Blue Dot Double India Pale Ale - Hair of the Dog Brewing Company / Brewery and Tasting Room

chaint

California

4.3/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

On tap in LA...apparently a rarity. Very murky clarity. A nice medium head and medium-to-light carbonation. Wonderful smell...a lot of floral hops and smells very fresh. Taste includes hints of mandarin orange. Great up-front flavor, but it finishes quickly...not a lot of bitter after-taste.

Serving type: on-tap

03-04-2013 00:05:02 | More by chaint

stoutluvr420

Vermont

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Hazy light orange liquid with small to medium white head. Aroma of tangerine, tropical fruit, sweet cereal, marmalade, pine and grapefruit. Nice and fruity. Taste is light sweet and medium bitter with notes of tangerine and tropical fruit. Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Fruity and not too malt forward.

Serving type: on-tap

09-16-2012 22:26:54 | More by stoutluvr420

PicoPapa

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap straight from the source. Pours a murky, brownish amber with very little head. Lots of lacing. Aromas of grapefruit, tropical fruits and orange. Taste is very fruity. Citrus and tropical fruits with some piney bitterness. Orange and tangerine at the end. Pretty heavy mouthfeel. Bitter flavor stays with you for awhile. Overall, oustanding Imperial Ipa. Glad I got a chance to try it.

Serving type: on-tap

06-10-2012 19:10:26 | More by PicoPapa

spicelab

Australia

4.1/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Unfiltered version from HotD tasting room, 25 Feb.

Uber-murky light brown with a smallish white head that retains very well. Probably the most opaque IPA I've ever seen. Kinda scary looking.

Lively, clean, bitter grapefruit and pine, with pineapple and orange-mango underneath. Mild caramel malts.

Strong breath-mint, Chinese tea and oily pine branch resin adds up to a seriously puckering bitterness. Behind this is candied orange, bitter lemon and grapefruit in spades. Properly intense hops.

Moderate carbonation with full-on bitterness results in a heftier than expected and utterly satisfying body.

Wow. This is in another world to the (filtered) bottled version. Massively in your face IPA with enamel stripping bitterness.

Serving type: on-tap

03-17-2012 04:56:05 | More by spicelab

Mar02x

Netherlands

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this beer pored in by Alan Sprints himself during the Alvinne Craft Beer Festival. What a fantastic moment.

A - A hazy brown beer with a white head.

S - An apple scent along with pineapple and fresh cut grass.

T - A floral hoppiness brings tones of mango and pineapple.

M - A soft carbonation and a bitter aftertaste, but not in a bad way at all.

O - A pleasant beer, but the body is a bit to thin.

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2012 20:05:29 | More by Mar02x

mfavoino

Washington

3.8/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at HotD Tasting Room on 2/19/12.

Appearance: Dark and murky orange. Looks like apple cider with a thin head that sits at the top of the body.

Smell: Lots of citrus and tropical scents jumping out of the glass.

Taste: Initially there is a fruity hop flavor, but it is overcome by a caramel sweetness and even some bready malts. Ends up with a lingering hop presence. Reminds me of some barleywines I've had recently.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and rather low carbonation level for this style.

Overall: A unique DIPA from HotD. Not quite what you expect from this style, but still above average.

Serving type: on-tap

02-21-2012 04:46:41 | More by mfavoino

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First had: on tap at their brewpub

Poured a pale, cloudy, cider brown with a small white head that retained and laced well. Lots of citrusy hops and fresh fruit in the aroma. More of the same in the taste--grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, white wine--nice sweet maltiness in the background for a sense of balance; dryness, pine needles, and slight bitterness in the finish. Medium-bodied, crisp, and very drinkable overall.

Serving type: on-tap

01-10-2012 16:34:14 | More by Rifugium

Mahlik

Oregon

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at HotD tasting room. Poured into HotD tulip glass.

A - Pours a murky dark orange/green with two-finger frothy white head. Head retention is solid. Great sticky lacing coats the sides of the glass.

S - Glorious citrus (grapefuit, mango) and floral hops pop out at first. As the beer warms, the citrus notes seem to fade away. The aroma becomes more earthy with a sweet maltiness. Noticeable caramel and biscuit notes swirl around in the nose as well.

