Purple Haze - Abita Brewing Co.

    Purple Haze is a Fruit Beer brewed by Abita Brewing Co. which is located in Abita Springs, Louisiana. Purple Haze starts out as a Wheat Beer but has raspberry puree added to the mix once the beer has been through the filtering stage. The beer has an alcohol content of 4.2% ABV, which tells me that the fruit was, indeed, added after fermentation. This beer was graciously donated to Amulets and Ale by Emily Hohman.

    The Fruit Beer pours a hazy red-orange color with a strange thin, bubbly head which quickly dissipates. It is obvious by the sheer number of bubbles which cling to the glass that this will be a highly carbonated beer.

    Shockingly, the raspberry wheat beer smells like raspberries! There is also a slight sour smell to the beer. The scent of wheat lies slightly hidden underneath the fruitiness.

    Purple Haze is light bodied with a high level of carbonation. The beer is very crisp and refreshing.

'Scuse me, while I drink this beer!

    Abita's Fruit Beer's flavor is majorly fruit forward. There is only a small amount of wheat flavor beneath the fruit, though it becomes more pronounced as the beer warms. No hops flavor is present. Surprisingly, Purple Haze is not a super-sweet beer, and instead has more of a dry finish than I would have expected.

    I'm pretty sure that Jimi Hendrix didn't write Purple Haze about this beer, though it very well fits into the song's lyrics. Have too many of these and I could totally see you saying "Purple Haze all in my brain" and "actin' funny but I don't know why"! Have WAY too many, and you might even say the misheard lyrics of "'scuse me, while I kiss this guy!"

    A lot of beer fans hate Fruit Beers. Personally, I really don't have a problem with them as long as they are well crafted. I feel as though Purple Haze is a bit too light on the hops and malt flavors to be an incredibly good Fruit Beer, but it is still surprisingly refreshing. I really think that the brew could be improved with the addition of more wheat flavor.

Amulets and Ale Rating: