Laughing Dog Rocket Dog Rye IPA - Laughing Dog Brewing

champ103

Texas

3.13/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a pale orange/hone color. A one finger white head forms, but recedes in a minute. Light lace.
S: Hope resin. Syrupy pine aromas. Bready malts from the rye I assume, and burnt sugars.
T: Huge hop flavor up front. Bitter, resinous, syrupy and sticky. Pine resin, really not much else. No rye character here to help balance anything out.
M/D: A medium to full body that is low on the carbonation. Really sticky and resinous. The massive amount of hops, resin and bitterness makes this hard for me to drink.

No rye at all to balance out the huge syrupy and piny hops. Just to much for me. Not something I am coming back to.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2012 23:37:37 | More by champ103

Scotchboy

Idaho

3.9/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap @ Brewfora Beer Marker, Meridian ID. Served in a pint glass.

A: Light haze, golden yellow, steady carbonation visible, light head lacing.

S: Spicy citrus, grapefruit rind, orange peel, light spicy crackery notes from the rye malt, hints of sweet grass.

T: Orange, rye, malts, light spices, low-to-medium bitterness, light grassy and herbal notes, fairly balanced, dry bready finish.

MF: Lighter side of medium, moderate body, good malt presence, decent carbonation.

O: A tasty treat, not unique but it holds the line well.

Serving type: on-tap

02-29-2012 21:20:26 | More by Scotchboy

chadlebald

California

4.33/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at capital ale house in Richmond. Poured a fairly pale golden - on sight alone, I would have thought pilsner--save for that it was a bit cloudy.

Delicate lacing.

Aroma is wonderful - tropical fruit (especially pineapple) and evergreen.

Taste is hop forward - also fruits and evergreen. Not a lot of malt to balance, but that doesn't bother me with this beer for some reason. I would, however, like the rye to shine a bit more than it is.

Finishes dry - might be the rye doing its thing.

I want to keep drinking to quench but it is like a dog chasing its tail. And that, my friends, can be fun rather than futile.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2011 02:51:23 | More by chadlebald

plaid75

New York

4.05/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On draft at Rattle n Hum, NYC.

Poured a light copper hue with a One finger foamy white cap. There was good retention and bery good lacing.

The smell featured a full piney hop with a nostril tingling rye spice.

The taste consisted of a moderate resinous hop exuding elements if pine and grapefruit. A lingering hop spice completed the experience. A touch of sweetness at the finish.

The mouthfeel was surprisingly thin.

Overall a spicy and very quaffable ale.

Serving type: on-tap

11-03-2011 15:55:56 | More by plaid75

gopens44

Virginia

3.95/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Big creamy head with super lacing atop a clear amber body

S - This hits the nose perfectly with a great balance of roasted barley, rye and aggressive hops.

T - Rye bite is nearly muted by the hop punch, but very tasty regardless

M - Begins creamy but digresses to a bit watery with a thick bitter aftertaste.

O - it is just a hair away from being truly epic. A little less watery is all I would ask to make this over the top great

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2011 20:32:08 | More by gopens44

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Al's of Hampden.

A: The rye IPA is a very bright, very light golden yellow color. While obscured by haziness, the ale can't shake that lighter hue. A half a finger of white head lasts for half of the glass.

S: The nose is hoppy, citrus in particular, with a leafy aroma lingering. Caramel and biscuit, along with a bit of rye spiciness are the key indicators of the malty side. Plenty of balance, enough to soften up the IPA.

T: Hops? Yes, plenty of spicy citrus flavors lingering in the glass. Rye? Yes, to a degree. There is some spicy breadiness that matches up against the hops. Overall, the package has a mild bite that straddles the line between APA and IPA. Pushing it over the top is a boozy heat that packs more punch that is good for you. A good IPA.

M: The mouthfeel is resiny and boozy, bitter and hot. The rye is a good diversion, livening up the malt side.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2011 19:14:55 | More by akorsak

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

on tap at khyber in philly

Pours a hazy burnt golden color, thin bubbled white head, retains with film on top and plenty of patchy lacing.

Citrusy and hoppy with grapefruit and pineapple in the nose. Some light sweetness and bready tones along with a dash of rye spice.

Bitter and hoppy but still ridiculously juicy up front. Ruby red grapefruit, pineapple and orange create a citrusy cocktail. Faint rye spiciness before the malt bill. Touches of caramel and bread crust with a soft sweetness. Finishes bitter and sweet.

Medium body, slightly higher carbonation, sticky, dry, and lingering on the tongue. Pretty solid hoppy brew but I still wanted more rye presence out of this.

