Apparently I was not completely truthful when I said the other day that I was concluding my stretch of Flying Dog reviews that I have in the backlog.  After flipping through the pages this morning there was another one staring at me.  I would like to say again that this is the last one, but I really thought that before.  This is a good one so if it is the last, it will be appropriate to end the run of reviews this way.

I also said that day that I would soon be announcing the brewery that the month of February will be dedicated to.  After giving a few hints yesterday, I am going to wait until tomorrow to announce it.  I wouldn’t want to announce such a thing when doing a review from another brewery!

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, MD)

Name: Snake Dog IPA

Style: American IPA

ABV: 7.1%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pint glass.

Aroma: Prominent hop aroma (citrusy with a hint of floral).  Slight maltiness in background with a hint of warmth.

Appearance: Medium copper color (with some orange).  One finger, off-white head that gradually dissipates with some trail.  Very clear with a few visible rising bubbles.

Flavor: Medium to high hop flavor (a bit floral and piney?) with an equal amount of hop bitterness.  Low amount of malt character with a slight sweetness.  Medium dry finish with some lingering.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium carbonation.  Smooth with very slight warmth.

Overall Impressions: Pretty well balanced in my opinion with a nice amount of hop bitterness.  Very enjoyable . . . I prefer it to their Pale Ale.

Grade: B+

Flying Dog Brewery - Snake Dog IPA

Probably in part to celebrate the recent changes to the site and also because I am continuing to work through a stretch of Flying Dog reviews, I am inspired to dedicate another month to one of my favorite breweries.  I will not disclose which one it will be today, but in the next few days I will declare the brewery for the month of February.  Since the first try at this went very well and was a lot of fun, I am looking forward to doing it again.

On to what I think will conclude the stretch where I was working my way through a mixed pack of Flying Dog beers.

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, MD)

Name: In-Heat Wheat

Style: (Hefe)Weizen

ABV: 4.7%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a weizen-like glass.

Aroma: Banana aroma with a bit of spice and a light wheat/bready nose.

Appearance: Light gold to yellow color.  Two finger, white head that dissipates fairly quick with a little trail.  Appears clear with many visible bubbles.

Flavor: Faint banana with no noticeable hop bitterness.  A slight clove-like flavor that remains after a somewhat dry finish.  Relatively weak flavor overall.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body with high carbonation that give some bite.

Overall Impressions: Refreshing, easy drinking, and light (maybe surprisingly so for a wheat).  Slightly more flavor as it warms a bit.  Good, but not great (whatever that means).

Grade: B

Flying Dog Brewery - In-Heat Wheat

The changes to the site are coming along pretty well and I am excited about the new options I have with the current format.  I hope that the new look is well received by you all as well.

If you are keeping track, it should become obvious that I have come to the point in working through my backlog of reviews where I was drinking a mixed pack of Flying Dog beers.  Though I have not purchased a mixed pack of anything recently, it is a pretty good way to sample different styles and find out which ones you like enough to buy again.  At the same time I hesitate to by some mixed packs knowing that there are some included that I would just prefer not to force down.  What a dilemma!

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, MD)

Name: Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale

Style: American Pale Ale

ABV: 5.5%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pint glass.

Aroma: Moderate hop nose with a slight bit of fruity esters.

Appearance: Light to medium amber color.  Two finger, off-white head that slowly dissipates with some trail.  Very clear with many visible bubbles.

Flavor: Medium hop flavor with some bitterness in the middle and through the end.  Some malt underneath and some dryness at the finish.  Pretty well balanced overall.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body with high carbonation.  Some slight astringency at finish.

Overall Impressions: Refreshing and easy drinking with a nice amount of hops.  Not fantastic, but pretty good.

Grade: B (maybe to B+)

Flying Dog Brewery - Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale

Making changes to the look of the site is kind of fun and I hope that it will be easier to use for everyone.  There is much more work to do in the coming days and weeks, but it all is moving along nicely.  Feedback is certainly welcome.

Though I cannot remember specifically, I think that this particular Flying Dog beer is one of those (along with one or two from Dogfish) that helped to start my transition to drinking more and more craft beers.  During that time six-packs of Flying Dog were a staple of my beer diet and they exposed me to more styles than I was buying at the time.  Thinking of that, I really should make an extra effort to visit the brewery when we are in Baltimore in a few months.

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, MD)

Name: Tire Bite Golden Ale

Style: Kölsch

ABV: 5.0%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pilsner glass.

Aroma: Bit of grainy character with low hops and moderate esters (somewhat citrusy?).

Appearance: Pale gold color.  Full four finger, white head that slowly dissipates with no trail.  Crystal clear with rising bubbles visible.

Flavor: Light grainy character with very low hop bitterness and the slightest citrus note.  Slightly sharp/dry at finish.

Mouthfeel: Light body with medium to high carbonation and some slight astringency.

Overall Impressions: Crisp, refreshing, and easy drinking though nothing special.  More of a drink six at a time beer.  Decent, but not at the top of the Flying Dog pack for me.

Grade: B-

Flying Dog Brewery - Tire Bite Golden Ale

So I skipped my usual Friday beer review yesterday, but I have a strict policy that requires me to be a bit lazy on holidays and couldn’t go against my own rule.  Now today it feels right to kick off the new year with a beer that has one of my favorite labels.  It is just one of those beers that you must try after reading the label and seeing what a wonderful message it brings.  Read for yourself below.

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, MD)

Name: Road Dog Porter

Style: (Robust?) Porter

ABV: 6.0%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pint glass.

Aroma: Light, somewhat mild roasted aroma and a slightly bready(?) nose.

Appearance: Dark brown (coffee-like) color.  Full four finger head that holds well with some trail.  Clear with a few visible bubbles when held to light.

Flavor: Medium roasted flavor with a lightly burnt character and a bit of sharpness.  Slight dryness and some bitterness at the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium to low carbonation.  A hint of astringency towards end.

Overall Impressions: Good, but not great malty flavor.  Lighter body than I would prefer in porter and perhaps a bit lighter than expected from appearance.  Probably not my favorite Flying Dog, but I have said that before and should probably determine what my favorite one is!

Grade: B

Flying Dog Brewery - Road Dog Porter

Flying Dog Brewery - Road Dog Porter

Flying Dog has many beers that they produce (over a dozen at least), but Old Scratch is probably my favorite of those continuously available in “The Pack.”  They are one of those breweries that I am comfortable with and would purchase any of their beers knowing that it will not be a bad experience.  Of course some are better than others (for me), but you can’t really go wrong.

Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, Maryland)

Name: Old Scratch (Amber Lager)

Style: California Common Beer

ABV: 5.5%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pilsner glass.

Aroma: Light hop aroma with woody, almost musty notes.  Slight bit of toasted malt.

Appearance: Medium to light amber color.  Two finger (plus), cream color head that gradually dissipates with some trail.  Quite clear with many rising bubbles visible.

Flavor: Light toasted malt with a very moderate to light hop bitterness.  Slightly dry at the finish with the same light hop bitterness.  Slight woodiness at finish as well?

Mouthfeel: Medium body with medium to light carbonation.  Crisp and clean drinking.

Overall Impressions: Very interesting in that it drinks like a lager, but has some flavors and characteristics of an ale.  Likely (at least in part) a result of brewing at a more medium temperature in comparison to many lagers.  Enjoyable and would drink again.

Grade: B+

Old Scratch Amber Lager