"To Think, To Suppose, To Imagine"


Brewery and Country of Origin: BrewDog Brewery of Unit 1, Kessock Workshops Fraserburgh AB43 8UE Scotland, UK

Date Reviewed: 10-03-12

In politics, religion, science, or culture, dogma, or dogmata (plural), is a commonly held belief that, being true, is fundamental in establishing the ideology of the entire subject at hand. For example, the dogma of gravity's existance is needed to understand how to how physics works in the universe. Without an understanding of what gravity is and how it works, we can't establish the big bang theory, we can't explain black holes, and we wouldn't know why the tide occurs. The process of fermentation is dogmatic in the art of brewing. The conversion of simple sugars into alcohol and CO2 by yeast metabolism is what makes beer what it is, and without that understanding, the craft of brewing can't exist. The truth behind fermentation establishes what determines a beer's properties, including its alcoholic content, taste, aroma, and others. But the ideology that makes up the craft beer world's identity is more than just science. If you were to ask us the most important factor in determining a brew's outcome, it has nothing to do with boiling, mashing, fermenting, or conditioning. To us, the most universal of all truths and beliefs in brewing is passion. Without the drive, the motivation, the genuine love for beer and crafting real beer, results, let's just say, vary. Any brewer can get their hands on good ingredients, knowledge, equipment, and recipes. It is up to the brewer and how passionate they are about beer to synthesize all of the right things together to make great beer. Fortunately, Dogma is a beer which epitomizes the universal belief that passion is necessary in order to make great beer.
Date Sampled: 9-12-12 At: 7 Prescott Place, Allston, Boston, 02134, USA
Beer Style: Scottish Herbed/Spiced Ale
Alcohol by Volume: 7.80%
Serving Type: 660 ml Bottle, 16 oz Stange Glass
Rating: 4.11

Look

Dogma pours mostly smooth with a low amount of carbonation action, giving it a thin foam head with short retention. The beer's overall appearance is fairly similar to fresh squeezed apple cider: lighter brown, and glowing with a prominent haze in the light.

Aroma

Though this brew's foam head is rather lacking, it still gives off a strong malty grain, and alcoholic mixed aroma, full of banana and big fruity smells. The overall aroma is rather overpowering and definitely enhances the prominence of the strong, pronounced flavors. There is a very small amount of hoppy aroma detectable.

Feel

This is a medium bodied beer with a full profile, above average weight, lower level of carbonation, and a smooth texture overall. This medium viscosity beer is a sipper, definitely unforgiving in large quantities, and not a good hot weather beer. The higher alcohol content gives this brew a slight warming effect after the mostly dry finish.

Taste

The flavor of this beer is its most powerful attribute. Full and strong, this complex mix of flavors contains some fruity and clove accompanied by a large scale of caramel and molasses malt sweetness. The beer's overwhelming malty taste helps to mask this beer's alcoholic strength, which is higher than average. There are also spices and a small bit of herbal elements present as well. The finish is dry with a slightly lingering hoppy/bitter aftertaste. This beer goes great with spicy teriyaki beef and broccoli.

Our Take

Dogma is exactly what brewers look for in a result. More importantly, this is a beer that beer drinkers want. This is a genuine testiment to Scottish brewing magic, a real example of what real beer is all about. A full and complex presence will incite and provoke even the most astutue of beer drinking specialists. First thing to know about this beer: this is no ordinary British ale. Spice, caramel malt, and clove are all flavors to be expected and enjoyed with this well balanced, hoppy finishing beer. Sure, this isn't going to be a forgiving beer for those who prefer something more drinkable, something on the lighter side, but if you treat this beer like a real treat, prepare to be... treated. This is a rare and hard to find beer which you will not be able to find on tap in the US, but it is just as awesome as any other high quality, boutique craft brew in a bomber. There is something to be said about a beer that can deviate from the norm so much, yet retain enough poise and robustness that tradition really couldn't matter less. As implied, this is a very unique beer which delivers quite an unprecedented experience. If you are a hoppy beer fan, you might not be as impressed, as the only real detectable bitterness comes with a dry and hoppy finish. Otherwise, you're really in for something special. Please give this beer a real chance to put a smile on your face. It's rare, expensive, and somewhat unforgiving, but as we've made clear earlier, beer is all about passion. That's a brewing dogma, and it applies to beer drinking as well.