Flying Dog – hey, thanks for the beer!

After my review of the Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale, I was honored and a little surprised by a comment from Stephanie from the brewery. She thanked me for writing about the beer and offered to send me a few more to try when I had the chance. Of course, being the committed beer blogger and enthusiast that I am, I felt compelled to take her up on her offer. I am also not an idiot and would never turn down great beer sent to my doorstep. As it turned out, Stephanie was true to her word and soon I had a box with 3 offerings from the brewery on said doorstep, so I drank them. I’ll let you read the reviews for the more detailed thoughts on the beer, but generally speaking, it was a really great experience. All of the beers were totally unique and vastly different, and reinforced my belief that Flying Dog is one of the more creative and adventurous beer makers around. So thanks, Flying Dog, and I hope you get as much out of my feedback as I got from sampling the beer. Cheers ~G

Flying Dog – K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale

The first brew I tried in the “It’s really cool when breweries send you beer” session was the K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale. We all know winter warmers can run the gamut of great to terrible, so I had no pre-conceived ideas about what this beer would taste like. I guess I was expecting something malty with that special ‘extra’ spice profile that, honestly, rarely works for me. So here goes… The pour was a nice caramel color and predictable head of a couple of fingers. On the nose there is a sweetness of malt and some fruit, with a touch of hop citrus. The taste was great. None of those “hey, check out that coriander” or “whoa, someone spilled some ginger in here” moments, just a nice smooth beer. Not to say that there’s no spice, because there’s a hint. A nice hint, though, of something like cinnamon or another Christmas-like spice, which makes this a pleasant seasonal brew. I could definitely have several of these in an evening and not get overwhelmed, and probably will now that I think about it. Overall, a really solid and drinkable beer that I’ll definitely have around the house for the next month or so. Cheers ~G

score 3.5

Flying Dog – Gonzo Imperial Porter

The second beer in the “why aren’t all breweries as cool as Flying Dog session” was the Gonzo Imperial Porter. As the name would suggest, it’s a big, robust Porter that may be a little crazy – but in a cool Jack Nicholson Psycho kind of way. The pour was almost black and produced a thick, caramel colored head which settled fairly quickly, but hints remained throughout the life of the pint. The nose was what you’d expect from a porter, with huge smoky malts leading the way. There was something unique about the nose and the taste, however, and that was a strong hop presence which surprised me a little. From the first sip I was sold on this beer. It was rich and smooth with a great mouthfeel, but to me, the hop profile is what makes this beer outstanding. Lots of porters have a wonderful malt recipe and the smoke and chocolate notes can make them a pleasure to drink, but very few of them have the breadth of this beer. The grassy and aromatic hop on the front provided balance and complexity, and also served to finish the back end like an IPA – clean and crisp. The medium carbonation mingled it all together and masked the alcohol content (which is around 9%) to round out one of the best Imperial Porters I’ve ever had. Kudos on this one! Cheers ~G

score 4.5

Flying Dog – Wild Dog Collaborator Doppelbock

The third installment in the Flying Dog promo session is the Collaborator Doppelbock. All in all, my least favorite of the three, as it didn’t really distinguish itself as much as the other two I tried. The pour yielded a nice mahogany color and a smallish head. There was not a lot on the nose, but it was nice and sweet, with a hint of fruit and grain. It’s a pleasant and drinkable beer, with a nice nutty malt flavor and sweetness, balanced with a medium carbonation and bitter finish. It improved as it warmed and exposed a few more of it’s subtle qualities, which I wish were a little more pronounced overall. Something just feels young about this beer – I’d like to try it again with a few months age on it. Overall, I’d say that it hints at a really nice and complex brew, but at this point, feels a little unfinished. Based on some of the other offerings from Flying Dog recently, which feel fully mature and refined, I’m confident that a great beer is in there somewhere, just maybe not quite yet. Cheers ~G

score – 3.5

North Coast Brewing – Old Stock Ale (2004)

I don’t know how I found this beer, but I did, and I’m really stoked about it. This was the 2004 vintage from North Coast and it pours a brownish deep red with a pretty insignificant head. The nose is rich and sweet, with nods towards tawny Port, fruit and a hint of vanilla. The flavor is awesome – exactly what I like in a barleywine style. You know, it’s hard to tell what you’re going to get sometimes with a barleywine and it can be a crap shoot to even get something drinkable. Actually, that’s not true, it’s always drinkable, but you get my point. That’s why I was so excited about this find. It’s an outstanding beer and is the perfect ‘closer’ drink at the end of an evening or even something you could enjoy with dessert. I shared this beer with my buddy, Jim, who compared it to the Wynkoop barleywine and felt like some vanilla bean ice cream would be a great paring and I totally agree. My only regret about this beer is that I couldn’t find more. If you ever see the 2004 vintage, buy it, then send me a bottle. Cheers ~G

