BREWDOO
Written by: Brandi R. Harkness-Bruce
It happened.
I never thought it would. Honestly, I believed that the appearance of this magical brew last year was a once in a lifetime event. I had been burned so badly by Samuel Adams when they took Infinium from the market. However, a little trust goes a long way, and those Bayou Brewmasters down in Louisiana did not disappoint.
After complaints, blogs, emails and getting other brew connoisseurs together, Abita has rereleased Strawator. I’m not going to take credit in this momentous occasion, but I do want it understood that I have been very vocal about the disappointment I felt when they pulled it so quickly from the market.
Those of you, who have followed my blog, understand my exultation. I got the newsletter from them a few weeks ago, and I made a trip back home to the Gulf Coast. There she sat, so pretty and perfect in the beer cooler at Sidney’s Wine Cellar on Decatur. Instead of a blue beer tap, she lay within the caramel-colored glass that Abita puts all of its bomber beers into. The strawberry doppelbock has overtaken the market in a convenient ‘take-home’ version instead of the exclusive (and almost elusive) ‘keg-only.’ Decorated with an explosion of red that forms a strawberry and the familiar green splashes that normally adorn the Andygator bottles, there is one major difference: Abita changed the name from Strawator to Strawgator. In their newsletter, they said they were listening to their beer fans in the overall change and listing of this brew.
Being a high-gravity beer, they included it in their ‘Big Beer’ series, so for the moment, it’s only available in their 22 ounce bombers. Advertised as half Andygator and half of their Strawberry Harvest Lager, they push it as a dessert beer due to the sweetness the strawberry lends.
Now, I’m not the biggest an of bottled beer, but I bought a case (which, side note here, was a pain in the ass to lug across the French Quarter in 97 degree whether and whatever millionth degree the humidity added to the journey) and brought it back up to the ‘Land of the (beer) Lost’ that is North Carolina.
so let me introduce to you the one and only strawgator:
ABITA STRAWGATOR
Style: Strawberry Doppelbock fusion of Strawberry Harvest and Andygator
About: Golden lager with malted barley and wheat, hopped with German Perles, with Louisiana strawberry juice added after filtration
ABV: 8%
Abita says: Serve beer around 42 degrees and in a pint, gobliet, stein, flute or snifter with desserts or rich cheeses.
Brandi’s thoughts: Now, I’m guessing the difference in taste is coming from how last year, it was straight from the tap and this year, we’re dealing with a bottled product. I can’t emphasize enough the damage the bottling certain beers can do to the overall taste. I’ve been assured by the brewery that the formula is the same as when they released it temporarily to the public in 2013, and noticed that the website has them listed the same as well. When drinking from the bottle, I got a little more sweetness than from the keg, and a slight bite at the finish that I didn’t previously. Definitely a must-have for any true Abita fan, as it doesn’t disappoint. I do recommend a keg over the bottle, and if they could start canning it, it would be the perfect beer. I enjoy Strawgator better than the Strawberry Harvest because the Andygator balances it out enough to take the sugar taste you usually get from this summer favorite. By marrying the two beers, Abita has once again struck gold.










