It’s been an interesting late Winter / early Spring at the G-LO residence. On March 13, our long overdue kitchen renovation started, which of course means that we’ve been eating nothing but take-out for the past 6 weeks. I adore pizza, burgers, cheesesteaks and Chik-Fil-A as much as the next guy, but after awhile, take-out gets old.

A few days ago, our friends (we’ll call them Mr. and Mrs. Hipster or just “The Hipsters”) took pity on us and invited us to their house for dinner, drinks, and dessert. Under normal circumstances, we would have made something to bring over, but since we’re kitchenless, we instead opted to bring a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie from Springdale Farms and a four pack of Victory Kirsch Gose. Never let it be said that our parents didn’t raise us right!

The Hipsters are well aware of my booze and beer blogging tendencies and know that I’m a bit of a douche when it comes to my adult beverage selections, so while they were putting the Kirsch Gose in the fridge for safe keeping, they pointed out that they had some Bud Light Lime Lime-A-Rita on hand and asked if I’d like to try it. I started shuddering in fear at the thought of drinking this concoction. The Hipsters noticed my trepidation and countered with the ubiquitous, “We dare you to try it!” Once I regained my composure, I responded with a very Barney Stinson-like, “CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!”

After chowing on a burger, hot dog, coleslaw, pasta salad, and baked beans that was washed down with a Victory Kirsch Gose (stay tuned for a full review), I was ready to “man up” and tackle the Lime-A-Rita. Here’s what I thought of it…

Pull up on the tab to open up the 16 ounce can, and the familiar sound of bending aluminum and escaping carbon dioxide was heard. Nothing unusual there. We’re off to a good start!

When it comes to how this stuff looks in a glass, the good people at AB InBev did a fine job of making this look EXACTLY like a Margarita. It’s got that pale yellow-green Margarita color going on, but since this is a beer based beverage, I asked myself, “Where’s the foam?” The answer: it doesn’t exist. It’s like 7-UP and caffeine: Never had it. Never will!

Taking a picture, examining the appearance, and taking a few notes can be a bit time consuming. It was at this point that The Hipsters exclaimed, “You didn’t taste it yet???” My reply, “I’m getting to it!”

Having established that this in fact looked like a Margarita, it was time to let my nose do some work. While that first sniff screamed Margarita (it was chock full of Tequila, lime, and salt aromas), upon closer inspection, it smelled more like a lemon-lime Alka-Seltzer. The old plop plop fizz fizz. My #1 cure for indigestion and hangovers. Good medicine, but is it something I’d want to drink for fun? Let’s find out how it tasted…

This is where the Lime-A-Rita goes off the rails. That first sip was much sweeter than I was expecting thanks to a heavy cane sugar presence. Once you work past that, the lime takes over, but it’s not particularly tart. It was kind of like drinking a lime flavored Sour Patch Kid. At the very end, the lemon-lime Alka-Seltzer vibe comes back coupled with an annoying saltiness and more of that cloying, cane sugar sweetness.

So did I like the Lime-A-Rita? To be completely honest, the first two sips weren’t all that bad, but when I “slowed my roll” and started to really taste the stuff, the flavors became quite annoying (I only had about 4 ounces before eventually drain pouring the remains). This stuff is way off balance. Too sweet. Too salty. Not enough tartness or Tequila-ness. As I said when I reviewed the Skinnygirl Margarita, skip the Lime-A-Rita, go to the liquor store, buy yourself a quality Tequila, a few limes, and a bottle of Cointreau, then make yourself a REAL Margarita. You’ll thank me later.

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Many thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Hipster for the warm hospitality and for the opportunity to review this horrific beverage!