Name: Moon Dog Marmajuke

Style: Double IPA

Country: Australia

ABV: 8.4%

Beer description:  Moon Dog are an Australian brewery that are all about trying out some different flavours and different combinations. Moon Dog are always brewing up something new and different, often with a pretty good outcome! They’re not afraid to fail, which is nice to see, because with this attitude Moon Dog often hit gold! Of course, this mind set can sometimes lead to some misses. Moon Dog’s Marmajuke is a big Double IPA with citrus peels added to give it a marmalade and jam feeling.

For a Double IPA, the Marmajuke is actually quite pale, but there’s a definite tint of orange coming from the citrus. There’s a bit of head in the pour that sticks around to linger on top. The beer actually looks pretty mild, albeit nice and full bodied.

It’s a very malty smelling beer, with lots of biscuit and vanillas aromas, along with a general sticky sweetness. The smell of citrus is very mild; it’s there, but nowhere near as big as would be expected considering the citrus peels that were fermented in the beer. On the other side though, there’s some great hoppiness coming through! This beer uses six different hops, and they really combine for some good spice and earth smells.

When the beer hits the mouth, that’s when the citrus, especially, comes through. It’s pretty sweet up front, which, combined with the orange, screams “jam.” The bitterness at the end once again combines with the orange and yells back “marmalade.” The side of the bottles asks “what’s the difference between marmalade and jam?” Well, surely there’s some specific definition of the two, but really no one cares… the thing here is that the beer offers a side by side comparison of the two conserves. Jam is nice and sweet up the front, while marmalade is tart and bitter at the end. This drink is both in one.

All of this covers up the various hop flavours that could also come through, but there are some nice floral tastes that come through. On this, for a Double IPA, the sweetness really disguises the bitterness. It’s there, but well hidden.

Give this beer a shot, it’s quite nice and actually quite accessible. If you’re thinking “wow, let’s hit a crazy Double IPA!” though, maybe rethink this one.

Check out other double IPA reviews.

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