Sea Dog Old East India Pale Ale

Brewed by Sea Dog Brewing (Shipyard Brewing Co.)
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Topsham, Maine USA

Pour is an amber with a white head. Aroma is a nice mix of caramel malts and a nice pine hop. Flavor is a bit weaker than the aroma. It is about half of the malts and hops you would expect in a IPA. More of a lazy APA if anything. Still this cost about 92 cents a trader joes so there is the value aspect.

Clear amber with a fluffy, off-white head. The nose is a nice combo of whole grains, caramel, light pine, Earthy hop oils, fresh mowed grass, light molasses, some sweet orange wafts and a hint of baked cookie. The body is smooth with a soft texture and minimal carbonation. More bitter and sweet development in the mouth. The malt is pretty strong and gives plenty to balance the Earthy, piney hops. The finish is moderately long with a nice hop flavor that yearns for another sip. Certainly not the most enjoyable IPA ever, but a balanced one that’s great for easy drinking.

Light amber color with a small beige head. Aroma of sweet malts and a little citrus. Flavor of sweet malt and mild hops. Some hop bitterness in the finish. Less hoppy than most APA’s.

Bottles. Big tan bubbly tan head literally blew out the end of the bottle into my mug. Nice amber brown color. Mouth feel was on the watery side. Flavor was sweet caramel, malt & bitter floral hops. This is the least citrusy IPA that I’ve ever tasted... which was a good thing for me. Aftertaste was bittersweet wheat or some sort of grain.

wow what a head! Don’t mistakenly pour it into you pilsner directly, be sure to tip it. You’ll have a head that won’t stop. Very murky muddly color. very nice tase with just a bite in the aftertaste.

Amber/red body that is just slightly murky with about a half an inch of head that dissipates slowly and leaves a fair bit of lacing. Smells hoppy bittern and citrusy. Tastes hoppy, but almost just as malty. Some bitterness, some citrus in the hops. Malt almost has a roasty or caramel quality to it, though I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. Medium in body. Flavor is just a little watery, though not as much as it is in some Sea Dog offerings. Probably the best Sea Dog beer I’ve had thus far. Most interesting, flavorful one to be sure. Not what I usually expect from an IPA (tastes a bit more like an APA to me), but exceeded my expectations.

Pours a bright copper with faint carbonation and a pillowy, ecru head that holds. Dusty lemon and butterscotch aroma with mild acridity... but this is more of an "English-style" IPA, as the hop character is certainly not what an American would expect by the name. Flavor finds more lemon covering a base of wheaty malts with hints of caramel and watered-down grapefruit. Has a bit of thickness in the mouth letting the flavors linger with a slight cloy and a dash of pepper.

<font size=-4>Single 12 oz. bottle from <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/><a href=http://www.traderjoes.com/index.html>Tr Joe’s, Orland Park, IL 60462</font>

12 oz. bottle from Trader Joe’s. Back to the grind after the excitement of a beery Michigan trip and rating #1,000. What we got here is an allegedly hoppy beer that’s missing its hops. Nothing in the smell (and it’s "Best by April ’07"). Even so, it’s got a nice bit of malt smell. Dark color for an IPA, a clingy thin foam. Again, not much of an IPA taste, but pretty decent as an amber, if they would just relabel it.

Rated as "Kennebunkport IPA," Oct. 9, ’07. Same beer, two brands, both at Trader Joe’s. This one actually has something of a hop smack to it, but it just doesn’t match well with the rest of the beer.