Serving type: on-tap

09-27-2011 22:34:24 | More by xnicknj

Glibber

Idaho

3.73/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Very light in color with a modest head and light lacing of the glass. Citrus and smooth going in and very light pine hops at the end. A nice mellow IPA with good carbination and an appealing fruitiness without being too filling, but the beer does not seem to stand out above other northwest IPAs.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2011 04:21:18 | More by Glibber

Lakes

Idaho

4.75/5  rDev +29.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bright deep golden with ample lasting head. Thick lacing.

Nose is big. Very hop forward with big pine resin and citrus. Simcoe dominates. Malt backbone is apparent but definitely knows it role and walks head bowed and subordinate.

Hop flavor is very complete and strong. Bold but not harsh. The uniqueness of the Simcoe remains throughout. Rich & piney with citrus notes bursting throughout. The malt balance is spot on and backs up the hops very nicely. The Rye is present but not overwhelming. It sits on the edges adding but not dominating. More would engulf, less would be pointless. Warm alcohol comes through but is in no way distracting. Rich and full with lingering bitterness and wisps of rye.

Serving type: on-tap

08-13-2010 20:50:19 | More by Lakes

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I first tried this beer at the 2008 OBF, where I believe it was first introduced. I gather it was a success, as I've seen it on an increasingly regular basis in Portland. Seems to me they've tweaked the recipe a bit since the OBF, as I think there's now a bit more malt and rye in the nose and palate.

I listed this as a rye beer, but I believe the brewery refers to it as a red rye IPA. In any event, it's pretty impressive stuff.

The beer pours a reddish amber color with good head retention and lacing. On the nose I get a considerable amount of hoppy bitterness, coupled with some roasty malt and rye. The beer smells pretty nice, though personally I wouldn't mind if they'd cut back on the malt. The flavors on the palate replicate the nose. There is some good citrus, but with the extra malt imparting some interesting apple and cherry flavors. The rye adds another flavor dimension which is quite nice as well. The beer is medium bodied and it finishes pretty well. Abv. is pretty well disguised, but I'm not sure how many of these I could put away. At least for me, the excessive sweet roasty malt impairs the beer's drinkability just a bit. Regardless, this is a very solid beer, one of the better efforts I've had from Laughing Dog.

Serving type: on-tap

11-08-2008 18:17:37 | More by johnmichaelsen

bigunit

Georgia

1.5/5  rDev -59.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Took a gamble on this one when I saw it at the local shop....and the gamble didn't pay off. Not a great nose to begin with, and the flavor is not appetizing to say the least. I've tried quite a few Rye IPAs this year, and this one is hands down the worst of the bunch. It has some similar characteristics of a belgian IPA (I'm guessing a belgian yeast is used) so if that's your thing, perhaps you'll like it. Unfortunately, the bottle only advertises the hop and malt bill. Sorry, but can't recommend this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2013 01:29:34 | More by bigunit

estlinska

Arkansas

2.64/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Served from a bomber from Springhill Wines into a standard shaker (best by date of 5/12/13) on 3/20/13. First of all the beer foamed over like a coke bottle full of mentos, so maybe this is not a good batch. I said this about their Sneaky Pete offering as well, so maybe it's just a matter of poor bottling; I dunno. Anyway, after the foam subsided, the beer poured a fairly nice cloudy orange with a generous amount of haze. The head was cloudy and rocky white with good lacing overall. The nose, however, was very underwhelming. For an IPA, the nose was very quiet. There were some citrus notes of hops around, but it was almost belgian smelling. It was hard to place. There was also some rye spice to the nose, but the off-belgian smell was just flat in your nose like overfermented fruit juice. The taste was still a lot like a fermented fruit and very belgian-like. The hops were more present with some good bittering overall, but the flavor just didn't sit great. The rye spice was even more evident, which I think gave it the only endearing quality of the beer. Mouthfeel had good smooth body and good carbonation. Maybe I am just 2/2 unlucky with Laughing Dog, but I can't say that I'll be rushing to try more of their beers any time soon. I'll eventually try it again, just to see if I got bad batches, but I am just not impressed.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 01:41:32 | More by estlinska

OwenFromChipTown

Wisconsin

1.1/5  rDev -70.1%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Rocket Dog is by far the worst beer I have ever had.

Laughing Dog should be ashamed of them-selves for putting this product on the market. It is absolutely disgusting and disrespectful to consumers who are unfortunate enough to be dooped into trying it.

