Holy Cow!
Dugges Ale- & Porterbryggeri AB

From the tank at the brewery, RBESG. Beautiful deep amber colour, creamy off-white head. Lovely hoppy aroma, citrussy notes, hints of toffee. Flavour is also grapefruity hoppiness, on a slightly sweet background, notes of caramel.

 

 

 

 

 

330ml bottle purchased from Slowbeer in Melbourne. The only other Dugges beers I'd seen before were when I was in America, so I was pleased to see some hitting our shores. They also did (in collaboration with Nøgne Ø) my favourite Sahti, so I'm happy to be able to try some more of theirs.

Pours a rather dark golden colour, almost tending towards amber, with some haze. Head is a mushy bubbly mess of off-white, that settles to a pancake-bubble flatness on the top of the glass. Lacing is solid and persistent. The body looks reasonably heavy, although the carbonation is large bubbled and haphazard.

Nose is oddly hoppy, and not necessarily in a good way. Although there are some of the classic pine or resin characters, they have a nuance that gives them aromas of hospital antiseptic, dish detergent and wood shavings. Malt tends to be a little grainy. There's an almost plasticky aroma to the hops after a while, and it's not really that pleasant.

Taste is similar, or perhaps even worse. Slightly metallic hop flavours sit flat and lifeless throughout the palate, while there's a mild modulation in the grainy sweetness backing it up. Sandy, gritty character on the back lets the malt melt into a mush of musty sweetness. On the finish, there's a wet cardboard oxidation character.

I note that there was no freshness date on the bottle (not that I necessarily expect one), but this certainly feels old. In fact, it feels like it's years old rather than just out-of-date. I really don't see how it could be years old, so that may just be a reflection on the beer at its core. As it was, this wasn't a terribly pleasant experience.

Pours dark amber with a fading head.
Nose shows soft caramel and light honey along with some spicy hops.
Flavours include a fair bit of sweet clean malt, some spicy hops and light grapefruit notes.
Carbonation seems a little too high.
Pretty tame for an IPA, I'd have classed it as a APA.

Pours a slight hazed honey hue which leaves a quick vanishing one finger head and some nice clingy lacing,the smell is abit subdued for an IPA with aromas of floral hops,light citrus and sherbet,the mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation and the taste is honeydew,sherbet,passionfruit,candy and finished with a light peach bittersweetness and overall its average with taste and smell quite subdued not something id seek out again cheers.

A: The color is deep red, slightly hazy. The medium large off-white head is compact and leaves after a while, rich lacings.

S: Bitter hops together with floral brings pine and some mild citric notes. The malt is held back in the smell.

T: Rich caramell malt, sweet. Bitter hops balances wihle the floral hops gives a piney vibe to it. The citric notes are held back, but provides oranges and red grapefruit.

M: Aftertaste dies quickly but holds some sweetness. Body is rather full while carbonation is low. Smooth!

O: A bit uneven, but with the tropical fruits held back (but still present) other flavours could shine. Try it!

 

500ml bottle. ½ Pint glass. Enjoyed on jul´11. Deep orangish amber. Yellowish white, small bubbled froth. Fairly well retention. Strawberry aroma, mildy malt with coffee notes. Flavors include strawberries, butter & sweet bitterness. Medium body & average carbonation. Apricot on the aftertaste with coffee hues. A little fat drinkability.

The beer is clouded deep, red, amber, has an off-white head that leaves lacing.

The smell is forest floral, pine needles, resin and green grass.

The taste is rather fresh, sweet oranges, a dash of lemon, and newly cut grass.

Medium high carbonation, a soft fluid with a good body and a dry finish.

A run-of-the-mill American IPA, nothing extra-ordinary.

Pours a murky orange hued brown. Flavor is much more malty than I would have expected. There is still a peppery bite to it and a bit of a burn though. My initial thought was that this might be aged quite a bit, but no. The markings on the side of the bottle do not indicate that. Regardless, it still works in that abrasive way, even though the malts have kind of hijacked the ship.

The liquid is a little cloudy; the colour is deep amber. The low beige head sinks slowly, leaving some lacing.

The smell is a bit sourish, I noticed flavours of pine, citric fruits, lemon peel, old-fashioned fruit candy and resin.

The taste is a bit sour with notes of lemon, pine-needles, exotic fruits and lemon grass. It is very sweet with hints of meat broth and soap. The long aftertaste is somewhat bitter, but the sweet notes override the bitterness.

The carbonation is mild, the liquid soft and mellow.

I found this one way too sweet and fruity. I would have enjoyed a bit more... bite. Still, it is a good American IPA.