your mouth set on Barleywine, it's a shock when you take your first drink.

Serving type: on-tap

05-02-2004 00:32:17 | More by schoolcb

far333

Connecticut

2.4/5  rDev -31.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

This can't be a dopplebock. The bar listed it as a barleywine, but it's barely anything at all. A light honey yellowish color with a fine, light fizzy head that disappears quickly. There is absolutely no aroma, and the flavor is ever so faint. Flavor is mostly sweet apple and pear, a bit of an alcohol sweetness, and some lingering fruit in the finish. That is it. Mouthfeel is thin and watery, a little fizzy tingle in the finish. Pretty disappointing.

Serving type: on-tap

04-22-2004 16:45:38 | More by far333

dansteino

Louisiana

2.9/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Everything about this beer seemed average or below average.

It is lighter in color, smell, and taste than most dopplebocks that I have sampled. The color was gold. The head moderate. The smell sweet with more of a bready nose than a fruit nose and a little smell of alcohol. The beer was heavily sweet in the mouth followed by too much hop bitterness.

Uncomplicated on the nose or palate.

I just was not impressed by this beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2004 07:06:59 | More by dansteino

mschofield

Massachusetts

3.88/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Well carbonated greenish gold. The color is a little off-putting. There was no head at all.
The taste was full and fruity, tropical in the area of pineapple and passion fruit, a little honey, seemed 'green' as if it needed to be aged longer. It is smooth and pretty dry. I didn't notice the high ABV and thought it would be a good session beer, if it's really 11% then the drinkability would be lower that 4.
Light bodied, just approaching medium. Had it on tap at Sunset Grill, looks like all the other reviews are from the brewpub in Louisiana, maybe it's a different version?

It's supposed to be between 8% and 11% ABV

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2003 22:17:36 | More by mschofield

Redrover

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this one on tap while in New Orleans. It was poured with virtually no head, just a touch of lace. Color was a metallic yellow/gold. Beer smelled of some grain, a bit of hops and malt and a clear note of alcohol (not harsh).

Taste was decent. Definite sweetness, but some pricks of hops. Considering the strong alcohol (my server told me 10%) the brewer did a good job of masking it. Taste did not diminish as it warmed. Went well with the oysters and shrimp I was having.

Very smooth mouthfeel which is again a testimony to the brewer. Nice beer and much better than most offerings in the Crescent City.

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2003 00:13:13 | More by Redrover