It’s been a briny old affair writing these last few reviews; all Adnams beers fair reek of maritime goodness, and guess what? So do Cliff Quay’s…
I dearly loved Cliff Quay’s Bitter (https://yeastismybitch.com/2014/01/15/cliff-quay-brewery-bitter/) so I was naturally well up for testing out Sea Dog Strong Pale Ale.
Sea Dog poured a really nice orangey colour – in fact it’s probably the most orange-coloured beer I’ve ever seen: try to imagine the colour of turning leaves on a vine, if you can. The head froths up nicely and then seems to slip away quite quickly like a wisp of sea mist.
The aroma is fruitily malty with a very nice fresh, sea-air, sort-of theme. In the taste I got really gorgeous fruity maltiness, all wrapped up in a pleasantly lightish body, and a very long finish of autumnal fruity malts and a little dryness kept me interested and supping.
If I was to draw any comparison, it’s a bit like a lighter-bodied Adnams Broadside – but that lighter body fools you into thinking you could sink a harbourful of Sea Dog, even though it’s 5.5% and will sneak up on you with a lead-filled sock if you’re not careful and press-gang you into happy unconsciousness…
If you should see Sea Dog, do order it and drink it. A beer to enjoy when there’s a keening wind outside, the white horses are up and the shutters are rattling…
