Afternoon Beer Break: Dogfish Head Perfect Disguise

Sometimes, when you head to the store, you know perfectly well what you’re looking for. Perhaps it’s your favorite camping beer (in my case, the Founder’s All Day IPA), or your favorite pumpkin beer now that cooler weather is approaching (hey, you do you – I’ve found some really good ones out there from Southern Tier and New Belgium). Then, you sometimes peruse the loose bottles, and something catches your eye. That’s precisely how a bottle of Dogfish Head Perfect Disguise ended up in my cart.

The hops are driving this show – as it should be!

I’ve had some stuff from Dogfish before, but I’ve stuck with the IPAs. To look at the label artwork, you might think you’re getting into the German-style Kolsch, what with the lederhosen and wheat stalks on the label. That’s just what they want you to think. It even pours a golden hue like a Kolsch, and maybe you get some of those hints. But dig deeper into what your tastebuds are telling you (and what you see on the label), and you find out that, yes, this beer is disguised.

As it turns out, I was still firmly in the world of IPAs from Dogfish, because the Dogfish Head Perfect Disguise is actually a double IPA – so, call it happenstance, serendipity, or just dumb luck, whatever. This was a beer that was right in my wheelhouse. On the nose, I was definitely picking up orange notes (or citrus, if you prefer), and that continued on to the first notes on the tongue.

Overall, I found the Dogfish Head Perfect Disguise to be crisp and light, so you do have some of that Kolsch style carrying forward, though you do have a bit of a tartness popping up on the backside. All in all, it’s an interesting take on the style, and mixes things up a bit. For me, that translates into a solid 4 out of 5 – would recommend, and would sip again. Just sip responsibly – at 8%, you want to respect this set of Groucho glasses. dogfish.com