Hair of the Dog Blue Dot Imperial IPA

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

My rating is a little low because the beer was over-carbonated. That is to say, upon opening the bottle forth began overflowing the rim of the glass. It did not slow down until I decided to throw out the rest of the bottle. It also tasted a little "off". I’m going to chalk it up to a bad beer, and will update my rating next time I buy a bottle.

From a lost rating found in my notes. Citrus, hops, pine, some grass in the flavors. Interesting and refreshing. Tasty.

22oz Bottle. Low fill. Pungent, hop heavy nose fresh with citrus, pine, and flowers. Very orangey. Nice. Pours an almost milky orange, with a thin rim of white. Flavor has a stronger catty, piney sugars. Prickly. A little pear and cactus. Spicy. A very good cross-section of hop character. Ends on a lightly sweet passionfruit note. Crispy. This is an elegant, complex and delightful Double. Continued excellent work!

Fall 08 vintage bomber, thanks lithy! Hazy orange with a lasting head of carwash suds. Aroma of pine resin, citrus and slight metal and plastic. Light-medium body is a little thin for my tastes in a DIPA. Mostly smooth, but flares up with carbonation a bit too many times in the finish. Flavor is big with resin, peppery rye, lemon zest and some slight caramel. Good, but many better DIPAs abound.

[Bottle] shared by KAF. Pours a cloudy gold with a medium beige head. Aroma is a bit plasticy with some grassy hops. Flavor is dry hoppiness, citrus, and more of that plastic flavor. Bitter finish. I was really hoping for more from this beer - maybe it didn’t travel well and was old. I’ll have to seek out a fresher bottle of this.

Bottle: Dark, dusty straw/golden color with a large off-white head. Thick sheets of clumpy lacing. Nose is a dry floral hoppyness with light citrus. Flavor is fruity of citrus and mango into a full-on intense hop whallop. Tons of florals come through to dominate with very little sweetness. Lingering bitters, but not overly bitter. Just pure hop dominance. The tip of my tongue feels like it was scalded by the hop massacre. And I loved every bit of it!

Hazy amber with a two finger foamy white head. Good amount of lacings. Aroma is piney resinous hops. Taste is bitter piney hops with a strong malt presence. Fairly well balanced for a DIPA. Mouthfeel is good with medium carbonation. A nice dry bitter finish. Kudos to HOTD for making a DIPA with a 7%abv. Very drinkable for the style.

Poured from a 22oz bomber (Fall 2008 Bottle) and served in a tulip. This beer poured a hazy orange with a thin, lasting cap of beige foam. Decent lacing. The aroma included candied oranges, spicy rye, and grapefruit. Earthy and hoppy. The flavor included bitter orange and grapefruit. Citrusy and herbal hop profile. A nice malt backbone of caramel and a light rye spiciness lies underneath the hops. The mouthfeel was medium to full-bodied and lush. Moderate, soft carbonation. A nice change of pace from your everyday DIPA. The rye adds another interesting layer of flavor. Really tasty!