Have you ever had Abita Purple Haze? It’s a wonderfully refreshing fruit beer that isn’t too sweet, perfect for the hot sticky weather in the south. If you’ve never tried it you really should; just put away your preconceptions, order up a pint and enjoy. If you have enjoyed Purple Haze in the past, then do I have good news for you!! Abita has a specialty version of Purple Haze out there. It’s called Abita Triple Haze, and it’s a bigger, badder version of the classic Purple Haze.

Now for the bad news: Triple Haze is a limited run, draft only brew, part of the Abita Select series of beers. I enjoyed it at Taco Mac the other night before it was gone, and if you see it on tap in your area, I would suggest getting there before they sell out, too. Here’s what Abita says about the beer on their website:

Triple Haze is a take on one of our most popular year round offerings, Purple Haze. It is a strong golden lager made with malted barley and wheat. It is hopped with German Perle hops to give the beer a delicate hop flavor. After the beer is filtered, a generous amount of fresh raspberry puree is added. This gives the beer a tarly sweet taste and aroma as well as a bright purple color and haze.

Abita Triple Haze has an alcohol content of 8% by volume, almost twice that of Purple Haze’s 4.2%. It has 22 IBUs and I paid $6 for a full 20-ounce pour.

My mug of Abita Triple Haze arrived cloudy and light purple in color with a moderate sized head of foam. A sniff revealed a nose packed with fresh tart berry flavor; a sip offered a firm, chewy maltiness in the body while still preserving the tartness of the wheat. Then the fruit hits. Abita Triple Haze is just exploding with tart, fresh raspberry flavor and then finishes out with a balancing bitterness and alcohol warmth.

All in all, I was very impressed with the delicious raspberry fruit here in a bigger bolder beer, all the while not becoming cloying or sweet. This was easy to drink, perhaps too easy in fact, and a beer I hope Abita offers again. Kudos too to Abita for not ponying this one up in a smaller keg and whacking us with an 11 ounce short pour.



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