Sea Dog Old East India Pale Ale

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

Amber in color and aroma...with big roasted malt nose...very inviting. Strong malt base with caramel and toffee notes. Hop bitterness as expected in the style, but somewhat subdued. I like this a lot...not great by any means...but really drinkable!

A little pine and citrus in the nose. Decent head. Caramel start, citrusy/pine middle, and light hops at finish. A little too fizzy, and light on the mouthfeel. Ok for an IPA - but may not be totally true to the style.

Pours a deep amber color with large frothy head. Fresh hop and citrus aroma. Pine and citrus flavor with good bitterness. A tad too carbonated that keeps the beer light but lacking in body. Beer finishes quick and clean with bitter citrus peel aftertaste. Still an excellent brew considering this sample is a several months past due.

(12 oz bottle: Obtained in trade with jjpm74, thanks John!) For an IPA, it smells pretty sugary, and well, not very hoppy. Uhm, okay, I admit it, I can’t smell any hops at all. I mean, it smells good to me, all toasty and caramely, but it smells like an amber, not an IPA. The flavor is very much caramely, sweet and toasty, with just a light bitterness lurking on the palate for some balance in the mouthfeel, but not really in the flavor. This is a malty beer to me, no getting away from it, so maybe it just took too many months to go from brewery to distributor to store to consumer. But as the beer warms, a definite nutty character is emerging, and it’s making me think this is intended to be an English IPA. Either way, it’s not coming across as an American IPA. Medium bodied, lightly carbonated, with a very creamy texture. Bright amber body shows a bit of haze, and the small off-white head fades to a small ring, so it’s not a very attractive looking beer. Nothing at all like the IPAs I’m used to here in the States, but since I rate to taste, I’m not deducting any points for straying from the style. Bottom line, it’s damn tasty and enjoyable.

On tap at the brew-pub. Clear reddish copper color with a thin white head. Weak aroma and flavor of hops with a bitter finish. The body is light to medium with a creamy texture.

Bottle. Slightly dark amber small white head. Aroma is citrusy hops. Body is somewhat thin, also doesnt taste as hoppy as it smells. Alright, I’d hava notha.

Good nose, but the falvor isn’t as hoppy as one wouold like. But, it’s cheap at Trader Joes, so what can you expect?

Bottle 12 oz. Dark amber color with a medium head that diminished quickly. Medium aroma of hops and citrus. Medium body with hoppy texture. Mild flavor of hops and citrus with medium bitter finish.