Blue Dot Double IPA is a vintaged ale released by Portland’s Hair of the Dog Brewing, and has garnered all sorts of acclaim. The bottle I had, which I picked up around Christmastime, read "Spring 2007" and it says on the label "Double India Pale Ale." So it’s of the infamous "Double" or "Imperial" IPA style, though at 7% alcohol it’s not as strong as some of those Imperial IPA monsters floating around.

Interestingly, HotD uses rye malt in this beer. Rye can add a refreshing, spicy character to the beer, though it’s not something you’d usually see in an American IPA. That’s Hair of the Dog for you—always doing something interesting.

Appearance: Nice straw yellow color—almost gold. Slight haze. Nice two fingers of white, fine head.

Smell: Nice resiny-citrus hop bouquet that’s floral, woody, and fragrant.

Taste: Intensely hoppy flavor—very bitter, lots of pine and woodiness, a tad oily but clean. Smooth, soft malt body at play, with an edge of sharpness that I’m guessing comes from the rye. Bracing. Hops are powerful strong, spicy, tobacco leaf, a touch of red pepper?

Mouthfeel: Bitter hops, washes the mouth and dries it out, while you get a puckering sensation from them and the alcohol. Medium-chewy in texture.

Overall: This is so far the hoppiest beer of the year. It’s excellent.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores a grade of A-. On RateBeer, it scores 3.77 out of 5 and is in their 95th percentile.