A Dog growls on Dame Street

As a small windowless bar without a kitchen, it was inevitable that UnderDog would only be re-opening at the last and most liberal phase of pandemic restrictions. There's no sign of that coming any time soon but the guys have pivoted to selling growlers for takeaway, keeping up their usual emphasis on high-end imports and first-run Irish beers. Walking down the stairs last Thursday, things felt briefly normal.

From the range on offer I picked an Omnipollo imperial stout: Mads, described as a "no bake carrot cake" beer. Too intriguing to pass up. 12% ABV means it's thick and creamy, though not boozy. I expected some spices but got none. Instead it tastes more like a chocolate cake: lots of cocoa and an edge of coffee icing. The novelty factor is provided by a strange earthy tang, which I'm guessing is carrot. It tastes more like peelings than the freshly grated stuff and I'm not sure it adds anything positive.

As an attempt to render carrot cake in beer form, then, it's a bust. But there's an enjoyable chocolatey strong stout under here and that's fine to be going on with.

I'll be keeping an eye on the UnderDog tap list when I'm in town: another habit from the olden days it's nice to be able to do again.