Laughing Dog Crotch Sniffing Bastard

Brewed by Laughing Dog Brewing
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Ponderay, Idaho USA

on tap Bardenay CDA ID Pours a Deep mahoghany color with a decent off-white head and generous lacing. Nose is a light hop and carmely malts. The taste is a smooth malty base with the perfect amount of citrus and earthy hops to finish. Ithis is classic example of an American ESB.

Bomber. Deep reddish-copper with a lasting half-inch of spongy head. Big butterscotch-toffee nose has hints of dried wood. Flavor is amazingly similar with some orange cream and an undercurrent of toasted nutshell, earth, and tea leaf that keeps the big malts well in check. Medium body is mostly smooth with just a few frothy flareups, and very drinkable. This is a great English style premium beer in the tradition of Fullers’ 1845 and vintage ale releases, and maybe should be classified as an English Strong as are the Fullers. Yum.

On tap at Bardenay In CDA, pours a clear deep mahogany amber, great rocky beige head that lasts great lacing and flavor well balenced I enjoyed this one.

Draft 10 oz glass at the brewery; dark reddish amber with a nice laced head. Rounded earthy hop aroma; big malty undertow here. Chewy and hoppy with a big piney aspect. This is a great ESB, much enjoyed after a day in the car, and I love the name! (#2901, 5/17/07)

Sick of the microbrew-yellow lab thing. But what a fine, clean, well-made example of American ESB. [Oh, I just noticed that the official description says "clean". Sorry]. But it is. You have had beers that taste like this before. This isn’t breaking new ground. It’s typical American ESB--a lot like the old Troegs ESB. But it’s made beautifully.

7/15/07 Bomber purchased at Bottleworks.

I love it when a beer comes out of nowhere and knocks my socks off. This one sure did, and then some.

The beer pours a transparent glowing copper brown with nice lacing and a reasonable head, and immediately offers a lovely aroma, driven by toasty malts with caramel and some orchard fruit reminding me of Fullers London Pride. The flavor matches the aroma very well; smooth and again malt-driven, toasty, some light nuttiness, hints of caramel, again that fruit (albeit very much in the background), and of course a lovely hop finish -- a touch grassy as it should be for, maybe a bit metallic on the long side but not out of place for the style - that comes on late but with confidently, rounding the whole matter out just right. The mouthfeel is full but refreshing. The whole thing really works; the rich malts without much sweetness provides a great antidote to the IPA-boredom that can afflict even a serious hophead after enough examples of that style.

There enough going here to make this a beer one can sip and savor, but at the same time I could easily see sitting by the river on summer night and killing a six pack of this. In fact, 22oz down and cellar full of some of the best beers in the world, all I really want is another one of these. That says a lot.

Bravo, Laughing Dog. You guys really nailed it on this one. I’ll return, often. And if this becomes available in 12 oz bottles, I’ve got a new house beer.

12/23/07 After three or four more revisits, the rather astonishing 4.1 for an ESB stands. This is simply an excellent beer, and makes a great everyday after work brew. I love the unique nuttiness that it offers, and I’ve yet to kill a bomber and not want another right away. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it does better when very fresh; the one bottle that I sat on for 3+ months was starting to show signs of decline (but was still very enjoyable).

Clear dark amber/dark orange pour with very softly rising and sparse visible carbonation. A very thin white head is quickly reduced to a veil of wispy bubbles. Coloration and a serene appearance of the liquid is beautiful. The aroma is lightly toasty and full of soft malt, mostly caramel. Molasses is prevalent, fresh, supple and riddled with mild spice and hints of Madagascarian black vanilla. Hops are grassy, lightly floral and have sporadic bursts of astringent perfumes released from under the bitter blanket they’re enveloped in. The fruit notes are primarily orange peel and melon rind with a splash of pumpkin guts, slightly earthy. This has a relaxing and balanced nose, quite inviting. The first sip is marvelous and immediately cements this brewer as a skilled and passionate individual who knows his English-style beers. The classic level of desired carbonation for the style is presented in a nearly flawless format, piling upward and dispersing a fantastic semi-sweet and rustic maltiness across the palate. Bitterness is medium and comforting. Resulting astringency is mild and serves a noble purpose of preventing any notion of cloying flavor while spurring great, refreshing drinkability. The finish is moderately bitter, with a mid-range dose of toasted malt that stretches effortlessly across the expanse of the palate, pine sap, bready malt and caramel lingering. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, lightly syrupy (but that’s of no consequence), very lightly and softly carbonated and as well balanced as I can remember ever encountering in this genre. Just amazing, way to go Laughing Dog!

Bottle… This beer rocks!… Beautiful, clear copper ale with a large, fluffy, off-white head that slowly diminishes to a small, tight crown. The biscuity, malty nose proffers light chocolate and caramel notes. Full-bodied and chewy with moderate carbonation. Lots of delicious, gooey caramel and a dab of milk chocolate. My kind of beer – malty as hell, but generously bittered. Malty, hearty finish with lingering bitterness. Reminiscent of Lake Tahoe Red Ale; a beer that really rang my bell back when it was brewed, circa 2002. Bottle provided by ygtbsm94!