T - The taste starts with grapefruit, pineapple and orange. However, towards the middle, the citrus notes are subdued some by sweet caramel and biscuity malts. The bitterness still seems to stick around until the end. An earthiness becomes more apparent towards the aftertaste. A slight spice element exists but it's very, very subtle.

M - Medium body with moderate-low carbonation. Clean and dry in the finish. Alcohol presence is about average.

O - Pretty good DIPA. Not your typical west coast hop bomb but I don't think anything about HotD is typical. Good balance but I do wish the hops played a bigger role.

Serving type: on-tap

01-08-2012 02:51:15 | More by Mahlik

zaphodchak

Virginia

4.43/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at HotD.

Lingering white lacy head. Pale caramel body.

Toffee-hops nose. It works!

Unlike any other DIPA I've had-- hops, but not too bitter, lots of toffee to balance, but not too sweet. Possibly bark-y, dog puns aside.

It's a DIPA that even I like! Who knew?

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2011 19:55:43 | More by zaphodchak

dbmernin83

California

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours cloudy straw orange. Looks like a Hefe, but with a smaller head.
Citrus hops on the nose.
Same on the tongue. Hop lingers just long enough. There's some malt in there somewhere...maybe.
Ok carbonation. Wish there was a touch more.
Great refreshingly hoppy "imperial" IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2011 00:16:11 | More by dbmernin83

dgilks

Australia

4.35/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Hazy pale golden colour with a nice white head. Fair head retention and great lacing.

Bright, fresh and fruity citrus aroma with a hint of sweetness. Very good.

Lots of punchy grapefruit and some mandarin. Really big hop flavour with only a moderately-high bitterness. No real malt other than that required to support the hops. Exceptional.

Medium light body with moderate carbonation. Great.

A really, really good DIPA. Lots of great hop flavour with a well balanced bitterness and malt profile.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2011 23:29:04 | More by dgilks

ehammond1

California

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On Tap

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

Hazy, murky orange and yellow with a very thin white head. Not a lot of lacing.

Sweet citrus aromas, along with caramel and bready malts, some floral notes, and peppery spice as well. Interesting.

A well balanced DIPA, though it is very bitter. The citrus is balanced in unison with floral and spicy flavors, and a sweet, bready backbone.

Medium to thick bodied, though it doesn't seem at all syrupy.

A tasty, interesting DIPA. Very bitter, though balanced well with sweet and bready malts and an interesting floral and peppery kick as well. While no characteristic of this beer particularly impresses, I think the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It's a joy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

08-11-2011 17:22:23 | More by ehammond1

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.28/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I finally get to try this fresh and on tap. Unfortunately, I remember it being just a little bit fresher when John shared a bottle with me a couple of months back.

Mildly hazy orange with a dense, white head with excellent retention and lacing. The nose has fresh, fruity hops with the balance leaning toward the fruity hop flavoring rather than bitterness. Malt character is mild. The palate opens with plenty of hop flavor with low bitterness. Very fruity, there's a mild malt character present. Medium-light in body with a dry, mildly bitter finish with a lingering fruity hop character. Excellent stuff.

Serving type: on-tap

08-08-2011 01:14:27 | More by DefenCorps

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the brewpub in the freeway ramp district of east Portland.

This beer appears a cloudy medium golden hue, with one finger of soapy white head, which leaves a thin bubbly wall of lace around the glass as it sinks away. It smells of caramel cream, grapefruit and orange rind, and leafy hops. The taste is bitter pine and anonymous citrus hops, and a softer bready caramel malt. The carbonation is moderate, the body medium weight, and tight, smoothness a dicey proposition. It finishes with a wave at off-dry, but we're really just talking various hop bitters, here.

A good DIPA, the booze is quite innocuous, but given the style border-straddling in the ABV department, that's minimum passing grade stuff. I liked it overall - what with the good hoppy west coast mentality stamped all over it.

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2011 06:57:37 | More by biboergosum

zhanson88

Montana

3.98/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Horse Brass.

Appearance: Pours a hazy copper color with one finger of white head. Good retention and lacing. Not your prototypical west coast DIPA, but still decent looking enough.

