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I was inspired for Round 4 of my Beer Tasting 2022 project when I saw Abita Turbodog on the shelves in Total Wine. Abita is a brewery in Louisiana, north of New Orleans. The last I recalled seeing more than one variety of their beers on shelves previously was in New Orleans. Do they have a distributor now that regularly ships them to California? I dunno, but I figured while it's here I'll put it in my taste test.
To match up against Turbodog I chose Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter, another beer I've been meaning to (re)try. I've waited until there was something comparable to taste it against. Turbodog is a brown ale, so not directly comparable to a porter, but the categories are close enough to make it an interesting comparison.
Deschutes Brewery is based in Bend, Oregon. Their beers are easy to find on the shelves in big stores here in California. I've been to their tap room/restaurant in Portland and tried a bunch of their beers on tap. I vaguely recall that their porter tasted... too dark... when I tried it years ago. I tend to like porter as a category though, and Black Butte Porter is highly rated by critics, so I figured I should give it another try.
Turbodog is, again, weird to see this far outside of Louisiana. AFAICT they're not that big of a brewery. Even weirder, my first exposure to them was at a small deli in Durham, North Carolina, in 1994. I note the date because the brewery only started in 1986. Eight years after they started a deli 1,000 miles away had one of their beers on tap. Turbodog became my regular order when I met friends there twice a month for our Toastmasters club.
Also weird is that I don't remember Turbodog being a brown ale. The deli we met at wasn't the kind of place that categorized it on their menu. Their other 5-6 taps of beer were the usual American suspects of Bud, Miller, and Coors. And when I first saw it and asked, "What kind of beer is Turbodog?" the proprietor said, "I'll pour you one, and if you don't like it you don't have to pay." Basically, she didn't know. 😅 But based on the taste I concluded it was an amber ale. My recollection from 25 years ago is that it was not as thick or darkly flavored as a brown ale.
So, how do they taste?
I'll start with tasting notes from their websites:
It's serendipitous that I paired these two beers for tasting because their flavors are fairly similar! The porter has a richer taste than the brown ale, but they have the same basic components. Where Turbodog is, say, a 7 on the intensity scale, Black Butte is a 9.
...That doesn't mean I rate the beers 7 and 9 out of 10. I actually prefer Turbodog's less intense flavors. I tasted these beers with pizza. Turbodog paired nicely, delivering richness and all the flavor notes the brewer promises without overpowering the food. Black Butte was like, "I'm'a crush that pizza and you'll taste beeeeer!" I'd reach for Black Butte when I'm in the mood to have a strong, rich beer and nothing else. When I want to chill a bit with a relaxing, rich beer, it's Turbodog.
To match up against Turbodog I chose Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter, another beer I've been meaning to (re)try. I've waited until there was something comparable to taste it against. Turbodog is a brown ale, so not directly comparable to a porter, but the categories are close enough to make it an interesting comparison.
Deschutes Brewery is based in Bend, Oregon. Their beers are easy to find on the shelves in big stores here in California. I've been to their tap room/restaurant in Portland and tried a bunch of their beers on tap. I vaguely recall that their porter tasted... too dark... when I tried it years ago. I tend to like porter as a category though, and Black Butte Porter is highly rated by critics, so I figured I should give it another try.
Turbodog is, again, weird to see this far outside of Louisiana. AFAICT they're not that big of a brewery. Even weirder, my first exposure to them was at a small deli in Durham, North Carolina, in 1994. I note the date because the brewery only started in 1986. Eight years after they started a deli 1,000 miles away had one of their beers on tap. Turbodog became my regular order when I met friends there twice a month for our Toastmasters club.
Also weird is that I don't remember Turbodog being a brown ale. The deli we met at wasn't the kind of place that categorized it on their menu. Their other 5-6 taps of beer were the usual American suspects of Bud, Miller, and Coors. And when I first saw it and asked, "What kind of beer is Turbodog?" the proprietor said, "I'll pour you one, and if you don't like it you don't have to pay." Basically, she didn't know. 😅 But based on the taste I concluded it was an amber ale. My recollection from 25 years ago is that it was not as thick or darkly flavored as a brown ale.
So, how do they taste?
I'll start with tasting notes from their websites:
"Named for iconic Black Butte in Central Oregon, this surprisingly balanced porter has notes of rich chocolate and coffee, a luscious creaminess and roasted finish. No wonder it's America's favorite."
"Turbodog® is a dark brown ale brewed with pale, caramel, and chocolate malts and Willamette hops. This combination gives Turbodog® its rich body and color and a sweet chocolate, toffee-like flavor."
It's serendipitous that I paired these two beers for tasting because their flavors are fairly similar! The porter has a richer taste than the brown ale, but they have the same basic components. Where Turbodog is, say, a 7 on the intensity scale, Black Butte is a 9.
...That doesn't mean I rate the beers 7 and 9 out of 10. I actually prefer Turbodog's less intense flavors. I tasted these beers with pizza. Turbodog paired nicely, delivering richness and all the flavor notes the brewer promises without overpowering the food. Black Butte was like, "I'm'a crush that pizza and you'll taste beeeeer!" I'd reach for Black Butte when I'm in the mood to have a strong, rich beer and nothing else. When I want to chill a bit with a relaxing, rich beer, it's Turbodog.
