.jpg)
It is with trepidation that I uncapped this bottle. Whenever I saw it on the shelf, I saw the name Abita, and I vaguely remembered them not having a particularly good track record. That said, "Fluffer Nutter" is enough to make me want to ignore that and try out a weird-ass beer. However, as I was trying to pick out a glass for this beer, I realized it was a white stout. I wound up using my regular Stout glass, but I don't think it's going to show it off particularly well. More importantly, white stouts have not gotten particularly good ratings on my site, as they tend to be very coffee heavy, paradoxically. Let's hope I don't get any coffee, as I don't see any in the description written on the back.
The pour is a medium wheat color that gets lighter at the bottom of this glass, despite the fact that this glass does not thin out a whole bunch. The head is completely reasonable, but it's not particularly sticky, and it won't be leaving much lacing. The aroma is vague peanuts with vanilla and sweetness. I may be biased, as I recently had some very good peanut butter whiskey, but this is not particularly peanut buttery. I anticipate the fluffer part of the nutter should really add a lot of substance to the beverage.
First sip is more strange than good. I was expecting something very different from regular beer, and this has delivered in that respect. The peanut is emerging with the lactose sugars that bring a lot of sweetness, and vanilla is adding complexity. I'm not sure that the toasted malt is giving the correct impression of marshmallows, however. As a result, what should be a delicious little treat is more of a challenge to the palate and a puzzle to discern. I like tasting beer, and I like trying to find all the little flavors in it, but I'm not sure this is really the way to go. Maybe a full swig will deliver this.
Tip-in is sweet and bitter that is not meshing well with the toasted malt, and the peanut butter is adding more to this than is likely desirable. The middle becomes smooth, as is traditional for any stout using lactose sugars, and the flavors mellow out very nicely to create a river of organized yet and bombastic personalities. The finish brings bitterness that is once again very discordant with the rest of the beverage as the peanut butter latches onto what seems to be a cracker malt in an odd and unsatisfying way.
Bottom Line: I appreciate the effort.
2.0/5
