Abita Strawberry Lager

I don't know why the beer store had a few different strawberry-themed beers, but I think I picked up three different ones. The one I had yesterday was a very different beer, as it was an IPA with lactose and effectively was a dessert beer with higher alcohol content. This is a lager, which, at 4.2% ABV, is in the area of an easily drunk mainstream beer that now has strawberry, for some reason.

The beer isn't red at all. I really expected to see a reddish beverage, but this one is an almost completely clear gold with a head that erupts nicely when poured and very small tendrils of lacing come up from the medium bubbles that press against the sides of the glass. The aroma is a little fruity, but I am not even sure I could pick this out as being strawberry. Instead, the barley in the malt seems to stand out more.

First sip is where the strawberry was hiding. It isn't strident, but it is clamped onto the end of the sip with a mellowing of the grains and yeast that I find quite delightful. The sip feels like it would be refreshing, as lagers are known for, but the strawberry seems to add a dryness to the finish that builds character.

Tip-in is light carbonation sizzle with surprising strawberries and the barley malt. The middle sends the sizzle to the roof of the mouth while the taste seems to thin out quite a bit. The finish is slight bitterness with the strawberries reasserting themselves until the dryness catches on and a whiff of yeast flies past.

Bottom Line: Enjoyable, but not something I'm likely returning to soon.

2.25/5