As you may have guessed, the folks over at Thirsty Dog like man’s best friend.  In fact, this brewery is fairly recognizable from the names they give their brews, and the long dog bone shaped taps they have.  For example, aside from Thirsty Dog Barktoberfest, they also have Maibark and Old Leghumper.  If naming is any indication, then the brewery is definitely not your run of the mill runt in the litter.  So how does Thirsty Dog Barktoberfest stack up to the other seasonal brews?  

Sight:  A nice copper hue with an off white head.

Smell:  There’s a good caramel malt with a nice hazelnut background.  There are also notes of cedar, pine, and toast as well.

Sip:  It starts off sweet, and stays a bit that way thanks to a highly malty character, and a bit of a caramel biscuit sort of flavor.  It gets a little hoppy from time to time, balancing with a little pine and citrus.  There’s this wonderful kind of milk chocolate – cocoa note runs thought the background giving the body depth.  The carbonation is well balanced.  [A.B.V. 6%]

Savor:  The chocolate gets a little darker, and the caramel mutes, a more smokey, woody kind of flavor picks up with a mildly hoppy character.

Thirsty Dog Barktoberfest is a really fun kind of beer, that while not for sessioning, is deeply complex and satisfying for both malt lovers and fans of hops.  While it doesn’t slam dunk in either camp, it does something that’s critical for anything, it reaches balance.  It conveys a clear picture of all it’s caramel and citrus flavors, without being overwhelmed by either, and remains palatable.  Barktoberfest is definitely worth a try, it may even leaving you howling for more.

Verdict:  Malty, Hoppy, Balanced
Price: $1.99
Akron, Ohio
http://thirstydog.com/