Tag: Sea Dog Brewery

A Review of Sea Dog Brewing Company’s Sunfish Ale

Sea Dog Sunfish

Sea Dog Brewing Company out of Maine was founded in 1993. They have grown and this is the second review of one of their products on this site. You can find the first here. This time we are reviewing Sea Dog’s Sunfish, a wheat ale with natural peach and grapefruit flavors added.

The beer pours a honey color. I didn’t achieve much head on this beer, most likely because of the glass as I had no issues with other Sunfish beers I tried prior. There is a pleasant aroma that highlights the fruit but also a touch of honey and wheat. There is moderate carbonation seen rising to the top.

The first sip definitely brings forth the fruit. The peach comes first but the grapefruit quickly follows. Grapefruit can be tough to include in beer as it tends to be too bitter but the peach flavor mellows that and just the citrusy sweetness is allowed to come through. There is also a note of honey. The wheat does not come through much at all despite this being a pale wheat ale. The carbonation is lightly moderate, just enough to lightly tickle your tongue, like a little brewed foreplay. Sunfish has a light mouthfeel as well.

There isn’t much aftertaste which is nice. You do get notes of peach and grapefruit after you drink but neither are overpowering. The finish is dry and has you wanting another sip before you are even done with the first. The fruit could have been overpowering but they aren’t and instead play well with each other, allowing each to bring out the best in the other.

Overall, this is a fun, refreshing beer. It is definitely something you can drink during the day at the ballpark, beach, lake, or cookout and at 4.6% ABV it won’t sneak up on you either. The unique flavor combination really works here and does make it stand out among other fruit beers. I’d say this is worth giving a try this summer.

 

Sea Dog Wild Blueberry Review

Sea Dog Blueberry

Sea Dog Brewery, founded in Maine in 1993, has grown fairly steadily during the craft beer emergence and now has a brewery in Clearwater, Fla. They offer a wide range of beers brewed in the English style, using English barley and yeasts. One of their more popular beers is their Wild Blueberry Wheat Ale which has won a few awards along the way in the fruit beer category.

The beer pours a bit darker than I expected, coming through with a honey-like appearance. There was a one-finger deep head upon pouring. I blame my glass for it dissipating so quickly. There is a blueberry aroma, as one would expect. There is also a slight wheat note and a scent of alcohol to the nose. There is some carbonation seen but it doesn’t look to be too much or too little.

Notes of malt, wheat and blueberries dominate the flavor. None are too dominant and actually play well together. When it comes to blueberry, it can be hard to find something that doesn’t overpower or offer an artificial taste. Instead, what Sea Dog has done is give you a wheat ale with a good blueberry accompaniment. This brew actually had more carbonation than I was expecting, enough to tickle the front of you tongue but not enough to kill the experience by any means.

The blueberry doesn’t kill the beer but the sweet notes of the blueberry rather make this a refreshing beer. There is a malty flavor that does poke through and balances the sweetness and tartness of the blueberry. There is a little creaminess to the beer but a dry finish. It makes you want another sip almost immediately. There is a slight blueberry and malt aftertaste but nothing that would ruin the experience in any way.

This is a pretty good summer beer. If you are looking for a refreshing beer that you can drink on a hot summer day but are tired of all the citrus flavors then this would be a good alternative. At just 4.6% ABV it is something you can drink a couple of.

Overall, this is a good beer. If you love blueberries you will love this. If you don’t like them then why are trying a blueberry wheat ale in the first place? Seriously, Sea Dog managed to find a pretty good balance here and made a fun beer with a flavor you don’t often see.