Turbodog
A dark, bitter, malty Budweiser, was my first impression. This ale was quite different from the sweet creaminess of the malty blonde doppelbock lager I recently sampled. Perhaps this is the difference between an ale and a lager, yet the Turbodog is also "cold-filtered"... Appearance is a pretty, translucent brown, with a fast dissipating, high foaming head --much like traditional Buds. Very little smell, definitely towards burnt toasted malts, countered by crisp hops but without the hops sourness on warmup. Taste to me, is dry and bitter...this is not creamy to the tongue or sweetened. The label depicts wheat grains...This beer tastes like it should be paler yellow, not brown, and wants to be drunk fast, not sipped. Carbonated brightness and cold clarity. There is dimensionality in the malt flavor, but pretty straightforward, but towards the burnt end, and the hops are definitely dry flavored but giving a tingliness accentuated by the carbonation and thinner clarity. Felt carbonated, thin, clear, tingly....nothing like the creamier blends I've been sampling. Drinkability average...not as much to be savored in the flavor as some of the herbed or flavored varieties. Not what I expected from a dark brown ale; too straightforward. To be quaffed.