Yazoo Brewing Company - Dos Perros

Dos Perros (“Two Dogs”) has been one of Yazoo’s flagship beers since the very beginning, and it’s an interesting brown ale brewed with German and English malts, German and Czech hop varieties, and a dash of maize to lighten the body for a bit of a Mexican impression. On the pour, we get a deep brown color with reddish highlights and great clarity, with a cap of fluffy tan foam. In the aroma, look for a richly malty character as it offers up plenty of toasty breadiness, some underlying caramel, roasted nuts, hints of cocoa powder, and a wisp of dried fruit. Hops add a spicy overlay along with a good dose of earth. The story continues on the palate as bold toasty character takes center stage. There’s just a hint of sweetness that’s easily balanced by a light hop bitterness that’s more than enough to keep this dry overall as it finishes crisply with a lingering spicy note. For pairing options, we’d look to barbecued pork, chicken, or beef. Roasted lamb or duck sound good, as well. In general, dishes with toasted or bready qualities should pair nicely, as would a snack of aged and nutty cheeses. Cheers!

Yazoo Brewing Co.’s founder and brewer, Linus Hall, got his brewing start in a familiar fashion, purchasing a homebrewing kit from an ad in the back pages of Rolling Stone back in 1993. Linus was, as he phrased it, “a cash-poor college student living in an old farmhouse in Virginia, and brewing my own beer seemed a little less illegal than the pot-growing operation my other housemates were involved in.” We’re typing this from California; we get where he’s coming from. His homebrewing habit continued after moving with his wife Lila back to Mississippi following college, and when the couple relocated to Nashville in 1996.

Fast-forward a bit, and Yazoo Brewing Co. opened up in Nashville in October of 2003, with a keg-only lineup of staple beers like Yazoo Pale Ale, Spring Wheat, Dos Perros, and Onward Stout. They quickly established strong local support for their draft beer, and their Hefeweizen entered regular rotation after picking up a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2004, just a year after Yazoo opened.

In only six years Yazoo outgrew its initial home base, and 2010 brought the purchase of a new brewing facility (including a 40-barrel brewhouse) in The Gulch, a historic neighborhood in Nashville between Music Row and downtown. If you’re in the Nashville area, be sure to swing by Yazoo’s latest taproom location—which they just moved into a few years ago. Having outgrown their downtown Nashville spot, they recently built their own facility in Madison, Tennessee, about 15 minutes away, on a 7-acre plot nestled along on the Cumberland River. The new place has got way more parking and great views from the patio. Learn more at yazoobrew.com.