Laughing Dog Huckleberry Cream Ale - Laughing Dog Brewing

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.43/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle - $1.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours out a lightly hazed, light yellow body with tons of carbonation spewing forth a tall, airy head fed by continued streams of effervescence.

Smell: Tart, tangy fruitiness overtop mild base malts (with some sweetish hints about it) and even milder hops.

Taste: Mild maltiness (just barely bready) given a liberal dusting of powdered sugar for a fair degree of sweetness. It's fruity and lightly tart, as one might imagine, with a flavor reminiscent of blueberries but a bit different and more distinctive. Mild hop character and bitterness. Berryish, sweet finish with a lingering hint of blue-colored cotton candy.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium-high, fizzy carbonation for a lively mouthfeel.

Overall: It's alright for a fruit beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2012 23:20:46 | More by ChainGangGuy

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev +5.4%

05-21-2013 19:21:50 | More by RedneckBeerz

-ronin-

Florida

3/5  rDev -9.6%

05-17-2013 02:06:07 | More by -ronin-

HarmonMW

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -2.1%

05-14-2013 01:41:53 | More by HarmonMW

kp29

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev +13%

05-11-2013 22:38:39 | More by kp29

chinchill

South Carolina

3.79/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Very fresh (March 2013 bottling) 12 oz bottle with a trace of sediment in the bottom. pours a red-orange-amber; clear; small head that soon reduces to a tiny bit of film and a partial ring.

S: Nice fruity smell; natural huckleberry is believable. Sweet but more fruity than like candy. Light baked bread in the background.

Taste: Huckleberries!! Taste rating bumped up for the high quality fruit treatment here. Also features a bready malt base and a touch of hops. .

M: nice smooth feel in this medium bodied ale. Well chosen, moderate level of carbonation.

O: I had this as a light dessert beer and it worked well. Refreshing, with a pleasant, natural fruitiness. Moderately sweet but not cloying or candied.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 23:37:01 | More by chinchill

Bryn

Alberta (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +35.5%

04-28-2013 04:50:48 | More by Bryn

KevinGordon

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -2.1%

04-26-2013 04:13:33 | More by KevinGordon

zestd

Idaho

4/5  rDev +20.5%

03-29-2013 20:51:20 | More by zestd

capnamerica

Arkansas

3.25/5  rDev -2.1%

03-28-2013 18:27:53 | More by capnamerica

flagmantho

Washington

3.35/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Poured from 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: medium golden hue with a haze-free body and a moderate effervescence. head is a thin layer of creamy white foam. It's a bit clean and light for a beer which supposedly contains real huckleberries, I must say. Not bad for a cream ale, though.

Smell: definitely huckleberry, with a light sweetness from the malt underneath. Not bad if you like huckleberries or blueberries in beer, but in general it's not very balanced.

Taste: bready and biscuity malt right up front, with the huckleberry coming in on its heels. Acidity seems a little high, with the finish a bit rough and astringent. Could be much better balanced.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a big carbonation and surprisingly satisfying creaminess. Definitely the best characteristic of this brew. Clearly, the underlying cream ale isn't half bad; it just doesn't seem to go well with the huckleberries.

Overall: a drinkable fruit beer, but not a particularly balanced one. I have a hard time deciding if the huckleberries taste natural; from what I know of Laughing Dog I'm sure they are, but the whole thing just doesn't come together well. I'm sure, though, this beer would be tasty on a hot day at the lake.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 19:59:01 | More by flagmantho

cswhitehorse

Oregon

3.45/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

The Huckleberry Cream Ale poured into the English pint glass with a straw color and half finger foam head. Not much in the way of lacing for this lawnmower beer.

It was aromatic right away with the Huckleberries coming in the nostrils. The was a slight grain smell to the cream ale. The taste was sweet of the huckleberries which lingered on the tongue and roof the mouth. Overall it was a nice beer for a hot summer day but not one that I would consume on a frequent basis.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 23:46:53 | More by cswhitehorse

Mando603

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +5.4%

02-08-2013 14:29:41 | More by Mando603

cyclonece09

Virginia

3.65/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a 14 oz "pint" glass. Pours a nice semi-translucent straw with lots of visible carbonation with a very nice white head that leaves very nice lacing. The huckleberry really dominates the smell profile, but there is a slight grain profile. Tastes real fruity but with a good grain backbone. It is very sweet and balanced. Beer is carbonated just right and for its light body goes down real smooth. Overall, a very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 05:14:13 | More by cyclonece09

leedorham

Washington

3/5  rDev -9.6%

01-21-2013 16:28:56 | More by leedorham

eddiearmy

2.75/5  rDev -17.2%

01-21-2013 01:13:36 | More by eddiearmy

dsshuck

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -2.1%

01-20-2013 00:17:30 | More by dsshuck

devlishdamsel

Washington

2.5/5  rDev -24.7%

01-03-2013 09:33:29 | More by devlishdamsel

Scotchboy

Idaho

3.4/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle split into 8oz tasters. Thanks Austin -

A: Pours pale gold with chill haze an a quickly receding off-white head.

S: Slightly skunky ale aromas, honestly...lightly toasted grains, fruit and berries...fresh tartness, huckleberry syrup on pancakes.

T: Moderate huckleberry here, more middle of the mouth than right at the beginning, light berry notes of huckleberry and blackberry on the finish. Hints of honey. Its mostly a run-of-the-mill ale with some fruit flavors. The sweetness is light-to-moderate.

MF: Higher carbonation with a lighter body and a bit of tart sweetness.

O: Not great, barely above average for craft beer in my opinion. A beer that will hit the spot on some occasions for certain people, definitely, but nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 15:05:06 | More by Scotchboy

dinojrbtom

Pennsylvania

2.75/5  rDev -17.2%

10-22-2012 03:08:52 | More by dinojrbtom

ncstateplaya

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +20.5%

10-19-2012 14:28:09 | More by ncstateplaya

Giantspace

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -9.6%

10-18-2012 03:17:46 | More by Giantspace

beertunes

Washington

3.83/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into 10oz goblet. Poured a cloudy yellow color with just a thin ring of white head that had OK retention and no lacing.

A sweet, berry scent dominated the front of the nose, but upon a deeper sniff the solid base grains showed through to provide a good platform. The taste was very good, a solid base brew that was nicely complemented by the the slightly sweet, slightly tangy berries. The beer had a nice earthy presence.

The body was the typical medium-full of the style, with a pleasant smoothness and a surprisingly dry finish, given the sweetness of the berries. Drinkability was very good, I could easily drink these all day long during the warm weather. Overall, a very good brew. A must try if you see it and probably worth some effort to try if you like these types of brews.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 22:00:23 | More by beertunes

Softestdog

Florida

2.5/5  rDev -24.7%

09-01-2012 23:35:31 | More by Softestdog

akttr

Michigan

2.5/5  rDev -24.7%

08-29-2012 03:17:10 | More by akttr