Category Archives: Flying Dog

Hi guys.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the In-Heat Wheat produced by the Flying Dog Brewery located in Frederick, Maryland.

It’s been sometime since I last had a Flying Dog brew and with the warm weather starting to be an everyday occurrence now, I figured a Hefeweizen might suit the mood.

From the website, flyingdogales.com, we find this enticing description.

Brewed in the centuries old tradition of German beers, our brewers use more wheat and proprietary yeast to give it the unmistakable character of a flavorful, authentic Hefeweizen. The High proportion of wheat gives In Heat its smooth, full-mouth feel and our special yeast gives it its unique fruity and spicy aroma. 

Let’s give it a taste.

This brew has an ABV of 4.7% and it comes in a 12 oz. bottle.

It poured a very cloudy orange to orange/yellow color.  The head was very white, soft and kind of soapy.  The size was decent, but not quite on par with some of the other Hefe’s I’ve seen.  The retention time was below average and the lacing was sparse.

The nose brought forth hints of banana, orange slices and touches of lemon citrus.  A befitting amount of wheat and grain circled the entire nose while spices of pepper and clove hid underneath to create, all in all, a decent smelling beer.

The taste seemed a little more relaxed than the bouquet.  I still found heavy savors of wheat and grain, however the banana, lemon citrus and orange zest could have used a little more “pop” in my opinion.  Even the spices of clove and pepper seemed a touch meager.  Nothing horrible by any means, but not quite as strong or forthcoming as I was expecting it to be.

The mouthfeel was medium to medium/light bodied.  Very smooth, crisp, refreshing, thirst quenching, a bit snappy and actually quite dry.  The carbonation was good and an “ok” amount of flavor was left behind on the palate after each gulp.

Well, this beer was mostly average in my opinion.  Don’t get me wrong, I had a blast drinking it and I know that it would fit in perfectly well around the BBQ pit during the heat of Summer.  It’s super easy to drink, straight forward and has no frills attached to it.  Just turn it up and drink.  If you haven’t tried the Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat, pick up a bottle when the sun is blazing and let me know what you think.  As I’ve mentioned several times before, the Hefeweizen style is one that has never blown me away.  I don’t have a problem drinking them, but I’m just having a hard time finding one that continually entices me to seek it out when I go beer shopping.  If you guys have any suggestions be sure to let me know.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.25 out of 5
Grade:  C+ 

For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be drinking a Flying Dog Raging Bitch produced by the Flying Dog Brewery located in Frederick, Maryland.

For years Flying Dog has been a brewery that has churned out very solid beers and I have reason to believe that this offering will hold true to form.

The Raging Bitch is classified as a Belgian Style IPA, so this may be a tad different than a typical IPA.

From the website, flyingdogales.com, we find this blip about the Raging Bitch.

Raging Bitch was brewed in commemoration of our 20th anniversary.  It quickly became one of the hottest craft beers of 2010.  And once you let a Bitch out of its cage, there’s no controlling it.  Raging Bitch became a part of our regular Canis Major lineup in 2011.

In the glass it goes…..

This Flying Dog brew has an ABV of 8.3% and comes in a 12 oz. bottle.

The appearance was a deep orange to amber color with some burnt orange and yellow highlights around the bottom of the glass.  The pour produced a very large, off white head that was mostly soapy, but had spectacular retention.  It took forever to calm down.  The lacing was mostly patchy, however a few cobwebs grazed the side of the glass as I sipped.  Once the brew warmed a bit it started to clear up very nicely.

The aroma started with a strong hint of grapefruit combined with a little bit of that familiar Belgian yeast.  It didn’t provide a whole lot, well, not as much as I was anticipating anyway, but I could definitely tell it was there.  As the brew started to warm and develop, I began to get hints of orange citrus, a little bit of sweet caramel and fragrance of clove.  I, for sure, wasn’t expecting the spice.  The bouquet is fairly well balanced and even.  Smells pretty good really.