– 4.75 (cause I don’t have a graphic for a 4.9)

Samuel Adams – Hallertau Imperial Pilsner

Sam Adams begins their description of this beer (and themselves) by saying, “Yes, we’re a little obsessed with hops.” And they continue by saying the beer is “brewed as a showcase for the hops, this bold brew highlights the spicy, citrus flavors and aromas of the Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops that are abundant in the recipe. Word. Hey, they’re right! This beer is a really big, really hoppy, really smooth, Imperial Pilsner. The pour was as expected – a little hazy, orangeish body with a thick rocky head. The nose was really nice and you could tell this was going to be a well crafted beer, for sure. When it comes to the taste we’re really talking about the hops. I mean, they *are* obsessed, right? The most interesting thing about the hop profile was certainly centered around the Hallertau hops, which make this beer different than other hop-heavy monster beers. Unlike some other American Imperial beers, where Cascade and Amarillo citrus notes dominate, the Hallertau aroma is much more floral and smooth, with a natural, earthy feel. The malt balances the body nicely, providing the smoothness needed to overcome the hop barrage on the front, but in the end, the hops win out with a strong bitter finish. I’d put this beer in the same category with the Terrapin Imperial Pilsner, and it’s every bit as good. For anyone who enjoys an Imperial style hop extravaganza, you’ll enjoy this beer, but be prepared to chug water and pain killers the next day. Now, where is that Advil again?

score 4.25

Samuel Smith’s – Organic Tadcaster

Organic beer you say? OK, I’m game. If there is one beermaker that deserves the benefit of the doubt it’s Sam Smith’s, considering they have such a solid brand and consistently produce great beer. I’m familiar with the *regular* Tadcaster, so I was looking forward to tasting the organic differences. All in, it’s a pretty good, albeit not particularly surprising beer. The pour yielded a cloudy orange but effervescent pint. The head was nice and neat and about two fingers with nice lacing throughout. The nose was yeasty, but there were obvious hints of caramel and a nice citrus overtone on top. Flavors were not particularly complex, but well balanced between the English yeast and the not-so-dominant hop bittering. The mouthfeel was smooth and a little oily, which made an otherwise simple beer seem a little more refined – an expected result from Sam Smith’s. It’s a beer I’d certainly have around most of the time and enjoy fairly regularly if it were half the price. Cheers ~G

score – 3.5

Bluegrass Beer Company – Jefferson’s Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout

This beer may just win the longest name in history contest. I’ll have to check on that. What I know for sure is that BBC ages the stout for around 60 days in oak barrels from McLain & Kyne’s Jefferson’s Reserve bourbon. Cool idea, and it works. The nose has more than a subtle hint of bourbon and oak, but is mostly dominated by toasted oats, chocolate malt and vanilla bean. The head is a bit understated in thickness and longevity but is a nice caramel color, and fairly typical for a higher abv stout . It’s a flavorful beer and the bourbon barrel aging is smooth and balanced, providing a nice hand-off to the coffee-tinged malt which constitutes most of the overall flavor. My critiques are a slightly thin mouthfeel and medium-light body, as the bold bourbon notes and toasty aroma could support a heavier beer. The finish concludes like baker’s chocolate, but I’d like to feel a little more warming in an 8% beer. I’d compare the weight to a Guinness, but the flavor is easily twice that. The bourbon edge is quite good, and the toasty malt profile plus vanilla creaminess makes this beer a real pleasure to drink.

Cheers ~G

score -4

Ayinger – Celebrator

The Celebrator is a beer I’ve seen for years but, for whatever reason, never ended up buying. I’ve never been a *huge* bock fan and a doppelbock seemed, well, doubly less appealing. Umm…I was wrong. This is an outstanding and very enjoyable beer which is highly drinkable and complex without being overbearing. Actually, the fact that it’s a doppelbock makes it a deeper, richer brew, which negates some of the things I don’t find particularly satisfying with your typical bock. I paired the Celebrator with a Texas Brisket with chili sauce and it was a perfect compliment. The subtle sweetness of the bock matched up with the tomato base in the sauce, while the coffee and hop bitterness finished off each bite with a crisp conclusion. The mouthfeel was creamy and not as heavy as I had anticipated, which made it easy to put away a couple of pints without getting stuffed. Overall, this beer is great by itself and outstanding when paired with the right food. It’s a little on the spendy side, but would make a nice gift and perfect for special occasions. Cheers ~G

score – 4.5