Smell: This is more like it. Citrus and some grapefruit, very piney, some dank hop character. Pretty solid.

Taste: Taste is probably more citrusy than the smell. I get more orange rind than grapefruit. Plenty of pine and dank hop character on the back end.

Mouthfeel/Overall: I was pretty surprised at how light bodied this beer was, but it was well carbonated with nice fine carbonation and very smooth drinking. Overall, I definitely enjoyed this beer a lot. It compared well with some of the other great IPAs I tried this night.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2011 04:25:01 | More by zhanson88

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Blue Dot on tap at Pony Bar, Hell's Kitchen, NYC.

Appearance: Served in their eight-ounce glass, the Dot comes looking like a wheat beer/Hefe- hazy yellow, mashed banana, hospital urine sample. Quite strange for a DIPA! Perfect one-finger head, very white and sort of Belgian. Good retention and lacing. Medium carbonation.

Smell: Grass, lemon, medicinal aromas, spice. Rosemary/dried herbs, fields of Provence . Sage, tarragon. A bit of soap.

Taste: Not as enticing as smell, but nice. Lemon juice, grassy bitterness. Meyer lemon, cough medicine. Astringent. Lemonade stand in the Midwest.

Mouthfeel: A bit too lemony/bitter, but tasty. Sour touch. Medium carbonation and flavor, medium-to-full body. Unbalanced but tasty!

Overall: I want more. So drinkable and different! Refreshing, enticing. Hardly a DIPA in my book, more like a mixture of Wheat and IPA, but super yummy nevertheless.

Serving type: on-tap

06-22-2011 23:47:11 | More by DoubleSimcoe

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

4.1/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Stone Brewery.

Tan to amber with a great head and plenty of lacing, especially nice looking for an on-tap serving.

Smelled and tasted wonderful, with oily hops being the dominant component, also with plenty of citrus, grapefruit, lemon peel, oranges, bitter pine, and a touch of toasty malts.

Feel wise it was slick with oily hops, medium bodied, and to me seemed extremely fresh.

A very nice selection, worthy of being on-tap at Stone.

Serving type: on-tap

06-20-2011 20:24:21 | More by AlCaponeJunior

JizackFH

New York

4.43/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had on-tap at Rattle 'N' Hum in New York, NY on 5/27/11.
Review taken from notes.

A - This beer pours a hazy light orange color. It has a small white head on it. The head has some good retention, and it leaves some specs of lacing on the glass.

S - It has a strong hop aroma up front. There are some nice notes of grapefruit and pine. There is also a nice big malty backbone, that balances it out nicely.

T - The taste starts off with a big hop presence. There is a nice grapefruit, pine, and citrus presence. This is balanced out very nicely by the strong malty backbone. There is also a nice orange citrus presence. The finish leaves some lingering bitterness on the palate.

M - This has a medium body and good carbonation. It goes down great, and has a nice smooth quality to it. It has a nice hop bitterness, but it is nicely balanced by the malt bill. There is a nice bit of lingering hop bitterness in the finish.

O - This has great drinkability. Is goes down easy, and the flavor it great. Overall, I really enjoyed this beer, and I think it is a very good representation of the style. It isn't as bitter as some of the other DIPAs out there, but the flavor is just great. I recommend giving this one a shot.

Serving type: on-tap

06-06-2011 11:56:35 | More by JizackFH

djeucalyptus

Oregon

3.73/5  rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

pours a slightly hazy tepidly golden caramel hue with orange highlights. a decent buff-hued head has decent retention and leaves some light lacing.

aroma is pungently citrusy hoppy. fruit. plum, peach, mango and grapefruit. very tropical on the nose, with a subtle malt aroma hiding somewhere in there.

taste follows suit, with bright, vibrant citrus and tropical fruit taking the front. the middle is dominated by apple, almost hard-cider like, with a bit of malt coming through in the finish.

mouth is perfect. moderate, verging on full. ample light and balanced carbonation. a good balance of slick, sweet, syrupy and fresh. subtle lingering fruity bitterness.

all in all, this is definitely a solid one. I remember the bottles i've tried having a bit stronger hop kick... maybe it's this keg? or maybe it's my tastes. either way, definitely a well-crafted brew that deserves to be tracked down.

