Brew Dog – Dogma (8/10)

Scottish brewery Brew Dog produces this unusual ale, brewed with honey, kola nut, poppy seed, and guarana.  If you’re not familiar with Brew Dog and you have cable television (maybe satellite), look for the Esquire Channel.  The show named “Brew Dogs” features the two men who founded this brewery.  They tour the USA, meeting brewers, brewing unique beers with them, and showing you the best bars and breweries in the cities they visit.

But I digress.  Pictured here is the second (or maybe third) bottle of Dogma I’ve ever had.  That should tell you something about this beer. 

The aroma is delicious, reminiscent of a Belgian dark ale.  You’ll find honey, dark fruit, a hint of spice, and malt.  The color is almost pitch black.  The head is finger-thick and a beige color. 

This is a beer that improves in flavor both with age and temperature.  A bottle that’s a few months old and in the 46-50 degree temperature range tends to have a sweet, complex flavor profile.  Below that range it tends to be somewhat bitter and unpleasant.

I’m rating it an 8 out of 10, which is comparable to Beer Advocate’s 81/100 and a bit below RateBeer’s 95/100.

ABV:  7.5%
IBU:  Unknown, but estimate 25-30
My rating:  8/10