Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager

Tasted 5/26/08. 12oz bottle. Filtered with a golden hue. Pleasant strawberry nose. Wafting. Touch grainy undertone. Light bodied and crisp. Pleasantly fruity. Mildly sticky. Tangy with mild effervescence. Well crafted and truly enjoyable. Hello Ladies.

I was quite hot and tired when sampled this and the strawberry is not in the background, but doesn’t overwhelm the larger flavor. Only problems are I find larger rather boring, especially medocre larger, like this, and I’m not real keen on strawberries either. Still I admire this bid and have no regrets trying it.

The beer is topped by a two-finger thick, pale off-white colored head that sits on top of a clear, gold colored brew. The aroma smells distinctly of strawberry syrup, with even a touch of vanilla. Nothing else is really noticeable in the aroma, though there is a touch of butterscotch, which might just be a product of the strawberries.

The flavor is fairly dry and non-descript until the strawberry flavor kicks in. This tastes of strawberries quit strongly, but it is more an oral-nasal component than an actual flavor. The strawberries contribute a mix of vanilla, light butterscotch and of course that strawberry signature. There is a soft sweetness to the finish that is quite light, the sweetness itself seems to be accented by the fruity, strawberry character. Perhaps a touch of thin malt character is noticeable underneath the strawberry, but, other than the spritzy carbonation, this is purely strawberry driven. There is no real beer character here at all. This is very light and quaffable.

Almost not beer because it is so one-dimensionally strawberry driven. Having said that, the strawberries have been used quite well here. The beer base is quite clean allowing the fresh, clean strawberry character to come out shining. I didn’t dislike this nearly as much as I was expecting & I really like that this has hardly any sweetness to it at all (it really could have been a cloying mess otherwise). If I was a big strawberry fan, I would have enjoyed this a bit more, it seems to be one of the better, bland fruit dominated beers out there.

Purchased: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp?PlaceID=698>Plaza Liquors, Tucson AZ

Bottle, Market Street in Allen, TX. Sold a single. Poured a light gold with light head, decient retention. Aroma of light strawberries, flavor of light strawberies, very similar to a strawberry malt with very light sweetness, very light. Mouthfeel is crisp and refreshing, the flavor alone almost gives it creamy light texture, possibly from a placebo effect....Over all, it was a nice lager to have......I think the wife likes it too......Nothing outstanding, but nice.

I recommend adding a 1/4 to 1/2 of a strawberry with it. I’m not usually a fan of adding fruit to beer, but it brings the strawberry taste through even more. Without adding a slice you have a decent beer with a average strawberry aftertaste.

Bottle, thanks deepsouth!! Pours a gold color with a big white head. Aroma is strawberries right way. Flavor is some strawberries, honey and light malt. No hops to speak of. Good on a hot day.

Bottle courtesy of deepsouth! Pours a light golden color with a thick white head that dissipates very quickly. Has a nice strawberry aroma with a hint of malt. Has a lot of carbonation and a light mouthfeel. Taste is light and crisp with the right amount of strawberries. Finish is light caramel malt blended with strawberry flavor. Overall not a bad brew. I gave this one to my wife who said it was very good.

Okay - maybe my rating is skewed by the fact that I didn’t realize it was a Strawberry Lager until after a few sips and then read the lable. I I’m normally not a "fruit" beer drinker but the Strawberry flavor was not overpowering, the beer was slightly hoppy and not too sweet. It was definitely something different.