Turbodog - Abita Brewing Co.

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Stouty for a brown, and too chocolately. Very malted milk and drinkable at the end of a humid day. Me Ovaltine. Not too sweet, but the chocolate malt overwhelms brown character. Nicely hopped and somewhat bitter finish. Interesting and satisfying. Medium mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2005 03:53:11 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

2.88/5  rDev -21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Sitting on the coaster, it's simple dark brown with red-orange highlights (Shoeshine Boy). When held up to the late afternoon sunlight, it becomes a fantastic shade of polished black cherry (Underdog). Okay, so maybe you prefer Clark Kent and Superman, but I wanted to stay with the dog theme. The head is a humdinger as well; creamystiff golden ecru with rockiness to spare. Turbo Dog has a great look if you have sunshine handy, and is pretty decent even if you don't. A lack of lace is the only downer.

The nose is par for the brown ale course and isn't quite the equal of the appearance. It smells more like dark caramel and toasted nuts than it does of roasted malt, chocolate, etc. In other words, the aroma doesn't have designs on porter territory like some browns do. I'm okay with the fact that there's very little hoppiness.

Feh. This one has to be classified as a letdown. There's a shortage of flavor and a way too light body. The Dog needs a significant infusion of malt. Then, and only then, will I be able to take it seriously. I can appreciate caramel and chocolate flavors, but there's so little substance that it seems as if malt extract was used rather than barley.

The nutty flavor is a little harsh, as if pecans were toasted too long and started to char. There's also a little bitter hoppiness that wouldn't be nearly as noticeable if the malt content was adequate. Brown ales should be malt-dominant, shouldn't they? All kinds of mildy unpleasant flavors are permitted to have their say because of the grain shortage.

The flavor profile sorts itself out a little better on the finish, but it's too little, too late. The body is as thin as an anorexic chihuahua (dog theme again) and the relative lack of carbonation contributes to the lackluster mouthfeel, keeping this beer solidly in the 'below average' category.

I had heard good things about Turbo Dog. Even though I haven't been impressed with Abita beer in the past, I was willing to believe that this was their flagship, their pride and joy, and was therefore a cut above. Then I drank this bottle. Far from a snarling, vicious hellhound, it's more of a toothless old pooch. I'm still waiting to be impressed Abita. What else you got?

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2005 23:45:53 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Now I have to admit I was not sure what to expect going into this as I had stared at it on the shelf for years but never really gave it a try. Had no inclination as to what kind of style it was, so I was essentially flying blind into this one. Poured a nice deep hazelnut brown with a very fluffy and frothy off white colored head that grew to a height of around two inches or so. A gradual fade left behind some nice side glass lace as well as a touch of frothy stuff over the top. It was somewhat cloudy, obscuring most of the view of the interior. Smell was interesting. I definitely picked up a hop presence, some touches of orange and grapefruit, however they were very light and were mostly overpowered by a sugary caramel aroma. Lots of malt here with even a slightly noticeable roasted nut aroma. The taste followed suit nicely for a light brown ale. Main backbone consisted of earthy grain type flavors that were lightened up with a healthy dose of sugar. There was definitely some nice hops added in as there was a good little bite to it in the front and it gave a nice long drawn out finish. Great feel as there was more then ample carbonation in this one and it hung around until the very end. No slickness and a good medium to light body. An excellent session ale, it was neither overpowering nor too light to be noticed. Overall I actually thought this was rather nice. It was pretty much a nice normal light brown ale that had some hops thrown in for balance only, but stayed pretty much true to its roots. This was an excellent little brew and I would surely have one again. Would probably be top notch on tap and I will need to find that out one day. But definitely a good call and one you should try.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2007 02:42:42 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.1/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

G: Poured into a pint glass.

A: Dark brown with some copper/red color mixed in. Plenty of head.

S: Mostly typical of the style, although there are more toasty/roasted flavors than would be typical.

T: Too much chocolate, and not enough of the classic "brown" flavor--quite different than what I was expecting.

M: Medium body with plenty of carbonation.

D: This is where this one really suffers. Just not something I'd like to have more than one of, although it does have some fine points.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2009 22:13:54 | More by Thorpe429

UCLABrewN84

California

3.7/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle into a nonic pint glass.

A - Pours a deep dark brown with a 2 inch beige head that lasts for the entire beer. Lacing is fair as beer as drunk down.

S - Smells like toasty earth and sweet malts.

T - Very clean chocolate malt flavors with very minor bitterness.

M - Creamy and bubbly mouthfeel but nothing special.

D - Very enjoyable and drinkable beer. I was not too sure what I would be getting with this beer, but I was pleasantly surprised. I would definitely purchase this one again.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2010 05:04:31 | More by UCLABrewN84

brentk56

North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a clear, but very dark brown that makes the brew look almost like a porter; the tan head is sturdy and leaves a few shards and dashes of lace

Smell: Very meaty, with dark bread, roasted chocolate and fig elements

Taste: Starts out with a caramel, fruit and chocolate aspect where the fig and unsweetened chocolate mix with toasted, almost burnt, black bread flavors; there is some butter in there, too; after the swallow, the flavors emerge in a heightened fashion

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: This is a very different tasting brown and I wanted to like it better than I ultimately did

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2009 23:43:55 | More by brentk56

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.23/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a clear deep brown with a respectable amount of biege-colored head and just the tini-iniest amount of lacing.

