Hair Of The Dog Brewing Co. Blue Dot Double IPA
Hair Of The Dog, my favorite little brewing company in the brewing nirvana that is Portland, Oregon, is one of the couple of breweries whose beers I always have on my radar. Whether it’s during a trip to New York where you can occasionally find some of their offerings, or a rare trip out west, I always look to come back with a couple of their beers to try, and maybe to hold onto to for a while and see how they develop. This past trip out to Portland I was on the lookout for their Blue Dot IPA, a beer I’d tried on draft during our previous trip.
I still remember the evening that I first tried it during that previous trip. It was also my first visit to the Horse Brass pub. We were with some friends, and after dinner, knowing that we were interested in beer, they took us to the Horse Brass. I still remember being floored by the scope of their draft menu, especially the number of incredible IPAs. Of the beers we tried that evening, the Blue Dot IPA left an indelible impression on me.
Fast forward a year or so, and during our next trip to Portland we stopped at another beer institution, Belmont Station. We only had a brief afternoon in town, and were pretty tired at the mid-point of our trip, and so Belmont Station was the perfect stop. After perusing their selection for a while and selecting a few bottles to take home, we ordered some beers and sat on their patio for about an hour, catching our breath and relaxing in the sun. We picked up the Blue Dot IPA here, along with a bottle of 2008 Alaskan Smoked Porter, and a couple of other things. The hard part was not choosing what to get, but reconciling our selves to the fact that we couldn’t take home everything we wanted to. I suppose you have to leave something for a future visit!
While all of HotD’s beers are pretty hop-forwards, the Blue Dot is their real hop monster. It’s brewed to a strength of 7% (1.074 original gravity), using a combination of barley and rye malts. 80 IBUs are packed in there (I haven’t found any info on which hop varieties they use).
Blue Dot pours crystal clear, with a rich golden color, a fluffy white head, and medium lacing. The nose is a barrage of evergreen, piney hops. In fact, it reminds me of Christmas trees and the pitch left on your hands after you bring one into your house. In much the same way, the hop aroma quickly fills the room I’m drinking this in. The palate is medium textured and slightly velvety at the end. There’s just enough carbonation to liven up the flavors without being overwhelming. Flavors of citrus, resin, and piney hops dominate, supported by caramel, grain, and honey. As the beer warms the layer of caramel and grain thickens, sweetening the beer. In the finish, more hops, medicinal and piney, along with a touch of creme caramel.
This is really a vehicle for hops, plain and simple. As with the other HotD beers that I’ve tried, there is a layer of creamy sweetness supporting all of the flavors. I found it to be a big beer though, so see if you can split a bottle with someone, or find it on draft close to home.
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