Old Dog Alt
Yellow Dog Brewing

 

 

473 ml can. I was out to Port Moody today and didn't make it to any breweries, but I did stop at the BCL at Ioco and Murray on my way to the skytrain.

A: Reddish brown and crystal clear.
S/T: A bit caramelly, a bit nutty.
F: Medium weight, somewhat creamy.

473ml can - good canine-themed name for the style, I gotta say.

This beer pours a clear, dark orange-brick amber colour, with three fingers of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat creamy off-white head, which leaves some eroding limestone cliff lace around the glass as it genially recedes.

It smells of bready and doughy caramel malt, a lesser biscuity toffee sweetness, some earthy yeasty notes, an apple and pear fruitiness, buttery white crackers, and very plain leafy, weedy, and floral noble hop bitters. The taste is gritty and grainy pale malt, a reduced bready caramel thing, mixed pome and citrus fruit esters, a hint of medium chocolate wafers, dead yeast cells, and more understated earthy, musty, and floral verdant hoppiness.

The carbonation is fairly active in its palate-coddling frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and generally smooth, with a wee airy creaminess trying oh so hard to gain liftoff. It finishes off-dry, the varied maltiness carrying us on out the back door.

Overall, this a well-made example of the style, nice and malty, with a subtle fruitiness. Nothing overly complicated, and thus simply easy to drink, in the manner of German beer halls past, present, and future, I would imagine.

 

 

 

 

 

Tasted this at the grand opening at a local tap house. This poured a nice copper colour with a minimal white head. I didn't really get much on the nose. A bit of malt with some citrus hope notes on the edges. The malt comes forward on the tongue with some bread and smoke. The bitterness comes through on the finish. Actually quite a refreshing and well balanced beer.

 

 

 

 

 

You know what's awesome? When you invite the owner of one of the best breweries around over for beers with the geeks and he brings several growlers of his stuff, that's what. Cheers Mike, very cool.

Appearance. Pours a clear amber-brown and topped with almost a finger of off-white head that fades to a collar.

Smell. Big sweet malty caramel, some nice bready yeast, some earthy hops and a little chocolate.

Taste. Malty caramel that's sweet, but not as sweet as in the nose. A little bit of roasted nuts, some earthy hops, and maybe a little chocolate.

Mouthfeel. Medium body, medium low carbonation.

Clean and crushable with enough going on to keep a person interested. Big malty beers aren't often my thing but this is some great stuff. Thanks again Mike!