One of my favorite breweries based solely on their branding and bottle designs has to be Flying Dog out of Frederick, Maryland. If you haven’t seen their beer around, make sure to checkout their site and take a look at the artwork on the bottles. They all are a lot of fun to look at.
I decided to review their Double Dog Double Pale Ale to represent Maryland in my 50 beer challenge. I’ve never tried it before, and figured if it was anything like their other beers, I wouldn’t be disappointed.
Double Dog poured a fairly cloudy amber and copper color with very little carbonation visible. There was a thin layer of tan head on the top of the glass that quickly disappeared, yet some nice lacing is left on the glass. I would definitely say that this is a pretty looking beverage for sure.
The smell is delicious yet not as strong as I was expecting as this is a pretty big beer. There is definitely some nice hoppy aromas with grapefruit upfront, and then a nice sweet carmel malt smell in the backend.
Putting words to the taste of this beast is a bit difficult since there are so many flavors. It’s like a good symphony were all the flavors have a role, and when they come together it’s a beautiful harmony. The flavor comes in with a bitter grapefruit and piney hop taste, but then changes into a sweet carmel maltiness. For an 11.5% ABV beer, I’m having a hard time tasting the alcohol (this could be a bad thing), other than a slight hotness left in my mouth.
The mouthfeel is nice as it leaves a great aftertaste and a slight burn on the way down.
I keep jumping back and forth on my rating. It has a very complex flavor that I like, yet I feel like I shouldn’t for some reason and can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it’s just that I’ve had other double pale ales that I liked a little better. I would definitely drink this one again though as it’s a very enjoyable beer.
I would definitely recommend you try this out if you’re a fan of hoppier beers. It’s a big guy though so be careful as I’m sure it’s not a beer everyone will enjoy.
My Flying Dog Double Dog Review: B+
Here are the details:
ABV: 11.5%
IBUs: 85
Style: Double Pale Ale
What’s your thoughts on Flying Dog Double Dog?
