Black Dog Brewery & Eel River ‘Eeldog II’ Imperial Black Rye Ale

Rating:

14523059_578011675716315_7853199065087496638_n“Teaming up with Eel River once again, this has strayed to the dark side. With a good amount of rye to add complexity & spice, a mix of local HPA035 & American chinook hops. Rich, smooth, chewy, with a good hit of bitterness.”

Served in Black Dogs labelled Pint glass. She pours as black as the ace of spades and caps off with a short but extremely well retained head that works a wet and streaky lace trail down the walls of the glass. The nose is rich, hearty and viscous – perfect for those freezing nights in Taminick. There’s so much bottom end to this aroma, the solid earthy base engages with decadent scents of espresso, molasses, burned wood, tobacco, dates, fig and a subtle rye spiciness. The sheer complexity on the nose is just incredible. The mouth feel is creamy and luxurious but also somewhat sharp and bitey – the 8.2% ABV would certainly play a hand in that we’re sure. Quite a bold bitterness through it too as the weight of the beer is felt in the swallow. Very complex, much like the aroma. The flavour follows suit with an intricate fusion of earthy malts, espresso, charred wood and garnished with a peppery rye spice. Quite an aggressive bitterness surges across the mid as it leads in to a dry and roasty finish with very subtle hints of dark fruit on the back palate. We actually enjoyed one of these while chatting to James at his cellar door a few weeks ago. At the time it was great but once we got in and pulled it apart it’s even better! She’s rich, decadent and absolutely delicious. The IBA now has a new contender for the best beer in the range. Superb.