Sea Dog Brewing Company - India Pale Ale

Sea Dog has produced an IPA for many moons, but this particular beer is a new recipe, and we were fortunate enough to taste it alongside the previous version for comparison. Now a touch lighter in color than before, Sea Dog’s IPA presents a clear, light amber copper hue on the pour, with a plentiful, creamy head. A pleasant aroma of caramel malt is apparent, with a lightly toasty quality, a nicely spicy and floral hop note, and some mild buttery undercurrents brought to you by the classic English Ringwood yeast strain Sea Dog employs to handle the fermentation duties across their lineup. On the palate, the malt sweetness is mild to moderate, with some caramel notes hitting upfront accompanied by a firm, but not over-the-top, hop bitterness. Light impressions of alcohol combine with the acidic hop bitterness to provide a counterpoint to the sweetness of the malt, with the hops also lending a fruity citric zest note. Try this IPA in the company of some spicy Indian cuisine or a plate of Buffalo wings. Cheers!

Sea Dog Brewing Company was founded in 1993 by Pete Camplin in the old seaside town of Camden, Maine. Being in the construction industry as a restorer of old buildings, and being a passionate homebrewer since his college days, Pete surprised no one when he decided to build a 240-seat brewpub and microbrewery out of an old run-down shoe factory. Inspiration for the name came from his dedicated sailing companion, his dog Barney. Though Barney has long since passed on, he lives on as a mascot on every Sea Dog label.

Camplin and Sea Dog Brewing Company opened up a second location in 1995: a 540-seat restaurant and brewery in downtown Bangor, along the scenic Penobscot River. A few years later, in 2002, the brewing company came into the ownership of entrepreneur Fred Forsley and famous master brewer Alan Pugsley. Pugsley (a Brit whose work with numerous brewpubs and smaller breweries, as well as his well-known Shipyard Brewery, makes him one of the more influential brewers of the craft beer renaissance in the U.S.) and crew have continued Camplin’s vision of brewing a full portfolio of tasty handcrafted ales to be served with great food in a fun atmosphere. Currently, there are three Sea Dog brewpub locations: the aforementioned Bangor location, as well as one in Topsham at a wonderful spot on the Androscoggin River, and one near the Maine Mall in South Portland.

For more information about the Sea Dog brewpubs, call (207) 871-7000 or visit their website at www.seadogbrewing.com.