Rahr & Sons "Dadgum" IPA

Hailing from the Lone Star State, this Fort Worth beer sports the name "Dadgum." My dad used to say that all the time (dad never swore) and I never even thought twice about the word. Turns out (if the internet is to be believed) it was made up by Warner Brothers to circumvent censors on TV. They just took "god damn" and swapped the first two letters on each to "dag gomn" and Mel Blanc pronounced it "Daggum." From there, it was a natural progression to add the second "D."

The brassy orange beer doesn't have much head right off the bat, and the inkblot-style pad of bubbles that is left on top doesn't really cover much more than 50% of it. The aroma leaks out as a pine-citrus-bread mix that is shy of what I would think of as an IPA proper, but it might be strong enough for a farmhouse ale or a similar weak-yet-tasty style.

First sip is pine, resin, bread, and various sources of citrus (leading the way is grapefruit). It's not as weak as the scent was, but it's not as strong as a super-hoppy beer like I expect from any IPA with "hop" in its name or an actual hop drawn on the can (like this one). Still, the truth is in the swig, as pretty much only I say, but it is bound to catch on, right?

Tip-in is sweet, grainy malt and resin. The middle is spikes and thorns of pine and sharp citrus/tropical fruits, but the honey and bread of the malt tone it down to the point that it's a sensation, but it's not an overwhelming one. The finish is tangerine swelling unexpectedly and a tart/bitterness that lingers a bit.

Bottom Line: Definitely its own take on the style, and it is not a bad take.

2.75/5