Old and Sleepy Dogs

Only realised how many beers seem to feature dogs of some sort...


Wrong time of year for describing this, but when I drank Gotlands Bryggeri Sleepy Bulldog Summer Pale Ale, it was Summer, and hot! I'd picked this up in a huge shopping mall in Kista, a little north of Stockholm while on a very quick trip, less than 24 hours in Sweden. I really have to plan trips better. Sleepy Bulldog has a strange aroma, reminiscent of burnt toast, almonds and fresh-cut nettles. It's thirst-quenching, but only delivers a fairly thin, green-hop flavoured juice, and a dry, metallic finish. Let sleeping dogs lie, I say.

Boxer Old is one of the few Swiss beers I've tried. Actually, I think the most I tried in one sitting was in Moeder Lambic, Brussels when they had a bunch of Swiss beer on special. Boxer isn't quite in the same category, being a simple, buttery-gold lager. It gives off a minerally aroma, grassy and light. The flavour is also light, but refreshing on a hot day, with hints of lime, leaving a vaguely oily-feeling finish and a gentle, grass-tinged bitterness. Could be worse!