Abita Purple Haze 6Pk

Abita Purple Haze 6Pk is a raspberry wheat lager brewed by Abita Brewing Company in Covington, Louisiana, at 4.2% ABV in 12 oz bottles. What separates this beer from most fruit-forward lagers is Abita's technique of adding real raspberries after filtration, leaving visible raspberry pulp in the glass and delivering a fresh, authentic fruit character that has earned it over 226,000 ratings on Untappd.

Quick Facts: ABV: 4.2%  |  IBU: 13  |  Origin: Covington, Louisiana  |  Style: Raspberry Wheat Lager  |  Brewery: Abita Brewing Company

Production & Heritage

Abita Brewing Company, founded in 1986 in Covington, Louisiana, is one of the South's oldest and largest craft breweries, drawing its brewing water from a deep artesian well in the Abita Springs region. Purple Haze is built on a base of pilsner and wheat malts and hopped with Vanguard hops, giving it a clean, mild bitterness at just 13 IBUs. The defining production step comes after filtration, when whole raspberries are introduced directly into the finished beer — a method that preserves the fruit's brightness and creates the signature purple tint and subtle haze rather than fermenting the fruit sugars away.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Fresh raspberry rises immediately from the glass, followed by light wheat-grain sweetness and a faint floral hop note. The overall impression is fruity and inviting without any cloying artificial quality.

Taste: The entry is tartly sweet with ripe raspberry — some drinkers describe the flavor as closer to blackberry than sharp raspberry. Mid-palate, the mild pilsner and wheat malt base balances the fruit, keeping the sweetness in check. The beer remains exceptionally smooth and light-bodied throughout, with just enough wheat texture to carry the fruit.

Finish: Dry and clean, with the raspberry tartness fading quickly and leaving a crisp, refreshing close. There is very little lingering sweetness, which makes it highly sessionable in warm weather.

How to Drink Purple Haze

Purple Haze drinks best ice-cold, straight from the bottle or poured into a tall wheat beer glass to show off its distinctive purple tint. It also works well as a base for beer cocktails: try a Shandy by mixing it with fresh lemonade for extra citrus tartness; build a Berry Radler by combining it half-and-half with sparkling grapefruit soda; or use it in a Beermosa with chilled orange juice for a brunch-friendly pour that swaps champagne for Louisiana craft beer.

Best For

• Summer cookouts and crawfish boils in hot weather
• Introducing non-beer drinkers to craft beer through an approachable fruit lager
• Tailgating and outdoor festivals where a low-ABV, sessionable beer is ideal
• A Louisiana-themed gift pack alongside Cajun snacks or hot sauce

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Purple Haze taste like? Purple Haze delivers a tartly sweet raspberry flavor balanced by a mild pilsner and wheat malt base, finishing dry and clean with a light body at 4.2% ABV.

How does Purple Haze compare to Founders Rubaeus? Founders Rubaeus is a higher-ABV (5.7%) raspberry ale that leans heavily into intense, jam-like berry sweetness, while Purple Haze uses a lighter lager base and post-filtration raspberry addition for a more subtle, sessionable fruit character. Rubaeus is often cited as the benchmark for bold raspberry beer, whereas Purple Haze prioritizes drinkability and restraint.

Is Purple Haze good for beginners? Its low bitterness (13 IBU), gentle 4.2% ABV, and approachable raspberry sweetness make Purple Haze one of the most beginner-friendly craft beers on the market.

Where is Purple Haze made? Purple Haze is brewed by Abita Brewing Company in Covington, Louisiana, located on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, where the brewery uses naturally filtered artesian well water from the Abita Springs aquifer.

What foods pair well with Purple Haze? Grilled shrimp or crawfish work well, as the raspberry tartness cuts through the richness of shellfish. Light salads with goat cheese and berries echo the fruit notes. Cajun-spiced dishes benefit from the beer's clean, cool sweetness. Lemon-dressed fish tacos match the dry finish, and soft brie or Camembert complement the wheat malt base.

What sizes does Purple Haze come in? Purple Haze is widely available in 6-packs of 12 oz bottles and is also commonly found in 12-packs and on draft at bars and restaurants.

Is Purple Haze worth the price? Purple Haze positions as an affordable, widely distributed craft lager that competes in the entry-level fruit beer tier — it delivers real-fruit character and genuine craft credentials at a price point comparable to mainstream craft six-packs.

Why Purple Haze?

The post-filtration raspberry addition is the key differentiator here — by introducing whole fruit after the beer has already been filtered, Abita preserves a natural tartness and visible fruit presence that breweries using earlier-stage fruit additions often lose to fermentation. The result is one of the longest-running and most recognized fruit lagers in American craft beer, backed by over two decades of consistent production from a brewery that helped define the Southern craft movement. At 4.2% ABV with just 13 IBUs, it occupies a space where sessionability and real fruit flavor coexist without one overwhelming the other. For drinkers who want genuine raspberry character without the heaviness of a fruit ale, Purple Haze remains a reliable benchmark.