Rocket Dog SMELLS LIKE SOMEONE TOOK A DUMP IN A URINAL. I wish that was an over exaggeration, but it is not. It tasted just as fool as it smelled. In fact, I still question if what I tried was actually beer or if some disgruntled brewery worker filtered urine threw feces and put it in a bomber.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 18:02:18 | More by OwenFromChipTown

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.06/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25

Laughing Dog "ROCKETDOG RYE I.P.A."
22 oz. bottle, no apparent freshness dating

Rocket Dog pours a hazy golden body with an orange cast beneath a creamy head of bright white foam. The head retention is better than average, and it initially leaves short "mountains" of lace that rise from the surface and then stick along the inside of the glass.

The aroma displays rye malt spiciness, but surprisingly little hop given its India pale ale designation. It's lightly bready with a light waft of citrus-resin hops, and it's clean. It's welcoming, but not exactly exciting. Let's step inside...

The flavor displays more hop character then the aroma suggests, but it's just one component in a fairly rounded mix. The rye characteristic is pleasant in that it's not overdone, and there's just enough to give it some delicate spiciness and let you know that it's a rye beer. The bitterness is somewhat restrained as well, given the massive amounts of IBU's that brewers tend to be throwing around these days, and I'll applaud them for that. This beer is about balance, with an emphasis on the rye malt, and I guess that explains the more laid back use of hops. It comes through to me mainly as Cascade, although the label states that it also includes Simcoe and Columbus. I find some of the fruitiness of the Simcoe upfront, but not so much that it couldn't have just been from yeasty fruitiness instead. And I also find some piney character that's reminiscent of Columbus hops in the finish, but the overall impression I get from start to finish is of mildly fruity, citrusy (pineapple, grapefruit, pith), and lightly grassy hop combination. It finishes dry across the board, initially leaving more malt and delicate spiciness behind, and then progressively showing its citrusy hop character as you edge forward and the alpha acids build on your palate. There's alcohol present as well, but it's well-cloaked other than to lend the necessary spritz of sharpness required of a slightly stronger and somewhat more malty beer.

Overall, what seems at first whiff (no dog pun intended) as a fairly simple and straight-forward beer actually reveals itself to be fairly complex; all the while holding back from hitting you over the head with malt, hops and bitterness, and thus retaining a great deal of drinkability. I appreciate that they've kept on course for a true I.P.A. (more English in nature than American, and with a light twist of rye), displaying golden malts, a more than respectable 6.9% abv, and a reasonable 62 IBU's - rather than throwing in some darker malts, loading it with hop flavor, and jacking the bitterness to beyond 70 IBU's or more. Nicely done!

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 22:52:29 | More by NeroFiddled

RaulMondesi

California

2.08/5  rDev -43.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

My brother must have been out of his dome when he bought this. Rocket Dog? Wtf? I'll tell you one thing, rocket dog ain't come to save a hot dog thing. Smell, taste, appearance... everything, just nasti nasti.

Raul don't like it. Raul don't like it at all.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 05:59:02 | More by RaulMondesi

bmwats

Louisiana

3.91/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 650 ml bottle into a tumbler.

A: Cloudy, light golden hue. Giant, bubbly, white head. Slow, dry, deterioration, leaving some dry residue behind as it does. Pretty ridiculous beer ring lacing also.

S: Pungent, fermented fruity, orangey, raisiny, bready tone; with some light floral components.

T: Acetyl and raisin. Very piny and pungent with a nice touch of sweetness.

M: Mouth puckeringly bitter and very dry. Pungent, lingering aftertaste.

D: The feel dictates a sipping experience.

Atmosphere is really nice. Great head, with a dry decrepit deterioration and some solid lacing. Nose is very stong, combination of pungent fruity and bready components with a lightly floral character. Very bitter, with a slight balance of sweetness. Dry finish. Overall, this is a really good quaff.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 04:36:16 | More by bmwats

chinchill

South Carolina

3.05/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle (thanks Duncan) with a 18 July 2012 bottling date served in a snifter.

Poured a hazy apricot color with a good sized and durable off-white head that leaves ample lacing. The aroma is fruity, which would be nice except it doesn’t mix well with the rye and hop aromatics. The mix works better in creating a rich flavor. Has a very smooth and nicely full feel but turns a bit too acidic in the finish.

O: more like a Belgian rye pale ale than expected. Quite yeasty and the mix of rye, malts and hops did not work for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2013 21:52:40 | More by chinchill

GiantMidget

Pennsylvania

2.98/5  rDev -19%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Bought at Total Wine in Claymont DE.

