Beer #10 was my first, and only, truly hoppy beer of the event. Dr. Tongue is an India Brown Ale or American Strong Ale, depending on who you ask. Whatever you want to call it, this bloody-good beer has a 7.5% ABV and a grave-full of hops.
Over the top bitterness with lots more hop flavor.
Dr. Tongue pours a dark amber/brown with ice tea highlights. A ring of off-color foam encircles the glass.
Even though the guy pouring this beer told me it was a “Brown IPA”, the smell is where a began to question this categorizing. I detected peat moss, earthy hops, ice tea and brown sugar. These are all smells I normally associate with Barleywine/Strong Ale/”Big” beers.
And then the taste put me back on the fence. Hops hit you and take control of your palette until the very end, where bready hops come in to balance things out. These malts keep the hops from becoming too overbearing. I also detected hints of croutons and a faint smattering of brown sugar.
I expected a little bit bigger mouthfeel than what this beer had. It’s medium, verging on light, with the hops drying your mouth and leaving behind a bit of hop juice.
Dr. Tongue seems to be a beer that doesn’t know what it wants to do with its life. Is it an IPA? Is it a Strong Ale? It’s hard to say. Beer Advocate calls it an American Strong Ale, but the excessive hops in the flavor say otherwise. Either way, I wish it would make up its mind.
Overall: 7.5 out of 10
As an AMERICAN STRONG ALE: 7 out of 10
FOR FANS OF: Mendocino EYE OF THE HAWK, Rogue DOUBLE DEAD GUY, Lagunitas UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION SHUTDOWN ALE