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2011 01:54:47 | More by djeucalyptus

jdense

Oregon

4.43/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Surprised I haven't reviewed this before. On tap at HOTD tasting room, served by the fabulous Wendy, $4.50 for 12 oz. glass into HOTD tulip glass.

One finger white head, poured a bit foamy but Wendy took the spoon to it to ensure full pour, medium-slow dissipation with significant lacing. Cloudy deep gold body, no visible carbonation. Nose features the prominent rye aroma, complex hop profile, floral, grassy, citrusy. Taste mirrors nose, the rye gives this a unique taste profile unlike any other DIPA I've ever had. Mouthfeel on the full side of medium, good effervescence. This is a truly amazing beer, especially good fresh on tap at the source. First recipient of the John Michaelsen Seal of Approval. Well done, Alan, one of my favorite beers of all time. Very highly recommended.

Serving type: on-tap

03-18-2011 18:27:35 | More by jdense

Jgcarrick

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A
Light off-white head that led to minimal lacing inthe glass. Hazy. Not uncommon for an IPA or DIPA for that matter.

S
minimal hops. They're there., but lightly I smell centenniP, maybe Amarillo. Pine and citrus.

T
Excellent flavor. Not a floral or citrus bomb but a well balanced DIPA. it's got floral, and citrus nose. Sweet start and bitter grapefruit finish that I can taste well after my last sip.

M
Great consistency light on the tongue to start with a lingering weight that begs for another drink.

D. I like this beer and will drink it again. Reminds me of my favorite IPA's. A true northwest beer, with some interesting balance over the normal "balls to the walls" hop bomb DIPA.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2011 23:39:47 | More by Jgcarrick

hoser

Alberta (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I am sitting down to rate a bottle, but have had this numerous times on tap and the bottle and sorry Pliny in 2007 and back to back pints at Tornado the Blue Dot rocked on the Pliny. But please trust me I would not pass up a pint of either.

Knowing Alan and the brewery this bottle tonight may be a little less memorable.

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2010 02:12:29 | More by hoser

smakawhat

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A nice hoppy aroma consisting of a copperish looking color to brown/copper. Hops aroma is firm but not overpowering, taste and mouthfeel give way to a fruit finish, some type of berry that I can't quite pinpoint but a berry fruit which I thought in an IPA was rather unexpected (and wonderful!). Finish leaves a wonderful berry fruit that lingers. Excellent beer

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2010 04:48:28 | More by smakawhat

Chambic

California

3.88/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: muted copper, very hazy, like it was gonna be thick and chewy, with 1 finger of dense head

S: bright with citrus, with good hop character coming through

T: friendlier than it looks, there's definitely a good balance of hop, malt, and fruity flavor

M: not as big as I expected, body and carbonation are pretty much middle of the road, held up nicely by the malt and creaminess

D: it's a nice double IPA, but I'm tend to look for something more robust and/or aggressive overall

Notes from 02.09.10 Brouwer's Café in Seattle

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2010 17:39:43 | More by Chambic

ffejherb

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Capone's on 4/17/10.

A - Very hazy burnt orange/dark amber body with a dollop of dense off-white head reminiscent of ice cream that retained extremely well and yielded thick, foamy lacing all around the glass.

S - Pungent fume of tropical fruit akin to papaya, pineapple and mango resulting in an extremely sweet and juicy aroma. There is also a subtle hint of catbox in the background as well as sweet caramel malt notes.

T - Fruity hops dominate the flavor with a balancing caramel malt presence. Reminds me of tropical Starburst - pineapple, mango, citrus fruit - you get the picture. Rooty tooty, fresh and fruity!

M - Medium bodied with an oily texture and subtle carbonation. Finishes bittersweet on the palate.

D - Great example of a West Coast DIPA with lots of fruity stuff going on. Juicy and pungent, and certainly quite fresh on tap, although it didn't really blow me away like I was hoping. The flavor and aroma seemed to taper off a bit as I drank. Still, Blue Dot is in the upper echelon of DIPAs, as far as I'm concerned.

Serving type: on-tap

05-05-2010 12:38:02 | More by ffejherb