Dragon Series: Sapphire Dragon
Alley Kat Brewing Company

Slightly hazy in appearance with a dark orange almost, burnt copper hue to it with a lot of lumpy sediment suspended in it, pours with a finger worth of foamy off-white head to it that has a moderate amount of retention to it and leaves some light webby lacing.

Mild aroma to it, navel oranges some mild caramel malt notes and hints of orange pekoe tea on the back end.

Flavor is a moderately bitter, though lighter in bitterness then most of the dragon series with oily, dry tasting citrus peel forward with some light apricot notes to it and a good amount of melon flavor to it that pairs with a fairly sweet and solid, caramel malt body that leaves a sticky mouthfeel to it and increases in sweetness as warms.

Finish is has a surprisingly mild bitterness to it, giving it a pithy grapefruit rind with a good amount of black tea to it flavor to it, though lacking much of the astringent tannin quality, with faint notes of angostura bitters, cruciferous hops and stewed vegital bitterness on the back end that leaves a slight lingering sweetness.

Medium to heavy bodied with an average amount of carbonation to it, not a bad beer by any means, but a bit average in flavor especially for a dragon series.

 

Props to my BA bro joemcgrath27 for sending this in our most recent trade. Another addition to the Double Dragon line-up and sure to be a pleasure. Pours slightly hazy copper with loads of sheeting lacing, a beauty to look at. Nose is bready grains, caramel and brown sugar citrus. Flavour is a pleasant bitter citrus hop with caramel, wheat and grassy notes lingering alongside a heavy dose of bitterness. Another well crafted brew in the series, and glad I got the opportunity to try it.

 

 

 

Another solid entry from the Double Dragon series. This one looks great, with a substantial head of puffy white foam, fed by happily gurgling carbonation. The lovely smell (blood orange for days) ties in well with the crackery malt base and Idaho 7 hop treatment. I always look forward to the newest AK Double Dragon offering and this one does not disappoint.

 

650ml bottle - the latest in the Dragon Series of (mostly) single-hopped DIPAs, this time with the Idaho 7 varietal. Silly me, given the name, I thought it would be Saphir. Ah well.

This beer pours a clear, medium copper amber colour, with four fingers of puffy, loosely foamy, and bubbly off-white head, which leaves some pleasantly dense spider web lace around the glass as it slowly but surely abates.

It smells of blood orange, a bit of lemon/lime, and some muddled stone fruitiness, bready and doughy caramel malt, plain dry black teabag notes, a hint of earthy yeastiness, and some understated leafy, weedy, and piney green hop bitters. The taste is mixed domestic citrus rind, some mild apricot/peach orchard fruity esters, grainy and crackery caramel malt, wet pine needles, oversteeped Red Rose, and more edgy leafy, earthy, and musty floral verdant hoppiness.

The carbonation is adequate in its quotidian frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and mostly smooth, with just a touch of hop bitterness perhaps not playing well with the other children here. It finishes off-dry, the robust fruitiness, malt, and acrid forest floor detritus making for a heady lingering moment.

Overall - this is yet another example of a hop that can do it all - nice and complex in its bitter and fruity bearing. Easy to drink, enjoyable, and with no sign of the 15-proof wowee sauce component, Sapphire Dragon is one gem of an offering (hey, if the brewery can make puns about this one, then so can I!)