Dog & Pony Imperial IPA

Brewed by Maritime Pacific Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Seattle, Washington USA

(Draught) Sampled at the Dog & Pony in Renton, WA, on October 19, 2007. Clear gold body with a thin white foam lid. Nose is pure vanilla, butter. Flavour is very bitter with a strong hoppiness mixing with a tart malted base. Average.

Draft at the Dog and Pony. Big, earthy, tobacco-y IIPA. Medium brown, clear, with a towering whitish head. Lots of dark, earthy, tobacco notes on the nose and again on the palate. Full bodied but not heavy or cloying. Medium carb. Has to be some Simcoe in there, there’s that tangy tropical fruit, but then there’s that darkness that keeps swirling around, the earth and the tobacco. This is a bit of a twist compared to the other "new ideas" in IIPAs that have been on offer this summer.

On tap at the Dog and Pony in Renton. A stellar house beer brewed for them by Maritime Pacific. Pours a clear copper with a substantial off-white head – the bartender had her hands full trying to fill the glass with beer. Full body with medium carbonation. The full IIPA character that I love: grapefruit and pineapple over pine, with a full malty backbone to hold it up, and a bit for my sweet tooth.