To the point

It has been a slow start to 2019 for DOT Brew: a few rare special editions and exclusive blends, none of which have crossed my path. And then last week, in landed three fresh cans of non-barrel-aged beer and a set was very kindly donated to your correspondent by the guys in DrinkStore. There's an unusual reticence to name the brewery of origin on the cans; they just say "Brewed in Dublin". Third Barrel? Hope? DOT HQ, now that it holds a licence of its own? I'm sure it's no big secret.

The first I opened was So Far So Good: described as a New England session IPA, with a microscopic ABV of 3.2%. While that matches the "session" claim, there's not much "New England" in the appearance: it being an almost totally clear rose-gold colour. Galaxy and Amarillo are the billed hops, and there's a pleasant spicy dankness in the aroma, with an additional lacing of tropical fruit. This is all present in the flavour, but really quite muted. I think it's the lightness which lets it down: there's a watery feel, causing the hops to fade too fast, with insufficient malt to support them. A mere seconds after sipping, the flavour has shrunk to a mere tang of mineral water with a metallic bitterness on the very end. I wonder if this didn't turn out quite as planned: the description doesn't match and the taste is not quite right.

Moving on, it's an amber ale next. DOT's core bottled amber ale is a longtime favourite, so how is fancy-dan and fancy-can Intersection? It looks gorgeous: a crystalline auburn, topped by thick foam the colour of old ivory. The aroma has the delicious mix of fresh hops and caramel, though nowhere near as strongly as I'd like. The shadow of disappointment loomed again, and with less excuse, given this is 5.9% ABV. From tasting, it's not what I was expecting, but I can't say I'm disappointed. The hops quotient is lower than I anticipated, offering a punchy bitterness but not much flavour or complexity. To make up for it, the malt gets properly busy, bringing toffee and burnt caramel, increasing in intensity as it warms. The hops season this with a peppery greenness which is present but not terribly assertive, but it doesn't need to be. The finish brings it all in with sense of gingerbread or Christmas cookie which I found charming. It's an interesting sideways take on the amber ale style. Don't serve it too cold.

An IPA completes the trilogy: the solid-sounding Straight Up. Slightly hazy again, and a solid 6.6% ABV. There's no lack of aroma here, Idaho-7 and Centennial hops hitting the precise junction point between juicy tropicals and dry savoury seeds. The savoury wins that battle in the flavour, but it's joined, and enlivened, by a zesty citrus: sweet tangerine and candied lemon peel. While there's plenty of malt substance to carry the hops, and even a warmth from the alcohol, there's a pleasing dryness too, with not a jot more residual sugar than is strictly necessary for balance. For once the savoury quality didn't annoy me and I was able to enjoy this classically-constructed American-style IPA, just as it was billed.

Just one slight mis-step here. Otherwise DOT continues to show itself as an adept brewer of mainstream styles, as much as the casked and blended specialities.