Poured into a beer mug. Easily 2-3 finger thick yellowish white head that lingered quite a while.
Very golden.
Nothing remarkable in the smell, didn't smell super fresh, just the malt/slight rye scent, maybe a very slight piney/citrus but minimal.

The taste was very bready, in fact I almost felt like I had eaten a piece of garlic bread after the first 2-3 sips. The rye spice is present but not powerful. The hops are slight and unremarkable.
Citrus, maybe grapefruit and a lemongrass flavoring present as well with the breadiness.

Mouthfeel is pretty weak, it's not unpleasant but not what I come to expect in an IPA, especially Rye.

It's not very good in my opinion, it's not terrible but I think there's a room for improvement if they remarket this. Maybe I just got an older bottle (date on it is 7/2012) and some of the normal 'charm' that this could carry have faded.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 02:09:48 | More by GiantMidget

fauxpunker

3.78/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bomber. A bit cloudy, gold. Lasting white head. Grapefruit aroma, but something else, too. Banana? Good, bitterness with and hop flavor. Rye spiciness not there, but something else. I hate to say musty, but I’m not sure what else to call it. Like it. Good beer. Would definitely drinking again.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 20:52:32 | More by fauxpunker

Fatehunter

Oregon

4.3/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Into a seidel. Big three fingers of head that never goes away. Cloudy, dark straw colored body.
Smells of pine, lemon and rye. Lots of rye.
Strong lemon bitter taste, rye with a great spiciness to it. Amazing.
Crisp texture, medium body, lots of fizz.
One of the top rye IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 00:59:22 | More by Fatehunter

DavidST

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a pint glass, date of 5/25/12 on the side (bottled on??). This pours a slightly hazy yellow color with a massive (overly so) off white head which lasts for a while and leaves a lacing. The smells are a little sweet, some spicy rye, some floral hops. The feel is medium. The taste is good enough, a spicy amount of rye some bitter hops and a little malts.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 01:13:44 | More by DavidST

SaCkErZ9

Florida

4.05/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Served from a 22oz bottle into an imperial pint glass. Pours dark golden and slightly hazy with a huge, billowing, rocky and massive head. I could probably rest a bottle cap on top of this one without it sinking. The head is about three fingers in size and continue to billow upwards like the anvil cloud developing outside my house.

Aroma is slightly fruity with citrus notes as well. Kind of peppery but slightly vegetal. Perhaps a hint of some dirty diaper but nothing major.

Great flavor. Very floral with some nice spiciness. Citrus hops lend some bitterness but the real bitterness comes in the very long finish from the rye grains. A touch of corn present.

My only complaint is the mouthfeel. The carbonation was kind of low and the mouthfeel was quite thin. Perhaps the carbonation was kept low to counter the spicy rye and hop bitterness, but more carbonation would be beneficial. I really liked this one overall and is a great representation and example of a rye style beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 19:37:29 | More by SaCkErZ9

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pint glass.

A: Cloudy orange with lots of tiny bubbles and a giant, white, creamy head that lasted many minutes. Lots of foamy lacing.

S: Citrus and floral hops.

T: Moderate sweetness and solid bitterness. Rye malt with strong floral bitterness.

M: Medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. Smooth and slightly dry.

O: Not a bad IPA. The hop bitterness was a bit too harsh and floral for my taste.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 00:43:40 | More by SolipsismalCat

claspada

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a hazy deep golden color with a thick white head and impressive lacing.

Aromas begin with pale malt sweetness and some very light caramel malts. As it warms you get some sugar cookie and intense citrus and pineapple hops. More and more enmergin rye and burnt toast emerge as well.

The tastes begin with rustic rye that gives a strong pungent and earthy flavors. Spicy and deep, the rye gives a lot of complexity to the pale malt base and provides a bridge towards the spicy and bitter citric hop flavors.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium to high carbonation. Finish is dry and spicy thanks to the ample rye malt and citrus hops.

Overall this beer was a bit too pungent and resinous and spicy overall. While I love Rye I feel it may have even gone a bit overboard when you combine the ample hop bitterness that this brew possesses.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 16:36:01 | More by claspada

JackieTH

Minnesota

3.1/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Golden pour, slightly hazy. Rocky white foam head that persists. Some lacing clings to the glass.

Smells earthy, wet cardboard, herbal.

Taste has a flash of citric hop which is quickly buried by earthy, herbal elements which are overwhelming and not that great. Not getting a lot of spice from the rye. Finish is clean. Body is medium and holds together. Carbonation medium.

This is a mess of a rye. Not something I'd care to revisit.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2012 03:08:22 | More by JackieTH