Moon Dog Dasher’s Envy

Brewed by Moon Dog Craft Brewery
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Abbotsford, Australia

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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The closest thing I’ve tasted to Christmas pudding in a glass. How you react to that prospect will depend a lot on how you feel about Christmas pud. Me, I reckon once a year is about right. Bit too rich and spicy for more. There are some priming issues with these guys - every Moon Dog I’ve had to date has been a gusher. Not a Vesuvius, hit-the-ceiling gusher, but a "Whoops there goes a 10th of the bottle" gusher. That aside, this one looked good in the glass - murky brown with a thin but enduring head. The aroma ticks a lot of boxes for a Christmas ale - cloves, candied ginger, allspice. Not surprising since they’re added to the boil. First sip, and crikey this is Xmas pudding in a glass. It’s spicy, filling, nutty, with a lick of alcohol. Really nice creamy body. Warming finish. The spices became cloying by mid-bottle but Moon Dog are kicking some goals. (330ml bottle from Leura Cellars. 2013)

330ml bottle from Archive Beer Boutique. Another great looking beer from those crazy guys at Moon Dog. Crackling light brown foam above a dark brown beer. Spice in the aroma with a strong port like flavour that hits all parts of the mouth. Would be great in front of a roaring fire but equally good in our tropical climate.

Licorice and spice aroma. Pours dark brown to black with minimal milk chocolate head. Flavour is rich sweet licorice ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Bottle from Mane Liquor. Pours chestnut brown with a small, creamy yellow head. Nose shows the booze too much for my liking. What is there is pleasant though - floral hops, banana, cloves, dried and stewed fruits. Stewed fruits at the forefront of the taste with some nuttiness throughout. A rush of spice towards the end with a very long banana like finish. Creamy mouth feel and a little bit of heat from the booze. Really reminds me of those little banana lollies with its finish. Really cool stuff

Small head dark brown pour medium carbonation aromas spice port liquorice fruit yeast the flavours port wine liquorice cinnamon clove pepper brown sugar dried fruit lovely roasted touch maltiness crisp fruity dark tastes finish tastes really come out spice port yeasty goodness fruit crisp lovely aftertastes these sweet a lght bitter note really good to drink

Pours brown with a quickly fading head. Heavy banana on the noose, along with treacle, nuttyy notes, soft spicy hops and some light roast. Also some subtle spices. More roast as a flavour but there’s still a fair bit of banana and sweet treacle too. Needs a lot more carbonation. Interesting stuff.

Tried this on christmas eve and was underwhelmed... 3 weeks later its a different beer. Pours deep and dark, smells malty and complex, palate is big and robust, spices have taken a back seat to the malt characters which are chocolate mocha and savoury. Awesome

Bottle. Deep brown, some chunks, a beige head settles to a coat. Not the prettiest. Aroma of chocolate, prunes, mace, treacle. Full-bodied, smooth, carbonation could be a tad higher. Sweet with singed sugars, prunes, brandy. Very rich, but the sweetness doesn’t hang around - spices (cloves, mace) pumpkin seeds and citrus rind lift things away and bitterness creeps up. An attempt at a Pannepotish beer? Good stuff, may improve.