Dogwood Stout
Review Date 11/10/2002
Try?
Re-buy?
Atlanta has a
secret. The secret is a brewery that produces world-class beers from
Pilsners to stouts, bocks to Octoberfests, winter brews to IPAs. The brewery
I’m taking about is the Dogwood brewing company, and if you live outside of
Georgia their beers will be hard to find indeed.
If you come here, though, they’re worth seeking out. The brewery deserves kudos for producing such wonderful beers under arcane restrictions set by an ignorant and uninformed legislature. These restrictions allow Dogwood to brew a stout but not an imperial stout, a Belgian white but not a Belgian strong, a pale ale but not a barleywine.
Previously, I reported that Georgia had changed its laws on alcohol strength allowable in malt beverages. I was wrong. Seeing Augustiner Maximator on sale here, a high strength doppelbock from Germany, I was certain that that had to be the case, but the sad fact here is that you can’t legally sell beer over 6% alcohol by volume in this state. Certainly, some high-strength beer does get by and is sold here. But for the most part you won’t see high alcohol brews in Georgia.
This is a ridiculous state of affairs. A local activist group, Georgians for World Class Beer, along with several progressive legislators tried to remove the antiquated-beer restriction laws from the books, but were defeated by reactionary right-wing religious groups and an uninformed governor who equated higher alcohol brews with increased teen drinking. Teens don’t pay $8 for an 8% by volume bottle of Chimay when they can buy 20% Mad Dog 20/20 for $5. The law is misguided and absurd to say the least.
Be that as it may, the Dogwood Brewing Company is doing its best to produce excellent beers despite the alcohol limitations. Most styles do hover around 5% alcohol by volume, including Irish-styled dry stouts like Dogwood Stout. This is a year-round offering from Dogwood and is brewed with roasted barley malt, chocolate malt, flaked barley and 2-row barley malt. The brew is hopped with Willamettes and fermented with an authentic English yeast strain.
I'm not alone in my adulation for this exceptional stout. In an article he wrote for All About Beer Magazine, brew savant K. Florian Klemp called Dogwood Stout one of the finest dry stouts around. He included it along with such classics as Guinness, Beamish, and Murphy's when listing some of his preferred examples of the style.
Dogwood Stout pours to a jet-black color with a thick creamy head and a roasty chocolate nose. The palate is rich with a smooth, silky mouthfeel
that strongly suggests bittersweet chocolate, licorice, smooth chocolate
pudding, and dark rich coffee. The finish is roasty bitter and hoppy bitter
all at the same time with a bit of herbal, minty hop bitterness thrown in
for good measure.
An excellent brew for a nightcap or to pair with a rich chocolate dessert.
Update, July 3, 2004: I am happy to report that as of July 1st, Georgia has changed its beer law to allow the sale and manufacture of brews up to 14% alcohol by volume.
If you come here, though, they’re worth seeking out. The brewery deserves kudos for producing such wonderful beers under arcane restrictions set by an ignorant and uninformed legislature. These restrictions allow Dogwood to brew a stout but not an imperial stout, a Belgian white but not a Belgian strong, a pale ale but not a barleywine.
Previously, I reported that Georgia had changed its laws on alcohol strength allowable in malt beverages. I was wrong. Seeing Augustiner Maximator on sale here, a high strength doppelbock from Germany, I was certain that that had to be the case, but the sad fact here is that you can’t legally sell beer over 6% alcohol by volume in this state. Certainly, some high-strength beer does get by and is sold here. But for the most part you won’t see high alcohol brews in Georgia.
This is a ridiculous state of affairs. A local activist group, Georgians for World Class Beer, along with several progressive legislators tried to remove the antiquated-beer restriction laws from the books, but were defeated by reactionary right-wing religious groups and an uninformed governor who equated higher alcohol brews with increased teen drinking. Teens don’t pay $8 for an 8% by volume bottle of Chimay when they can buy 20% Mad Dog 20/20 for $5. The law is misguided and absurd to say the least.
Be that as it may, the Dogwood Brewing Company is doing its best to produce excellent beers despite the alcohol limitations. Most styles do hover around 5% alcohol by volume, including Irish-styled dry stouts like Dogwood Stout. This is a year-round offering from Dogwood and is brewed with roasted barley malt, chocolate malt, flaked barley and 2-row barley malt. The brew is hopped with Willamettes and fermented with an authentic English yeast strain.
I'm not alone in my adulation for this exceptional stout. In an article he wrote for All About Beer Magazine, brew savant K. Florian Klemp called Dogwood Stout one of the finest dry stouts around. He included it along with such classics as Guinness, Beamish, and Murphy's when listing some of his preferred examples of the style.
Dogwood Stout pours to a jet-black color with a thick creamy head and a roasty chocolate nose. The palate is rich with a smooth, silky mouthfeel
that strongly suggests bittersweet chocolate, licorice, smooth chocolate
pudding, and dark rich coffee. The finish is roasty bitter and hoppy bitter
all at the same time with a bit of herbal, minty hop bitterness thrown in
for good measure. An excellent brew for a nightcap or to pair with a rich chocolate dessert.
Update, July 3, 2004: I am happy to report that as of July 1st, Georgia has changed its beer law to allow the sale and manufacture of brews up to 14% alcohol by volume.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
