Sea Dog Old East India Pale Ale

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

12 oz bottle, best by July 08. Oops. Anyway, lightly hazed amber with a huge off white head that descends rockily - very pretty. Sweet malty nose, minty with some herbal hop. Kinda bland malt and herbal hop flavor, more light mint. Strange flavor. Clean and cool finish. Odd.

Bottle. While there’s nothing here to make you sit back and take note, there is not a lot to complain about, either. Except for the slight imbalance of malt to hops — it’s a bit too sweet for the style — even for an East coast pale ale. Copper/golden body with an average white head. The aroma presents some sweet malts (caramel and dough) and some subdued hops (grass and spice). The flavor is moderately sweet and lightly to moderately bitter. The finish is lightly bitter. Medium body and a slightly sticky texture. Lively carbonation.

British style IPA. Little citrus bitterness that is usual to the americanized IPA. Mine was poured from cask which did little for this beer. Hops were there but did little more than sour the beer in a very unpleasant manner.

Pours amber into a shaker. No head and no aroma. Bitter, sour and unpleasant.

This poured a copper color with a moderate off white head. A faint caramel and citrus aroma. The flavor is rather malty for an IPA with some bready notes and caramel. It also contains some lemons and grapefruit. This one is more sour than it is bitter. A slight bitter finish. This seems to be more in the british mold for an IPA. Overall this was a pretty good beer but not a world class IPA.

Aroma a bit citrusy, pretty weak smell...but it didnt smell bad. Thick head tan in color. Woody, grassy flavor....had an aftertaste but an enjoyable one. For a pale ale it is incredibly easy on the palate. Overall I enjoyed it...and Im usually not a big fan of pale ales. If you want a gauge I think it’s better than Sierra Nevada Pale Ale but not quite as good as Sweetwater 420 Pale Ale. The only thing I don’t get is how they throw this in a variety pack with Apricot Wheat, Blueberry Wheat, and Raspberry Wheat? They should probably just have four of each of those and take the pale ale out of the Variety Pack. This is the second best in the pack after the Blueberry...but it’s pretty damn close.

Bottled as Kennebunkport IPA. Musty flowery, sea-salt nose. Copper body, dark but still clear, with a soapy beige head. Bitter taste quickly conquered by sticky, sickly sweetness, resolves eventually into a semi-dry bready aftertaste. Flowery and syrupy medium body. Can’t get on board; it’s not so much cloying as it is unappealing.

Like a less effervescent, sweeter, fruitier, heavier Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Can be improved with brighter and heavier aromas, dry hopping, more effervescence, lighter body. Large pillowy head belies a body too thick for the style.