Black Dog Ale - Spanish Peaks Brewing Co., La Cross
Style:
Amber
Serving Type:
Bottle
Alcohol by Volume:
5.2%
Aroma:
Fairly weak aroma, some faint hints of grains and dairy
Appearance:
Copper, almost brown in color. Lightly cloudy body, mostly clear. Very fluffy head
Flavor:
Mildly bitter, faint hops. Grainy flavor tastes a bit dry but quite like it were toasted
Mouthfeel:
A little lively on the tongue but mostly smooth
Overall Impression:
Spanish Peaks' Black Dog Ale is a flavorful Amber beer that is worth picking up. This beer, though lacking almost any aroma at all, has all of the qualities you should look for in an Amber. It's warm, vaguely toast, lightly hopped and reminiscent of salty bread.
This is a good example of an Amber beer done right. Black Dog Ale is the kind of beer that makes you wish you had a bowl of pretzels to go with it. I must admit that I was a little hesitant to pick up a bottle of the Black Dog Ale, for some reason I was convinced that Spanish Peaks is just a microbrew front for a larger multinational beer concern. I'm not sure why, but something about their packaging and their website just seems to say, "I'm really a wholey owned Budweiser subsidiary and drinking this beer acknowledges compliance with everything that is wrong with the state of beer in the world today." I don't have any hard evidence to back this up, other than the curious case of where Spanish Peaks Brewery is actually located... You see, on the bottle it proudly states they were founded in Bozeman, Montana. Fine, I've never had a beer from Montana... that sounds kinda exotic I guess. When you flip this bottle over and check out the fine print it says it's brewed in Wisconsin. Well, that's not too far from Montana I guess. Further investigation online indicates that their headquarters is in California. Uh, what?
Despite the confusing origins of this beer, it's actually pretty good. It tastes like a good Amber. It looks like a good Amber. What more could you ask for? I mean, if it walks like a duck... Anyways, the flavor of this beer is a little stronger than some Ambers I've had. The Black Dog Ale has a bit more of a toasty flavor, not quite roasted or burnt but warm and a little salty. It's a great combination of flavors they've put together here, nothing extraordinary just... tasty. I could easily drink a couple of these with dinner. The flavor is mild enough that you could pair it well with a sandwich, chicken, ham or potatoes and maybe a hearty corn dish.
So, until I find out that Spanish Peaks is really a front for one of the big three breweries I can definitely recommend their Black Dog Ale. If you're a fan of Amber beers I think you'll enjoy it. Actually, even if Ambers aren't your thing you'll probably enjoy this beer.
Comments
Post new comment