Emerson’s Bird Dog IPA

Brewed by Emerson’s Brewing Company (Lion Brewing)
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Dunedin, New Zealand

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Growler and later bottle, notes from last year: Beautiful beer, full of flavour that just hits the nail on the head. Fantastic and very different from keg and bottle; i prefer the bottle conditioning more. Well worth a try for hop heads, a really good job emerson’s: please keep it up.

I have put off reviewing this beer for a while, fearing that I would come on way too strong and sound like some kind of desperate Emersons groupie or something. But I’ve just finished what must be my 6th bottle and now I feel confident enough to say that this is my all-round favourite beer (so far in my short life, knock on wood!) There is nothing SPECTACULAR about this beer. It is not David Lee Roth swinging across the stage on a wire, singing Panama. It does not include a guitar solo by Eddie or Steve or Satch, or whoever. What it does contain is a deliciously simple, yet effective malt bass-line which winds itself through, and joins together, a whole host of beautiful, yet understated guitarists, singers, drummers, and even Zappa’s Ruth Underwood in the creamy finish. It is the kind of beer I could drink anytime, and it is the kind of beer I would not hesitate to give to a mainstream drinker as a gateway to the real stuff. I have drunk a lot of truly spectacular beers recently, but I wouldn’t necessarily want to drink them all the time. If I had one wish, it would be to begin each tasting with a glass of this, just to keep it real.

A slight haze in a golden orange body, with a spongecake-like white head that sank into the top of the beer. With a bit of agitation it gives a slight green tinge to the head. There must be hops. A foray with my nose confirms this with aromas of orange peel, pine resin, grass clippings and a slightly off funk. There’s also glazed apricot tart there as well. Some time in the glass sees the funk subside completely. A full on prickly mouthfeel from the carbonation with first sweet and then oily orange peel flavours carried along by a rush of bitterness. It is all at once spicy and tangy, sweet and juicy. The bitterness softens on the palate a little but provides a constant reminder of that orange oil flourish. Lovely filled sponge flavour makes this beer seem like a pine tree that has fallen across a cakestall. Now there’s an image. I’m particularly interested in this beer as a showcase for Cascade hops and so I enjoy the educational value that it offers. I’d like to see more single hop beers on the market for this reason.

Hazy amber colour with thick white head. Marmalade citrus nose. Subtle hop flavour and zesty mouthfeel. Well balanced and very refreshing.

UPDATED: MAR 19, 2013 What a tremendous beer! Pours perfectly cloudy copper, with a nice white head and, if I really want to be a bitch, perhaps I can accuse her of being a bit just too much on the bubbly side, not creamy enough. But a PERFECT aroma of dessert ice wine. I would have guessed it’s some New Zealand hops that I could not precise, but apparently this is Cascade, eh? Anyway, this aroma is one of the few things that make an IPA unforgetful. I noticed that this website has the same beer listed with an incomplete name, as an American Pale Ale, which is absurd, as this nose and flavour is so kiwi! And this flavour is BITTER. Yes, pretty daring, but always on the pleasant, lively side. Fruits, with grapes, of course - I don’t taste anything citrusy - and a bit more of a melon thing. Floral notes, but very typical of these few IPAs that dare without spoiling the masterpiece balance between malt (one would never know it’s there) and hops. The finish is floral again, hoppy, long and incredibly alluring. Emerson’s did it! This Bird Dog is among the best IPAs ever.

This beer looks great. Deep, hazy gold, with a lively body which settles after a few minutes with a huge, lasting, frothy, pillowy, white head. Aroma is also impressive, luscious, fresh pine hop and a sharp resin, with an undercurrent of malt sweetness and a little honey. The taste is hop, hop, hop with only a hint of that malt sweetness in the middle to prop it up. Its light to medium bodied, slick in the mouth with quite lively carbonation. The hops dont stop - a long heavy, moderately astringent bitter finish. Awesome.

Quite a soft APA which enhances the length on the palate. Poured quite frothy (but that could be my fault). Nice golden colour, and a drier bitterness on an APA scale.