Smell: Largely malty, accentuated by a light chocolateliness, but with a bit of a musty aroma in there as well. But without further ado, let's move onto the important stuff:

Taste: After a headmost zap of fizziness, I tasted a sweet toffee, chocolate malt flavor, and roasted grains complimented by an inviting nuttiness. A minor bitter hop presence adds to a dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Moderately carbonated, letting the beer come across as "soda-like". Unfortunately, it goes beyond just simply being mild and ends up being a bit flaccid.

Drinkability: While this brew ended up being merely "good", it was a bit of a letdown, though I appreciated the effort.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2005 07:29:08 | More by ChainGangGuy

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle: Poured a deep brown color ale with a huge off-white foamy head with better then average retention. Aroma of chocolate malt is quite distinctive and very pleasant. Taste is also dominated by roasted malt with some chocolate note and a slightly bitter finish. Overall, this is probably better then 90% of brown ale out there but it is still a brown ale which just doesn’t get me excited.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2006 14:28:11 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Probably the best beer that Abita makes. It's a medium brown hue with promising head retention. Aromas are lightly malty, toasty, nutty, and caramelly. Though flavors are modest, they are clean and of same characteristics in the nose. The beer waters significantly into the body and finish. It looses the creaminess and maltiness. Finishes a tacky sweet and a little less than clean. Though not great, it's fair.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2006 00:49:22 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -7.9%
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.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2002 14:16:33 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Deep ruby brown in color with a creamy light tan head. Even with a rough pour the head won't come up much, but it will hold fairly well once it's there leaving a thin surface covering throughout the glass. The aroma is lightly chocolatey and toffee-ish with some minor grassy hops. The body is medium/light with a fine, moderate carbonation that caresses the tongue. The flavor follows the aroma with a chocolate and toffee-like maltiness balanced by a mild bitterness and light grassy hop flavor. It finishes semi-dry with a lingering hop bitterness and some more roasty cocoa notes.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2002 20:01:32 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Man, I haven't had this since my Passport at Chumley's back in my Purdue days. I wonder how I'll receive it now? It pours a mostly clear dark brown topped by a finger of cream-white foam. The nose comprises caramel, toffee, biscuit, grass, and light flowers. The taste starts out with a mild combo of toffee and biscuits, then strikes hard and fast with stronger-than-before grass, flowers, orange peel, and cedar. It's all a bit much, with the nicer malts getting drowned out by a blunt herbal bitterness. But, in its defense, things never get truly out of hand. The body is a very light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a pretty dry finish. Overall, a nice little brown, not necessarily something I would readily reach for, but also not something I would cringe at if offered me.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2011 14:56:27 | More by TMoney2591

metter98

New York

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: The beer poured very dark brown in color with a finger-sized tan head that quickly fades away. A moderate amount of carbonation is visible.
S: There are light aromas of chocolately and nutty malts in the nose.
T: Like the smell, there are lots of malty flavors in the taste with notes of chocolate, coffee and toffee. There is very little bitterness from the hops, if any.
M: It feels light-bodied and watery on the palate.
D: Drinking this beer is a breeze and it's very sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2010 23:36:55 | More by metter98

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thoroughly brown body, with crimson side, slim tannish head.

Sweet, caramel malty nose, nuts aplenty.

Toasty malt, dry, muted sweetness in the taste, very clean, supple, easy to drink. More nutty and mineral-y than caramel sweet. Light cocoa traces.

Remarkably simple. Nothing wrong with that.

Medium body, highly carbonated, very even-handed, just a straight-forward session-er. I like a richer taste and mouthfeel in a brown ale, personally, but I can see how this would please less demanding palates.

EDIT: this got better as the glass emptied...perhaps I had it too cold? I kicked the numbers up a touch to reflect this.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2005 01:52:59 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

3.8/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark brown color with a thick off-white head. The aroma is decent. It is full of roasted and crystal malts. It has a deep, rich, almost porter like scent. The taste is good. It has a smooth, dark flavor with a dry finish. It boasts of roasted, even black malts. The mouthfeel sucks like most of their beers. It is a medium/full bodied beer with too much carbonation. This is a good drinker, but the CO2 needs to be reduced.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2004 03:28:01 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a bottle into my Abita Turbodog shaker pint glass. Part of my glassware project. Beer is dark brown to black, relatively clear, carbonation moderate to low. Forms a two fingered tan head that falls back leaving some lacing on the glass. Beer looks fine.

Mild aroma, some sweetness, some malt, some roast. Overall nice.

Beer is medium in body, smooth, slight, really subtle roast in the back. Overall well balanced, drinkability high, good carbonation on the palate, some sweetness in there as well. Second taste, Sweetness first, no real bitterness. Mouthfeel good. I like this beer. Thank you Abita, you have redeemed yourself again.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2010 02:11:28 | More by drabmuh

zeff80

Missouri

3.2/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Poured out a brown color with hints of burgundy. Had a tan, one-finger head.

