I hesitated in writing a post today, given what is happening in Fort McMurray at the moment. Tragic and horrible events like the wildfire properly put what I do in perspective. I write about beer. At moments like these it seems frivolous. Part of me felt I should devote this space today to pointing people to the Red Cross donation site (it is here, so go and donate) or offering a brief note of encouragement to the evacuees. I could do that. But many others are doing a great job of helping and I trust that regular readers of this site are community-minded people and are already doing what they can.

So, after contemplation, I decided to just keep doing what I do and write about beer. (There are some beer-related fundraising efforts in the works and I will dutifully promote them once plans are finalized.)

So today is my take on what may be one of the most interesting projects to come around these parts in a long time.

It is Yukon Spirit Dog. The good folks at Yukon Brewing regularly distill batches of their Lead Dog old English ale to create a bierschnapps. Spirit Dog is a blending of fresh Lead Dog with a portion of the bierschnapps. The idea is that it intensifies the Lead Dog experience, plus ups the alcohol to 11%.

It goes without saying I snapped a bottle up just as soon as I saw it on the shelf. It is dark brown with a mahogany accent. It builds a medium tan head which is thick and tight and creamy looking. From a rough glance looks like a Lead Dog but seems both richer and redder than the original.

The aroma has light chocolate, hints of cherry, oak, vanilla, sherry, touches of light nutty coffee, some alcohol warmth and molasses, velvety cream. In short there is a lot going on and I haven’t even taken a sip yet.

I finally take a pull and find dark fruit, creamy chocolate, and some light roast start things off. Underlying all of this is a quiet, smooth sherry character that adds complexity. The middle gets curious. I pick up some light wood, a stronger cherry and plum flavour, along with molasses. Yet the beer also thins out a little bit. I am not sure why. The finish sharpens again, with alcohol warming, some roast, dark cherry and sherry and some cola. In the linger the molasses, alcohol warming and dark fruit remain. A light alcoholic coating builds on the roof of my mouth as I sip, like a schnapps would do. The mouthfeel is quite silky, like satin sheets.

Spirit Dog is a complex, intriguing beer. It is surprisingly smooth and gentle yet offers a cascade of flavours. I can spot Lead Dog in there, but she has changed. It is more ephemeral and wispy, yet also more earthy and grounded. Not sure what I think of the linger, but it intrigues me. I paid close attention to this beer every sip to the end.

As a warning they have packaged Spirit Dog in 650-ml bombers, which feels almost dangerous. For the record, I poured myself half and re-capped the bottle (the advantages of being a homebrewer) for a second round the next night.

The big bottle is something of a pity, but the beer inside it is interesting, intriguing, tantalizing and complex. What more could you ask for in a dog?