Flying Dog: Snake Dog IPA

There is something about the Flying Dog illustrations that make the beer desirable to me. That "Gonzo" attitude doesn't hurt either.

Snake Dog IPA part of the "pack" of year round beers served up by Maryland's Flying Dog Brewery. It's the hop heavy hitter of the bunch, but doesn't pack the wallop that her friend "Raging Bitch" does, but its heavy on citrus and hop flavor non the less.

Pours a light amber color, more on the yellow grapefruit side than orange. Slight very white head with some loose lacing down the side. Sweet Fruity / grapefruit combo aroma. High on the ABV (7.1%) but not noticeable in flavor. There is a fairly good balance between the malt sweetness and the bitter hop flavors. One of the smoother American IPA's out there, when comparing it to GLBC Burning River (one of my all-time favorites), it really goes down quite easy.

I feel that I should be drinking more from Flying Dog, but this past spring I got into a bit of a "fight" with the "Raging Bitch" and didn't realize she was 9-10% ABV and might have had a small (HUGE) headache in the morning.

Happy Drinking!

Who: The Crew
Where: Sonnett House
Price: $$
Score: 4 / 5

Flying Dog K-9 Winter Ale

Beer number 2 from the holiday beer cooler. The Flying Dog k-9 Winter Ale.

My favorite part of the Flying Dog series has to be the artwork on the labels. The illustrations are fantastic and a bit scary at the same time. Who would want to mess with that dog? Not me.

Not the best brew by Flying Dog, but still pretty good in my book. Pours copper/amber color with a nice white head. Lacing was seen down the glass all through the beer. The beer is way more malty than hoppy, though you can detect a slight earthy hop, but it is very subtle. There is a fruitiness to the beer as well but I couldn't quite put my finger on the taste, not a citrus fruit for sure.

A solid winter warmer, not the best but well worth the try.

Happy Drinking!

Who: the Fam
Where: Rita's House
Price: FREE
Score: 3 / 5

Heavy Seas Winter Storm

This beer is from the Clipper City Brewing Company out of Baltimore, Maryland. It is their seasonal winter brew and apart of their Heavy Seas collection. Winter Storm "Category 5" Ale is an Imperial ESB and is called the "winter warmer" by Clipper City.

The beer poured a reddish amber color without much head. Smelled pretty hoppy with some caramel malt tones and a small amount of citrus. This was a very good combination of sweet malt and bitter hop finish. What is nice about the beer is that their is a fairly large dose of both malt and hops. Malt sweetness first but then the bitter citrus and piney hops come through at the end. The bitterness isn't so much that it is a problem and that makes this beer very smooth. I don't think I could session this beer because it has a 7.5% ABV but could very easily enjoy one with dinner.

In the end this was a pretty enjoyable Winter Brew and I could see this being a staple for the winter months for the years to come.

Who: Joe
Where: BORZONE!
Price: $$$
Score: 4 / 5

The winter brews have arrived! We have already tried 6 seasonal brews and it is only December 2nd. With so many more to try and write about I am excited for the next 2 months. If you have any winter seasonal's you think I should try, leave a comment after this post, I really appreciate it. Check the list on the right to see if I have tried it before you post!

Happy Drinking!

Heavy Seas - Loose Cannon

Heavy Seas - Loose Cannon

After our first wedding shower (well I should say: Cathy had a bridal shower while my dad and I went and had lunch...came back and moved packages from the shower to the cars), we went out with some of our friends to the Winking Lizard in Peninsula, Ohio for a couple of beers. I really like bars like the Lizard because they have so many to choose from and usually I can find a few I haven't tried before.

My first beer at the bar was the Loose Cannon. I really wasn't into the beer at all. It was very bitter and not really what I wanted at the time. It has a very distinct grapefruit smell and you could really feel the bitterness of the fruit in the back of your mouth. That is the only thing that I remember from the beer because it was so overpowering for me. So I can't really tell you anymore about it.

I almost always like IPA's and I think if I were to drink it again, I might like it more. I had a few beers at lunch with dad and I think that kind of hurt the palette for this beer (I had a Sierra Nevada, a Bell's Two hearted and then when we got home from the shower I had a Great Lakes Eliot Ness...)

Right now the score for this beer is probably going to be on the low side, but maybe after another try I will like it more.

Who: Cathy, Ang, Mindy, Bethie
Where: Winking Lizard (Peninsula)
Cost: $
Score: 2 / 5

Happy Drinking!