S - It smelled of toasted malt and nuts. Also, a sweet aroma.

T - It tasted strongly of toasted malt, caramel and nuts. Nice and sweet.

M - It was crisp and smooth. A light to medium-bodied beer.

D - Not a bad brown ale. It doesn't look overly impressive, but it delivers a good taste.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2007 16:18:05 | More by zeff80

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

4.2/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz. bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a dark reddish brown, with a short tan head that fades quickly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The smell is very nutty and very malty.

T: A sweet & bready nut taste is the dominant flavor and is accompanied by caramelized malt, wheat, and a bit of chocolate. There’s a slight touch of hops that begins to come out as the beer warms. Leaves a sweet after-taste.

M: Very smooth, medium-to-heavy body, medium carbonation and due to the maltiness it leaves a stickiness behind.

D: This beer goes down very easily. It’s tasty and smooth, a beer well worth drink a lot of.

Although this style isn’t my favorite, it’s one where I’m rarely disappointed. Overall, I think this is a very good beer and an excellent representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2006 03:18:22 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

2.45/5  rDev -33.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Color is a good transparent brown, with a good malt back bone in the flavor. Some light hops in the mix. TurboDog has a good following I haven't been able to really understand it. I like the fact that Abita's flagship brew is a Brown Ale and not a Lager or Pale Ale. I think that says something for them. I'll need to try this brew again sometime though because the one and only time I had it, I hadn't chilled it fully and it was a little on the warm side yet.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2011 04:34:51 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.08/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours chestnut with a 3 fingers+ tan head. Some head retention & lacing

S: Breadiness, brown sugar & raisins

T: Big time fruittyness & choclate up front, followed by slight peppery hops notes. Slight oaky notes surface as it warms followed by sweet malt & slight alcohol burn. Finishes dry & fruitty with caramel notes

MF: Medium body with good carbonation & balance.

Drinks okay reminds be of new castle brown, but with more flavor! Well worth a try. Haven't had a whole bunch of abita, but this one is my favorite

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2006 01:57:45 | More by russpowell

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a brilliantly clear deep ruby amber color when held up to the light, otherwise a deep amber-brown color. It is topped by a frothy light amber-brown colored head. The aroma is malty with notes of toasted biscuits, chocolate, lightly roasted coffee and sweet toffee. The taste is lightly sweet with a rich maltiness to it that almost has a salty, meaty character to it. There are notes of caramel and toffee here as well as a bit of chocolate and a light roasted astringency in the finish. This is by far the most flavorful beer that I have had from Abita. This beer is definitely focused on the malt, but there is a nice light bitterness in the finish plus some light hoppy flavor notes that remind me of fresh cut herbs and flowers.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2005 04:36:56 | More by Gueuzedude

Halcyondays

California

3.48/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a very dark brown, you could mistake this for stout from afar, with a thick tan head, with better than average retention, limited sticky lacing.

S: Roast, toast, baked sugar, molasses and caramel.

T: A bite of burnt toast and sugar hits first, quite bitter actually, with a bit of hop bitterness mixed in, which evolves or devolves into caramel sugar ending. This beer is more subtle than other American made browns that I have had before, but I enjoy its subtle character.

M: OK, except I think the carbonation takes up too much of the mouthfeel causing an overall feel that is kind of hollow in flavour.

D: A nice drinkable brown, sort of a nice introduction to the style, a beer that would pair nicely with a freshly cooked steak.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2008 01:20:47 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

3.05/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

The bottle sports the new look black label with light grey wheat stems with a simple Abita Turbodog in block letters. Pours a dark brown color with burgandy tones. A nice 1" tan colored creamy head. Some lacing. The aroma is of roasted malt with a very burnt tone. The taste is of heavy roasted malt with mild burnt coffee and wisps of chocolate are detectable. Definitely unbalanced. This seems to want to be a porter instead of a brown ale but it is somewhere inbetween.

The mouthfeel is smooth with some crispness. The aftertaste is of roasted malts and burnt coffee and it lasts forever. I can't see drinking more than one of these in a sitting. Burnt flavor just too overpowering for a brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2004 23:43:30 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours dark brown with a thin, off-white head that descends to a thin, lasting patch that almost covers the top. Some lacing sticks to glass.

The smell if of dark, chocolatey, toffeeish malt with some nuttiness (hazelnut?)

The taste is of toffee and chocolate. Sweetness controlled by earthy, bitter hops, though it remains sweet in character until the finish, with a nutty and hoppy snap.

Smooth in a medium body. Fairly creamy.

Tasty and what I thought was "sessionable" until I saw the abv level (which is obviously well-hidden.) A solid example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2007 21:55:57 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Got a bottle at the Allentown Brew Works.

Grape juice, this beer tastes like grape juice. Not entirely, but that's the dominant flavor. I checked the label to see if maybe this beer was past the best-by, but the date markings on the edge of the label were unnotched. Oh well. In addition to the Concorde grapes, there's also a dry cocoa flavor, so really this beer tastes like Welch's grape juice with Nestle Quik.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2008 22:03:16 | More by tempest