Flying Dog, and one of its not so hard to find beers – “Road Dog”
Jul 12 '01 (Updated Jul 18 '01)
The Bottom Line The brewery that likes to do things 'doggie-style'. Road Dog, is more mutt than pedigree, closer to a porter than scottish ale, but makes for a very satisfying ale.
Flying Dog is a brewery that has caught my attention, and that of several beer fans, as much (if not more) for its amusing labels and beer names than the quality of its brews. With Ralph Steadman’s artwork on all of the beer labels, Road Dog was the beer that started it all. The words “no censorship” on the label are actually an ongoing fight against the decision to ban the original labels that contained the words “Good Beer … No Sh*t”.
Most Flying Dog beers are listed on epinions, although I’m having to post this in the “What you should know about Flying Dog Ales” category. For those that are new to the site I have provided a footnote on beers not listed on epinions.
Other Flying Dogs Reviewed
Old Scratch Lager (4 Stars): Combines very well defined malt and hops, with neither being too dominant. Very flavorful for a lager, almost ale-like. A must for any beer drinker. I subtitled my review: “Anchor Steam without the name”.
Doggie-Style Pale Ale (3 Stars): A fairly thin pale ale, with very little malt character. Fruity, orangey, with slight citric bite in finish. Worthwhile as a summer thirst-quencher, but lacks character.
Tire Biter Ale (3 Stars): One of the better American versions of a not too widespread style (Kölsch). Refreshes, it's nice and crisp but just doesn't carry enough weight or flavor.
Snake Dog IPA (3 Stars): Respectable but not overly-impressive IPA. Enjoyable, just didn't quite carry enough character or hops. Worth a try at least for IPA fans but don't rush out and buy it.
Getting a trend? The one thing that I have noticed is for more than respectable beers but not quite going all the way in terms of flavor. The Kölsch is certainly a bold effort, as it’s a style not too well known outside of Germany, but so far the Old Scratch is the only one I’d probably buy again. There are a couple more beers that I have yet to, and certainly will, try.
A Few Notes on the Brewery
Flying Dog originated as a brewpub in Aspen, Colorado before finding its current location in downtown Denver. Broadway Brewing was set up as a 50/50 partnership with the Wynkoop brewpub, and brews ales for both companies. It has since been 100% acquired by Flying Dog. It will continue to brew Wynkoop ales, but has also expanded to improve capacity to 50 barrels a day.
Flying Dog Road Dog
This is another one of those confusingly titled Flying Dog ales. The label says Scottish Ale, but their official description on the website is “reminiscent of a porter”.
Original Gravity: 14.0 Plato
Alcohol: 4.8% ABW, 5.5% ABV
Four prized malts – not specified
Tasting Notes
Road Dog, comes out very stout-like, a dark-reddish brown verging on black, too dark to see any bubbles, while an impressive dense thick tan foam sits on top.
The aroma gives me mixtures of coffee and malt when I first open the bottle. It becomes a little more subdued once poured, showing a little more sign of hop as well as some alcohol, maybe rum.
It’s slightly carbonated, but smooth and silky. It’s not as heavy as it looks, somewhat medium in body, making this very drinkable. It may be a little too thin on the palate for those looking for a thick hearty brew.
The flavor starts out fairly mellow, a little creamy, followed by a somewhat subdued caramel and chocolate. It is in fact a little mocha-like in the middle, but I’d elaborate that to a mocha made with slightly weak espresso. This follows into a coffee-like dryness and a little hop in the finish, while a slight smokiness does creep in although not enough to suggest Scottish ale. It does round out slightly toasty with signs of alcohol.
Verdict
You could call this another slight misrepresentation of style from Flying Dog, but in this case I have no complaints. I’d put it a little behind the Old Scratch Lager as the best of their brews so far (bear in mind I still have a couple to try). It’s a little closer to a stout or porter than a Scottish ale but does work very well.
The flavors are well balanced, although not intense, while it’s a fairly easy drinker. It’s probably best suited to fans of stouts, but some may find it a little too thin. Personally I was satisfied with the end-result, whatever the brewer’s intention, and would drink it again. They may just want to change the product description in future.
A Final Thought
It just occurred to me this time around that maybe the brewer’s intention is to create a range of hybrid styles. Their beers as a whole vary a little from what you’d expect. Maybe in their “doggie-style” of doing things, they are trying to breed mutts and not pedigrees. You could certainly assume that from the dogs illustrated on the beer labels, which certainly don’t look like thoroughbreds. Whatever, Road Dog is a decent and very enjoyable beer.
Ratings:
Appearance: 5/5 Aroma: 7/10 Palate: 3/5 Taste: 8/10 Overall: 14/20
Score: 3.7 (4 Stars) .
This would have scored a little higher overall, except for the Scottish ale description.
Footnote: Beers not listed on Epinions
Epinions lists about 1000 beers, although I would estimate that this is only about 10 – 15% of the number available in the USA. If you would like to review a beer not listed here there are a couple of options. You can check the beer page, and the member advice sections to see if there is a “What you should know about Brewery X” category. This section is usually intended for an overview of the brewery and I only listed this review here because I did have a few facts and mentioned the other beers I’d reviewed.
The other alternative is the ‘Hard to Find’ category, which for reasons beyond understanding cannot be found via any link in epinions. I do provide a link on my member page and here it is below:
http://andaryl.epinions.com/fddk-Beers-5
You may ask at first why you should post a review in a section that can’t be found, but there is good reason to do so. Firstly my ‘hard to find’ reviews get more member hits because they stay in the ‘just in’ section longer than a listed product review, and as a knock on consequence attract more people to my profile page. Secondly these beers are often difficult for web searchers to find information about and as a result I get more non-member hits here too.
If you have any questions in this category, as an advisor I am always available to offer advice to anyone.
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