Beer Review: Abbra Collabra 6 Way Banana Split Milkshake IPA (Tattered Flag)
Planned a quick stop at the Tattered Flag brewery to pick up my four pack of the “Custardy” (beer review soon coming), and lo and behold I found this on draft. Having wanted to try this, and unfortunately not getting to try it in cans I had to settle for it on draft (due note: “settle” is being used facetiously).
Tattered Flag has teamed up with several local (Central PA local) breweries to produce quite a few Abbra Collabra’s. Some of these breweries include: Wolf Brewing Co, Collusion Tap Works, Snitz Creek, Pilger Ruh Brewing, Abomination Brewing Company, Rotunda Brewing Company, as well as a brewery out in Denver Colorado.
This time they teamed up again with Wolf Brewing, as well as Pilger Ruh Brewing, Snitz Creek, Rotunda, and Abomination to release a six-way Abbra Collabra that was sold in cans and on draft at all of their locations (Wolf Brewing Company will soon have their own taproom/brewery, Abomination Brewing is a contact brewer, and Pilger Ruh Brewing is currently in the “soon to be” phase).
All six of these breweries are top notch, and many of which have won awards. Derek Wolf with Wolf Brewing Company has won a homebrewing award in all 50 states, Tattered Flag along with Pilger Ruh Brewing won for their “Should Have Put Him in Custardy” at the Schuylkill Brewfest. Likewise Rotunda, Snitz Creek, and Abomination has gotten numerous recommendations and consistently does well with ratings on Untappd and other services.
And this beer definitely deserves the praise as well. So lets break it down:
Beer Name: Abbra Collabra 6 Way Banana Split Milkshake IPA
Beer Style: IPA – Milkshake
ABV: 7.6%
IBU: No IBU
Untappd Write-Up: 6 way collaboration between Tattered Flag, Pilger Ruh, Abomination, Rotunda, Snitz Creek and Wolf Brewing Co with chocolate, strawberry, banana, vanilla and lactose!
This is certainly a full bodied Milkshake IPA. Distinctive look, appearance, and smoothness from the lactose. The head retains perfectly and the look and styling is spot on for a Milkshake IPA.
The aroma is banana right up front and instantly noticeable. You get the hints of vanilla and strawberry, not much of a chocolate aroma to go with it however, but you do get the faint hints of the strawberry and vanilla that balance out the banana smell and makes it smell like an ice cream parlor’s banana split.
At the very first sip you are blasted with a mouthful of the banana, vanilla, and lactose. Its smooth, its rich, and its full of banana and cream. As you sip and drain this delicious brew you start getting the notes of strawberry that pick up a bit. There is a slight, subtle, muted chocolate that is extremely faint, faint enough to be barely there. The problem with chocolate tends to be if its too strong in a beer, it overpowers most other flavors (coffee is the same way in beer), so I can understand the slight usage of the chocolate and the slight taste for it, if its too much, it’d probably overpower the banana and strawberry. Just the nature of the beast on that one.
I enjoyed this delicious tasty drink at the lower bar at Tattered Flag’s brewery, getting to spend my time chatting with Dave (head brewer) and picking up my four pack of “Should Have Put Him in Custardy” before starting my day at Hershey Park with the family. A nice way to spend fifteen minutes at lunchtime and the Tattered Flag brewery is always such a great venue and place to relax and enjoy a brew.
My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 3.94 (as of 6.14.19)
-B. Kline
