Flying Dog Raging Bitch

May 31st, 2010 beckel

For 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.

Flying Dog Raging Bitch Belgian Style IPA

Flying Dog Kerberos Tripel

August 20th, 2008 beckel

KerberosToday is a very happy day as it will be my first opportunity to try the new beer from Flying Dog’s Canis Major Series: Kerberos Tripel.  I was ever so happy to see this beer on the shelves of The Four Firkins while I was there for the “Wheat Wars” tasting (Good times by the way and props to Michael of A Perfect Pint for choosing some tasty beers and Alvey for hosting this event) and simply could not pass up buy the first pack I saw. This big beer is brewed in the traditional Belgian Tripel style using yeast to bottle condition this beer and allow it to continue fermenting after being sealed. This beer pours with a surprisingly small amount of head for a Belgian style ale producing about 1/2 an inch but it does stay for a decent period of time. The golden color of this beer is beautifully rich and transparent but it is still somewhat difficult to see your fingers if you hold them behind the glass. The smell of this beer is wonderful sweet malt hits the nose immediately with just a hint of bitterness in the end and light alcohol. This is certainly a good American interpretation of a Belgian Tripel style ale. Flavors are incredibly smooth, sweet flavors with slight fruit hints come first followed by a lovely hoppy balance that flows through the palate. For a Belgian beer this one has a very light mouthfeel and is quite drinkable with a bit of carbonation to remind you your drinking alcohol. With a 8.5% ABV you should probably be careful with this ale if you are not used to drinking strong beers but the flavor won’t remind you because it is so well balanced and smooth. I am excited to finish my 4 pack of this beer, anyone who appreciates a good strong ale in particular a Belgian that is more hoppy than usual will certainly like this beer. Give it a shot and ride your bike.

Flying Dog Kerberos Tripel

Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale

July 15th, 2008 beckel

Another great beer with gorgeous art work by Ralph Steadman from the Flying Dog Brewery. Their Classic Pale Ale pours a nice amber hue that presents orange and red colors depending on the light. Head is proper and fades somewhat slowly bearing a slightly off white color, the crystal malt likely aids in this.  Aroma is smooth sweet and hoppy. The flavor of this beer definately has some pale aspects but it is filled with a lovely hop flavor that is barely bitter at all because of the sweet malt present. The sweet aroma adds delightfully to its overall taste of slightly bitter hops and smooth finish. Mouthfeel is light. This is what I feel an American Pale Ale should be, full flavored and packing a reasonable 5.5% ABV. If you like a pale ale but are looking for something more creative this is a grand choice. Likely an ideal beer to cook with if you would like some beer flavor, but not too much bitterness. Anyone who likes beer should try this one, even if it may be one of Flying Dogs simpler style ales, it is none the less one of their best. Give it a shot and ride your bike.

Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter

July 1st, 2008 beckel

I have hesitated in reviewing this beer because even though I have a love for strong complex beers, I have not come to appreciate porters and stouts as much as I would like to. With that said Flying Dog originally from Denver, Colorado as of this year brewing out of Frederick, Maryland after acquiring Wild Goose Brewery in 2006, makes magnificent innovative beers that any craft beer fan can appreciate.  To say this beer has massive intense head would be an understatement.  Pours a heavy toffee brown colored head that is as plentiful as any good Belgian Ale.  Color is deep dark black that light can not penetrate. Smell contains hints of coffee and gentle toffee like malt scents but is very pungent. Mouthfeel is somewhat thick but your definitely not chewing on anything. Tastes of coffee and sweet toffee malt flavor in the end. Hints of light chocolate ice cream are almost present. Clean malt finish takes almost all flavor of alcohol away from this beer even though it clocks in at  7.8% ABV. Even with 85 IBUs this beers intense malt profile over powers the hops used. Part of Flying Dogs Canis Major Series this beer is certainly for craft beer lovers. Over all even as someone who doesn’t particularly care for coffee flavored beers, this one is darn good particularly on my second tasting. The intensity of the coffee flavors in this beer is rather lighter than one might expect from an imperial porter but it is certainly not lacking in flavor. If you try this beer in more than one sitting I am sure you will find more and more complexities as has been my experience. I would suggest this beer to anyone who wants a nice dark beer to sip on, particularly on a cold day. Give it a shot and ride your bike.

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter