Entries Tagged 'Beer Reviews' ↓

Yeah, the title is lame but when Flying Dog sent three beers that my wife and I tasted that night…well, I just couldn’t resist. Here was the pack that arrived at my doorstep: Wild Dog Doppelbock, Wild Dog Barrel-Aged Horn Dog, and K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale.

First Up: Wild Dog Doppelbock

The Collaborator Doppelbock is the result of Flying Dog’s Open Source Beer Project. According to Flying Dog, this has a “full body with sweet malt profile and a slight roast character”. The avg. Beeradvocate rating is 4.05/5 with only four reviews so far and RateBeer has it as a 3.33/5 with six reviews. This was what I expected for a Doppelbock and I’d definitely drink this again.

Alcohol Content:  8.3% ABV
IBU’s:  24
Specialty Malts:  Munich “Type I” 2240 75, Munich “Type II 550 19, Cara-Munich 55 2, Cara-Amber 55 2, Melanoidin 55 2
Hops:  Warrior, Mt. Hood

Next: K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale

According to Flying Dog this “is a dark, sweet and malty ‘Winter Warmer’ that will captivate any adventurous microbrew drinker”. RateBeer gives it a 3.21/5 with 336 ratings and Beeradvocate gives it 3.41/5 with 136 reviews and a score of 80.

This was hands-down (whatever that means) the crowd favorite. I wanted another sip as soon as I put my glass down. We ended up roshamboing for the rest of the bottle (Julie won).

Alcohol content:  6.4% ABV
IBU’s:  30
Specialty Malts:  50/60 Crystal, Chocolate, Oats, Munich Malt
Hops:  Millenium, Saaz

Finally: Wild Dog Barrel-Aged Horn Dog

Again, from the Dog’s mouth: “this is a completely expirmental beer. We took our Horn Dog Barely Wine and aged it in used Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey barrels for 13 months to give us a Barley Wine with a very distinctive flavor.” This was brewed in limited amounts (725 12 oz. bottles) and they can only be purchased at the brewery. RateBeer gives it a 3.75/5 with 15 ratings.

Wow, this is one powerfully flavorful beer. Definitely more like a fine scotch that you sip than a beer you swig. It is sweet like a barley wine but packed with oak flavor. At 10.5% ABV, this is a beer you’ll want to sip and between that and the sweetness, one should be all you need. If you like barley wines and get a chance to pick this up, go for it.

Thanks to Flying Dog Brewery for sending these to us for tasting and for including a nice writeup on them that I could crib from for the descriptions.

[tags]beer[/tags]

I’m a bit late on writing this one up and since I am, I’m going to be lazy. See, Flying Dog was kind enough to send me a bottle of the Dogtoberfest just as it was arriving in stores. I promptly chilled it, poured it, drank it, and enjoyed it. A few days later I realized I forgot to take even the lamest of notes.

Luckily for you, dear reader, I do remember that it was good. A very nice beer that I would have liked having again–probably even a couple in quick succession. Now, I know what you’re thinking (and frankly you should be disgusted) so I won’t leave you hanging with just my “buy it/try it” recommendation. Instead, I’ll point you to The Brew Site’s tasting notes on it which are very nicely done.

[tags]beer[/tags]

Although I’m about 50 miles as the crow flies (can’t confirm, haven’t seen any crows) from Cleveland, OH (can I get a shout out from my Rock Creek peeps?!?!) I saw the Great Lakes Brewing sample 12-pack in the local market and picked it up faster than you can say “the nearest Starbucks is *how* far?”.

First up is the Dortmunder Gold. Before cheating and looking at the Great Lakes Brewing site, I had a feeling that this beer got it’s name from a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival. How, you ask, was I so prescient? Behold:

OK, enough blathering Chris, how was the beer? I like it.

OK, you want some details. Here they are from the source:

• Description: A smooth lager that strikes a delicate balance between sweet malt and dry hop flavors.
• ABV: 5.8%
• ABW: 4.3%
• IBU: 30

Ratebeer.com shows it in the 88th percentile with a rating: 4.23/5 with 423 ratings. I’d definitely drink this again–and likely will since I have two more in the sample pack. I leave you with a couple more pics:

[tags]beer,great lakes brewing,dortmunder,cleveland[/tags]

The name and the artwork on the bottle are what sold me on choosing this from the shelf on my last beer store trip. Just look at this (stolen from their site, not my poor photo skilz):

The commerical description from ratebeer.com is:

Duchesee de Bourgogne is the traditional top fermented reddish-brown ale from the West-Flanders region of Belgium. This refined ale also known as "The Burgundies of Belgium" is a blend of 8 and 18 months old ales following careful maturation in oak casks. 100% natural and unpasteurized.

OK, but what does it taste like? Well, like a belgian ale but a bit sweet and a sourness that most describe as being like balsamic vinegar. While this may not sound good, it makes for a very interesting and complex flavor that gets better with every sip.

If you see this, be sure to try it. I don't think you'll be disappointed. 

[tags]beer[/tags] 

BridePort shipped me twelve of these bad boys a few weeks ago with their press release to announce their new Haymaker Extra Pale Ale. This is an american pale ale which uses four types of malt and three varieties of american hops.

I had some help drinking these since a friend stopped by for happy hour with my wife and I the same day these arrived. My favorite beers are typically stouts, porters, and highly-hopped beers. My drinking companions were of the fairer sex (actually they still are) and they usually go for lighter ales and lagers.

All three of us liked the Haymaker. The hops gave this beer a hint of fruity flavor that was a bit bitter like grapefruit and the crisp finish was as BridgePort says, "sunshine in a bottle".

For me, this is a great beer that I think would satisfy a wide range of beer drinkers. It would be perfect for a cookout, beach day, or happy hour. I'd recommend checking this out if you find it in your area.

[tags]beer[/tags]