The taste mirrors the aroma very nicely.  Flavors of grapefruit, orange, some breadiness and the sweet caramel.  Again, a spicy clove flavor that, truly, compliments the savor very well.  The yeast provides a nice undertone and helps create a “roundness” that I found enjoyable.  It has a nice, solid hop bite and the bitterness is not too strong or over the top.  Overall, well balanced and harmonized. 

The mouthfeel was medium, dry and smooth.  It seemed somewhat chewy even.  The palate is drenched with plenty of flavor to hold me until the next sip.  The carbonation was good, which completed an all around solid feel.

I tell ya, I think this beer is good to very good.  I liked the little twist from the spiciness.  It sets it apart from most typical IPA’s.  It’s a very easy drink at 8.3% too.  I definitely think it’s worth a try if you have not sampled it.  In fact I think I would like another.  This brew, like most Flying Dog Ales, is a solid and well rounded drink.  So the next time you see it sitting on the shelf, pick it up and give it a go and let me know what you thought of it.

As always, thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  Have a great day.

Cheers.

Score:  4.0 out of 5
Grade:  B+

Today’s craft beer review is going to be of the Flying Dog Double Dog Pale Ale brewed by the Flying Dog Brewery located in Frederick, Maryland. 

I, honestly, don’t have a tremendous amount of experience trying beers from this brewery, so I’m not sure what to expect with this one.

The website, flyingdogales.com, has this bit of information on the Double Dog Pale Ale.

This is a big beer that calls for equally big foods.

Flavor notes:  Citrus hops with sweet malt and subtle alcohol burn (like a kiss on the cheek).

Pairs with:  Extra sharp aged Cheddar and stinky Blue cheese; smoked brisket; spicy foods with chili or cayenne pepper; earthy desserts like carrot cake.

I’m ready for a taste…. how ’bout you?

This beer comes in a 12 oz. bottle and has a very robust 11.5% ABV.

The Double Dog Pale Ale poured a very dark, burnt orange/copper color.  It appeared hazy in the beginning, but cleared nicely once the “chill” dissipated.  The head was an off white color of decent size and decent retention.  It was mostly smooth looking, but it did have a few large bubbles around the spot of the final pour.  The lacing was pretty nice looking I must say.  Scant, sticky cobwebs of lace clinged to the glass for the entire drink.

The smell brought about a relaxed, but confident bouquet of hops leaning toward the grapefruit and orange individuality.  Bold hints of sweet caramel and toasty biscuit coincided with a slight, churned butter note which climbed above the citrus.  The alcohol was insubstantial in the nose at first, however as the brew warmed it became way more apparent.  I, personally, never found any spiciness or any of the like.  Overall, the aroma was good, although it could have been balanced just a wee bit better I thought.  Still well represented however.

The taste revealed more of the “malt forward” aspect.  That’s ok though, I liked it.  Sugary, sweet, toasty caramel malts did nothing to conceal themselves.  A dry breadiness poked through and fit in nicely with the sweetness also.  The alcohol was quite a bit more opulent in the flavor.  I didn’t find it to be distracting, yet I could, most assuredly, recognize the savor.  The hops brought forth an even bitterness of grapefruit, pine and a slight resinous profile.  The overall suggestion was more malty than hoppy or sweet I thought.

The mouthfeel was medium/full, dry, creamy, slick, velvety and almost chewy.  Tons of flavors were left behind on the palate after the swallow.  A very tremendous, but nice, alcohol warmth and burn lasted for the duration of the drink.  I thought the mouthfeel on this beer was very, very good.

I really liked this beer.  It’s “BIG” for sure, so that may be a deterrent for some, however I found it to be very good in all aspects.  The overall balance of the aroma and taste might not have been top notch, but I still thought of them to be quite enjoyable and worthwhile.  The high ABV would not allow this beer to have a high drinkability I wouldn’t think, but if you favor bigger beers, don’t hesitate to give it a go.  There’s plenty to enjoy here. 

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I really appreciate it.

Cheers.

Score:  4.05 out of 5
Grade:  A-