Dogbolter
Company info:
Matilda Bay Brewing Company
Dandenong South, V.I.C
Alcohol: 5.2%
Standard drinks: 1.4
Cap type: Non-twist
Cost: I picked this up for $3.30 AU
Label info: ‘The use of aromatic chocolate malt and chocolate wheat delivers an intense roasted caramel flavour, luscious rich toffee palate and mouth-filling maltiness. A refreshing sharpness in the mid palate is balanced by bold hop bitterness. Take the chill off it before serving with rich chocolate desserts.’
What the label really means: Sounds good – bring it!
The Hell-Cat review starts here
Label: By no means as good as Matilda Bay’s other classic label, Fat Yak, Dogbolter stands tall as a traditional style label that looks dignified and refined. Big strands of wheat swirl up to encircle the bold ‘Dogbolter’ lettering. The use of warm colours give the impression of a beer that is warming, comforting. But it’s also a tad boring.
I give it a label rating of 6.5 out of 10.
AROMA: A delicious chocolate, nutty aroma.
Taste: GLASS – One sip and you’ll be hit with the chocolate and nutty tones referenced so clearly in the aroma. It’s good but it’s lacking a real punch. I take sip after sip hoping that more taste will suddenly emerge, but sadly it doesn’t. Dogbolter appears to taste a tad watered down and a bit lack luster. I want more from this beer…I want meaty, chew through the flavour, smack to the chops, and I’m getting subtle sit-on-the-fence blah-ness. Look, it’s drinkable…it’s good but not great. I had such high hopes.
I give it a beer from glass rating of 6 out of 10.
Taste: BOTTLE – Sip from the bottle and you get a hint of just how good this beer really could be. It’s developed more depth, the flavour is stronger – there’s the nuttiness, there’s the chocolate swirls – intensified a tad. It’s almost there but not quite.
I give it a taste from bottle rating of 7 out of 10.
Song of choice: Try this alongside The Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage‘
Accompanying food: Chocolate cake would suit this brew to a tee.
Best season to appreciate: Dogbolter would make for a good Winter warmer. Bring on the cold.
All-nighter beer? I suppose the positive aspect of this beer not being overly flavoursome is that it does make for a good session beer. It’s not heavy so yes, it would make for a good all-nighter.
NEXT WEEK: Vale IPA
Hell-Cat's beer blog 
I check this blog and I am impressed with your work HellCat.
Thanks and best of luck.
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I’ll try another Dogbolter this week but last one I had was just too sweet for my palette. Great choice of song, and what a week to choose it – RIP MCA.
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Yes RIP MCA indeed…
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That video is one of the best examples of music videos of all time, too. It’s a rich genre, but that particular video is in my (and presumably many others) top handful. I’d say that, the White Stripes’ 7 Nation Army and the Late Show’s brilliant piss-take of REM’s Everybody Hurts are the best 3 music video’s ever. RIP Peter Brock too!
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I was never a Beasties fan, but I know the pain of losing a musical idol. Stop me if I’ve told this story before, but when Rob Pilatus from Milli Vanilli karked it, I didn’t think I could go on, but I did, thanks to the 5.2% chocolatey support of Dogbolter. It’s a genuine nine out of ten’er. I won’t hear a bad word said about the stuff.
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