DogZilla Black IPA - Laughing Dog Brewing

cokes

Wisconsin

3.38/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Very dark, clear mahogany brown topped with a proud mesa of bleached khaki suds.
The nose is a bit muted. Notes of smoke, cocoa, raspberries, pine, earth, and coffee can be teased out, but only at the risk of snorting the actual liquid. It opens up a bit over time, but not very much.
It's more assertive through the mouth. An initial burst of smoke and espresso tempers quickly toward cocoa powder and mocha latte. Some fruitiness dots the middle, via berries and grilled pineapples. Hopping is substancial, bringing pine, earth, and a congruent pineapple bitterness, along with a smidgen of grapefruit. Still, like the nose, it seems a timid. It's certainly enjoyable, just don't expect a mouth abuser.
Creamy medium-light bodied with a lasting, kneading CO2.
The overall persona here is just a tad dialed-down, but it's strong suit is drinkability, as it's balanced and quietly nuanced enough to consider tackling multiple bombers in one sitting, though one's attention may begin to wander.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2011 04:59:46 | More by cokes

SmellsofMahagony

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +10.6%

05-18-2013 03:01:15 | More by SmellsofMahagony

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bottle killer label of the Dogzilla attacking the town, simcoe and cascade in a black IPA from Idaho man are we getting progressive, did I mention I purchased this in West Virginia, holy shit what's going on? The body is pitch Black with a light beige head almost white, I've never seen a head this light in a beer this dark. Aromatics are giving off citrus and spicy notes almost a cinnamon like character if I had to describe it any further. The first sips carries that black roast blended with high alpha acid hops rather nicely, drinks like a highly carbonated schwarzbier with more hop pellet kick than most of them out there, the spicy characteristic is nice and would blend great with the Kristoff Sumatran wrapped cigar I'm about to light up. Light dark chocolate herbal mint, spicy hops, mild citrus twang but really ends up as a nice spicy schwarzbier more than a black IPA. Mouthfeel is medium at best with ample flowing carbonation a layer of spice and hop bitterness is left on the palate between sips. Overall a beer that I will drink sparingly not the one I wanted compared to other big dark beers out there, I'm glad the alcohol is not over the top it's well hidden and barely a factor in this big beast of a 22 ounce beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 22:29:56 | More by WVbeergeek

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.8/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Served in a Lagunitas mason jar.

Oh, no, they say he's got to go... Anyway, this stuff pours a clear midnight garnet topped by over a finger of wan off-cream foam. The nose comprises roasted malts, anise, pine needles, spearmint, and cinnamon. Odd as it may sound, this thing smells like certain Christmas cookies I've had in my day, almost like a gingerbread man with peppermint buttons who happened to have been left on the baking pan a bit too long, blackening the backside a bit. Here, it's not quite what I'm looking for, and luckily not entirely offensive, especially considering that the mint gets stronger as time progresses. The taste brings in more of the same, though that minty character is now nearly absent until the finish, the roast is darker and more bitter, and the pine asserts itself a great deal more. Unfortunately, everything is in competition with everything else, precluding any chance of flavor harmony. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation, a fairly smooth feel, and a drying finish. Overall, this black IPA just didn't sit right with me, what with the chaotic nature of the flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 00:45:58 | More by TMoney2591

dalepryor

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev +3.2%

05-07-2013 21:42:14 | More by dalepryor

LJWalker

Alabama

3.5/5  rDev +3.2%

05-07-2013 04:06:36 | More by LJWalker

JohnLikesBeeraLot

Virginia

2/5  rDev -41%

05-03-2013 00:42:19 | More by JohnLikesBeeraLot

Bromine

Florida

3.5/5  rDev +3.2%

04-21-2013 23:48:41 | More by Bromine

DustinPurvis

Idaho

4/5  rDev +18%

04-20-2013 04:01:27 | More by DustinPurvis

Juno_Malone

Idaho

3.75/5  rDev +10.6%

04-15-2013 02:06:31 | More by Juno_Malone

Damian74Shensky

South Carolina

3.5/5  rDev +3.2%

04-14-2013 22:19:26 | More by Damian74Shensky

Scotchboy

Idaho

3.65/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap @ Brewforia Eagle ID - served in a shaped nonic.

A: Dark brown color with translucent cola-colored edges...minimal tan head & lacing.

S: Toasted dark malt with a piney and herbal hop edge...zesty and a bit astringent with some resin and grapefruit pith. Hints of brown malt in the nose too? Maybe a touch of nut and caramel.

T: Hops steer the same direction; pine, resin, grapefruit, herbal...malt moves from dark caramel to espresso-like dryness with notes of fresh coffee. Blends well together.

MF: Moderate, nearly medium, decent carbonation and dry-er finish.

O: Decent Black IPA, definitely piney on the hops, with a decent dark coffee/caramel malt backbone. Neither quality overwhelms. Not a Black IPA I'd choose to revisit but it is relatively good.

