Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale: Like they do on the Discovery Channel
Written: Jun 07 '01 (Updated Jun 23 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Refreshing, light fruitiness
Cons: Lack of body or malt
The Bottom Line: 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.
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| andaryl's Full Review: Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale |
This is now my fourth review on one of Flying Dog’s puppies, a brewpub previously based in Aspen, now moved to Colorado. The Old Scratch was a very characterful lager, while the Snake Dog IPA, and Tire Biter Kölsch were not quite so exciting. However, the character of Flying Dog, with its constant canine references, witty quotes from "Fear and Loathing" author Hunter S. Thompson, as well as the alternative cartoon illustrations by Ralph Steadman, make this a brewery which is hard to ignore.
As well as its own 50-barrel brewhouse, Flying Dog along with the well-known Wynkoop brewpub has pooled resources with Broadway Brewing in order to keep pace with increasing demand. Flying Dog ales are now available in 25 states and the UK.
What the brewery says
The “Dog” is the patriarch of the Flying Dog Litter. This Classic Pale Ale is dry-hopped with Cascade hops grown in the Pacific Northwest and has enough hop character to satisfy hopheads, without being overpowering. Its beautiful amber-copper color and pleasant malt flavor comes from the addition of Carastan malts
Alcohol by Weight: 4.2%
Pedigree
The Great American Beer Festival, Pale Ale category:
Gold Medal Winner 1991
Silver Medal Winner 1999
Tasting Notes
The beer pours to a clear amber/copper color with promising signs of carbonation. It kind of reminds me of “Irn Bru”, if anyone outside the UK knows what that is. There’s a good eggshell colored foam, which is fairly light and delicate. The nose has brief hints of malt, and more notable light fruity hops. It’s a little orangey.
The palate is very light, and certainly more delicate than other pale ales. The carbonation just rescues the thin palate a little. The orange flavor comes through in the initial taste, but the malt is not so apparent. It’s certainly fruity throughout, and turns citric as it reaches the back with a good thirst quenching bite. The finish is slightly dry with a little bitterness. The malt is only briefly noticeable, with slight hints towards a chocolaty malt, although never really doing enough to convince you.
The Verdict
As an Englishman raised on pale ales that are full in body, malty as well as bitter, this was a little disappointing. Even for an American pale ale, the malt just wasn’t really there. On the bright side it does provide for a good refreshing summertime drink and is pretty easy drinking at that. It would certainly do the job on a hot afternoon in the garden. I would have to compare this closer to an IPA due to its preference towards the hop, but still it’s not all that bitter.
I give a rating of “recommended” based merely on the fact that it’s an OK ale. I don’t think this is one you should go out of your way to try, although if I see it on draft, or if I visit the brewpub I’d certainly give it a second chance.
The Last Word
I’m getting a feeling for confusing styles from this brewery, none of which are bad, just not being what I’d expect. The lager is characterful, the Kölsch was thin, and the IPA lacked bite. I have not yet found a Flying Dog that I dislike, and that I wouldn’t drink again. However the only one that really got me excited was the Old Scratch Lager.
Recommended:
Yes
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andaryl
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Member: Andrew Smith
Location: California via Yorkshire
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