Flying Dog Raging Bitch
May 31st, 2010 beckelFor a long time I have been an avid supporter of Flying Dog, their beers and their marketing. So upon hearing about their 20th Anniversary brew I knew I would eventually have to get some. The politely named Raging Bitch is a Belgian-Style India Pale Ale that I am sure will be a treat as their first batch of this brew didn’t even make it to Minnesota. I grabbed my 6-pack at Chicago Lake for a reasonable price so this ale should be widely available. Pours an attractive rich copper hue that is very translucent, producing close to four fingers of bright white head. With a small amount of lacing and a few millimeters of bubbles remain after settling. Smells of bright citrus hops, orange and grapefruit in particular, with wonderful earthy hop esters melding with earthy and spicy yeast notes. Flavor is delightfully hoppy with lemon, grapefruit & gentle orange esters that play with clean earthy hop flavors which are smoothed brilliantly by the Belgian yeast used in this brew. Gentle earthy, spice & fruit esters come from the yeast and produce a lovely play with the serious hop content and notable bitterness. The yeast contributes a lot to a delightfully clean, smooth and slightly creamy mouthfeel accentuating its solid medium body. At 8.3% ABV and 60 IBU this beer is far too delicious and easy to drink. It should obviously be treated as more of a sipper but I could easily drink pints of this all day in the sun. I am very pleased Flying Dog decided to release this anniversary brew in 6-packs at a reasonable cost and I hope they continue to produce it for years to come. Truly a fantastic brew and an amazingly impressive melding of two styles that can be enjoyed by most people. If you enjoy IPAs and Belgian Style brews this happens to be close to the best of both worlds. Perfect for paring with spicy or acidic food. Give it a shot and ride your bike.