Sea Dog Brewing: Wild Blueberry Ale

Well, yes indeed, I have returned. A few months shy of one year in fact. Last post I believe was in September of 2013: wow! To be honest the reasoning behind my unexpected leave of absence cannot be explained simply. Blogging for me has been a joy and a hobby and I think it's one of those things when you fall off the wagon it's difficult to get back on. As many of you know it was a struggle to keep this updated regularly and I don't know, I suppose the fact that I started brewing professionally for a new brewery in Redmond, WA (Hi-Fi Brewing Co) as well as getting hitched in December may have had an effect on my amount free time. Needless to say, things have been busier. Anyway, I am back, and trying again to jump onto the blogosphere bandwagon by posting up some more delicious beer blog entries to help guide you through the beer aisles (which I must say have been getting longer and much more numerous these days, especially if you're lucky enough to live on the West Coast). Ok enough chatter! Let's get to the beer!

As per usual I make an attempt to present you with a lovely back story on how I came to acquire this beer. My wife actually picked it up for me during a trip to Florida (such a good wife). The story goes that while walking out of the hotel on the search for refreshment she realized she was staying right across from a brewery. Fast forward and she's at the bar tasting all sorts of lovely concoctions. This wild blueberry ale was just one of many she sampled. And I must say: good choice!

A little background on the brewery: Sea Dog Brewing Company, they're actually based out of Topsham Maine and were founded in 1993. The brewery's namesake: Sea Dog is the nickname of their once loyal K9 companion when they first opened. In any case, enough about the brewery, lets see if their beer is any good!



Name: Sea Dog Wild Blueberry
Category/Style: Wheat/Fruit Beer
ABV: 4.70%
IBU: Unknown
OG: 1.048
FG: Unknown
Malt Type(s): 2-Row British Pale Ale, Malted Wheat & Light Munich
Hop Type(s): Willamette & Hallertau
Yeast Type: English ale
Special Additives: Wild blueberries
Bottled: Unknown
Bottle Size: 12 oz
Location Purchased: Sea Dog Brewing Company, Orlando, FL, USA

The Pour: A pale white head dissipates quickly to a light ring around the glass. The colour is golden yellow orange with a slight haze.

The Nose: Screams blueberry on the nose, a little funk, a little grape, minimal light biscuit and toast, I detect a little honey as well.

The Taste: Slightly sweet, fruity blueberry at the forefront, not tart by any means, malt profile is minimally expressed, mostly blueberry with a nice tingly carbonation. Body is light and the finish is clean.

The Verdict: Not a tremendous amount going on in this brew but it definitely delivers on its promise of blueberry flavour. I wasn't sure if it would be over the top sweet or if it would present itself as more tart but it wound up finding a nice balance between sweet and refreshing, which is something I quite liked. This is definitely a beer brewed for summertime imbibing, especially with the 4.70% abv. I'm still not certain if they used actual blueberries in the production of the beer or if it's simply flavouring dumped in. I would expect the colour to reflect the addition of blueberries and based on the aroma and flavour would expect a lot of blueberries to be required to achieve high amounts of both. Guess this would need to be investigated further as it only says on their website that they use wild Maine blueberries. Regardless it's a great summertime brew, so if you find some don't hesitate to try it!



Thanks for reading!

Zach