Laughing Dog The Dogfather Review

Name: Laughing Dog The Dogfather
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.85%

For this review, I'm trying out my very first beer from Laughing Dog Brewery, who have recently just started distributing our area. From what I've gathered, every beer they make has some reference to dogs, hence the brewery name. They are also the first brewery I have tried out that is based out of Idaho, a state which is best known for potatoes and Napoleon Dynamite.

For my first go with this brewery, I decided to take a look at The Dogfather, an Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels. Now before I begin I wanted to point this out. When I first saw the name and label, the first thing that popped into my head was this....

Don't tell Snoop Dogg....er, Lion

The Dogfather pours a pitch black color with a thin filmy brown head. I'm not picking up any visible carbonation but the lacing left behind is abundant and sticky.

The nose consists of a rich scent of chocolate malts, oak, vanilla, bourbon and some roasted barley. A bit boozy smelling but pleasant nonetheless.

In the flavor, things get a bit more interesting. It starts out with some chocolate, vanilla bourbon and oak notes, which are of course followed up with a nice roasted barley taste. However when it comes to the aftertaste, I'm getting a surprisingly strong piney & bitter hop flavor (for an Imperial Stout.) Mind you this is accompanied by a chocolate and roasted barley taste, but the strength of the hops in the aftertaste caught me off guard just a little bit. It is a bit boozy in the flavor but it's fairly minor.

The palate has a fairly heavy body with some mild carbonation. All of this gives it a nice creamy feel and makes drinking this just a little bit too easy...

After having this, I can safely say that The Dogfather is a very tasty and well put together Imperial Stout. As mentioned earlier, it does taste a little boozy but any seasoned Imperial Stout fan will no doubt find something to love with this beer.

Laughing Dog The Dogfather - 9/10