Coaster Critique: Cant Dog

Name: Cant Dog

Brewed By: Marshall Wharf Brewing Co.

Style: Imperial Pale Ale

ABV: 9.7%

Cant Dog pours very clear, if you look closely you can see some sediment floating in there, don’t be concerned it’s all good stuff. The color is a dark copper with gold highlights and the pour produced a thick white head that hung around for the whole glass.

Just to give you an idea of how aromatic this beer is I could smell the hops instantly when I cracked the can open. I think I would describe the hops aroma as dense, it’s like a hops cloud floating on the surface of the beer; I pick up a lot of tropical fruit, mango and pineapple, some grapefruit and just a hint of pine and grass. The malt isn’t easy to detect through the hops but there is a slight caramel sweetness and some toasted grains floating in there, just a hint of alcohol in the nose as well.

The flavor follows the nose, very hop forward. The hops have a slight grassy flavor, some pine, exhaling after the swallow really brings out the fruity notes in this beer, citrus, pineapple, pear. The malt body has a toasted grains and caramel sweetness that do well to add some balance to the beer, the alcohol is noticeable but not harsh at all it blends in well. There is a really pleasant bitterness towards the front of the sip that just washes away at the finish.

Overall a super flavorful imperial pale ale, it did not surprise me in the least that it was the only beer chosen on all 6 Maine “Dream Team six pack” picks in my last post. Printed on the can is “We can and distribute one 200 gallon batch per week” so chances are if you pick up a can today it is super fresh and the reason the hops have such a big flavor. I’m a big fan of Heady Topper from the Alchemist in Vermont, I’m not comparing these two beers they are different and wonderful in their own right, but Marshall Wharf Cant Dog is that can of fresh hoppy beer that I want from Vermont without the 12 hour round trip drive, I can pick it up at my local bottle shop and it makes me smile just as much.

Cheers!

Chaddah

Drink Maine Beer

Chad Lothian

About Chad Lothian

Chad Lothian lives in Old Town, Maine. He is a craft beer enthusiast and homebrewer. Chad has travelled to brewpubs, breweries and brewfests all over New England.