Gold Dot
Hair Of The Dog Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

On tap at the tasting room. Was told this beer consists of Blue Dot blended with peaches and cherries, and then aged in bourbon barrels for 2 years. Am guessing a bit on the abv., as Wendy simply told me that it's in the 10% abv. range.

The beer pours a farily dark brown color with good head retention and light lacing. The nose is intriguing, and you definitely pick up some of the peaches and cherries in the aroma profile. There's also some pretty noticeable bourbon,, as well as some light chocolate, vanilla and a hint of dry citrus. The fruit component actually gives one the impression that there may be a sour aspect to this beer, but on the palate, that's really not the case (at least I didn't think so). On the palate, the bourbon barrel aging really dominates, as you really do pick up considerable bourbon. The beer is a bit on the sweet side as well, and there's a hint of fruit, along with some dry citrus and light pine. The barrel aging has really tamed most of the hoppy goodness I normally associate with blue dot. Mouthfeel is medium bodied to full, and the finish is long and fairly sweet, with a hint of bitterness. Alcohol is noticeable (you can tell it's up there), but the beer is not at all hot or heavy.

An interesting beer, though right now I don't think the component parts have really come together all that well. Not that I'll ever get to find out, but my guess is that this beer would benefit from an additional year or two of aging.

So I gather this is the "peaches added" version of red dot. Maybe next year we'll see a black dot (with blueberries, plums and/or blackberries added), and then maybe an orange dot (with tangerines, mandarin oranges and pineapple added). Guess the skies the limit on fruit variations of this beer. :-)