Hair of the Dog Blue Dot Imperial IPA

Brewed by Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Portland, Oregon USA

Pours a golden-to-amber color with lots of frothy white head. It’s as if someone shook this up, but it was not. The head just started pouring out of this one. It was a little annoying actually. There was a layer of sediment that flurried up no matter how steady your pour was. The head stayed around for a while, giving off a fruity piney aroma. Really fruity - and you could pick up on this from the first taste. Dank and resinous, this is a very floral, very piney DIPA. One of the better ones I’ve had, despite the exploding foam.

Pours out light copper color with a moderated white head. Aroma is citrus/floral hops. Taste is smooth, nice hop kick but also a good balance of malts. Good lingering floral hop character. Solid brew.

Deep blond color, huge foam, persistent perlage. The aroma is hoppy, dry, resiny, with some malt mellow note. Medium body strength, almost all the flavor comes from the hops; some malt is noticeable later, but the hop oils win all. I’m surprised by the big quantity of yeast in the bottle, that spoils a bit the taste of the last glass. Unbalanced.

2-12-08 bottle
Pours a very cloudy thick orange light brown with nice almost white head. Awesome aroma of fruity and tart hops. Has a great hops flavor that is quite citris-like. Palate is smooth and creamy. Very well done. Not what I imagine when I drink an Imperial IPA, but it was a damn good beer!

Pours a murky dark golden with a small off-white head. Citrus aroma. Very astringent flavor of hops. Alcohol is present but doesn’t overpower the hops. Medium bodied soft carbonation. Awesome Double IPA.

Pours the color of honey with very little head, which doesn’t last. Cloudy from the sediment, but a lovely bright orange color, still. Smell is mild for the style somewhat, but a still nicely hoppy in the form of orange and grapefruit citrusy character. Taste is much the same flavors of orange and grapefruit but sharply and well bittered to match. Exceptionally clean flavor, crisp and the alcohol doesn’t get in the way either. Medium bodied, with soft carbonation and quite refreshing and pretty tasty and drinkable. This is the first HOTD beer I’ve really loved, after having tried "Ruth" and "Doggie Claws" too.

Whoa on the amazingly astringent and drying grapefruit! I love it - a smack in the face! But it is, sadly, a bit one dimensional. Still excellent heft to the body, great color. Seems stronger than 7%. A weird one. Like a jazzed up Founders Harvest. Malt? What malt? ;)

Hazy golden with large head. Hoppy aroma with fruity notes. Very hoppy flavor with fruity notes, grapefruit being dominant. Finishes bitter.