Serving type: on-tap

04-09-2013 21:23:04 | More by Scotchboy

kangarooAdam59

Maine

3.79/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Thanx Damian74Shensky:

Into a nonic:

A: dark brown body almost black with a thick super foamy two finger head with a heck of a lot of lacing left in the wake

S: slight citrus/pine up front coming through in an earthy/roasty sort of way

T: bittersweet through previously mentioned flavors, a bit of light coffee comes through in the aftertaste

M: light to medium, fairly sessionable, adequate carbonation is felt, dry finish

O: I'd say this is a good American Black Ale that I would come back to.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 15:54:52 | More by kangarooAdam59

LJC3

California

3.75/5  rDev +10.6%

04-01-2013 21:47:29 | More by LJC3

bigred89

Maryland

2.25/5  rDev -33.6%

03-21-2013 23:59:22 | More by bigred89

RollTide7

New Jersey

2.5/5  rDev -26.3%

03-16-2013 20:26:34 | More by RollTide7

Dannyboy

Maryland

3/5  rDev -11.5%

03-03-2013 19:26:14 | More by Dannyboy

briandaube

Delaware

3.75/5  rDev +10.6%

03-02-2013 19:54:14 | More by briandaube

brandonlovesbeer

1.95/5  rDev -42.5%
look: 5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 1.5

Two thumps way down on this. Way to astringent. It could possibly have been a bad batch. I don’t know. But I don’t plan to give them another chance. And if this is any indication of how the rest of their beers are, then I don’t plan to try any of their other beers anytime soon.

$5.00 for a 22oz bomber.

Look:
It had a large khaki colored head, even with a light careful pour, a light 2 inch head formed. It stuck around and was almost the consistency of a meringue. The beer is black as night.

Aroma:
There’s not much in the way of a hop aroma, there’s just an astringent smell from the dark malts. It smells like a lot of tannin extraction happened during the brewing process.

Taste: The tannin extraction came through in the taste as a really strong astringency. There’s a pronounced bitterness that lingers after each sip. This is more of an astringent dark malt bitterness, than a hop bitterness. There’s a light hoppy taste It’s almost an accidental afterthought rather than intentional hop addition though. But either way, there’s no specific hop flavors or aromas to speak of, just a generic light hoppiness.

Mouthfeel:
The one redeeming quality of the beer (other than the appearance) was the mouthfeel. It was very creamy.

Is it Worth the Money?"
This is a 22oz bottle of beer and I paid $4.99 plus tax. Honestly, to put it into perspective, my local brew pub brews a beer nearly identical, in flavor and color to this. I was able to fill a half gallon grower for $9.00. About 2 years ago, I brewed a beer that taste nearly identical to this. That only cost $10 in ingredients to brew a 5 gallon batch.

So I ask again. Is It Worth The Money? "NO"

Verdict: "C"
When I bought this bottle, I thought it was going to be this massively hopped, dark IPA, which is one my favorite styles of beer. Unfortunately it turned out to be a rather difficult beer to drink.

There was just way to much astringency. And the fact that it’s supposed to be an IPA, really left me disappointed, as there was almost zero hop character in this beer.

It has this flavor that usually comes during home brewing, when you steep your dark grains to hot... Actually a better descriptor would be... take your dark grains, throw them into a pot, add some water, then boil the heck our of them for abut 15 minutes. Strain the grain, add the liquid to the brew pot. There’s no sugar extraction. It’s just boiled dark grains. That’s the flavor that I’m getting from this beer. To top the whole thing off, the lack of hop... well... anything was a big disappointment considering that it was supposed to be an IPA

It’s got some flavors but most of them are undesirable flavors. If you want to try it, then try it, but it probably won’t be a beer that you try twice.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 04:27:13 | More by brandonlovesbeer

Hopmodium

Washington

3.75/5  rDev +10.6%

02-21-2013 03:47:31 | More by Hopmodium

browniewithnuts

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +10.6%

02-19-2013 12:23:22 | More by browniewithnuts

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

2.25/5  rDev -33.6%

02-11-2013 01:53:33 | More by Zachtheporter

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.39/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Good looking, tho not quite black. it's a brownish-red color, mostly clear, with a monster head that just won't go away and tremendous lacing.

Aroma is a bit muted, kinda citrusy and piney with just a touch of earth.

Flavor is good but not outstanding. There's a notable roasty character that doesn't dominate, but complements. Piney and citrusy hops are pretty forward and tasty. There's a tinge of vanilla too.

Body is pretty well carbonated and medium, pretty drinkable really.

Overall it's ok but not outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 21:27:00 | More by AlCaponeJunior

HoistinBrews

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -4.1%

02-03-2013 04:37:11 | More by HoistinBrews

ZachKelly

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +32.7%

02-03-2013 04:02:18 | More by ZachKelly