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