Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale

Brewed by Flying Dog Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Frederick, Maryland USA

Big, thick and cloudy. A big finger of head. Dark orange, dark in the thick spots of the glass. It’s beautiful and murky. Wonderful sweet, woody, grassy West Coast hops. There are some grassy pale malts that compliment it tremendously. Magnificent, fragrant perfume hops. Nearly perfect. Flowery, citrusy, bitter but sweet. The malts are roasted, and also bitter. The back of the tongue stays bitter throughout. The hops in this beer are very reminiscent of Stone Ruination for comparison. Creamy, fizzy, thick and lasting. Again, very similar to Stone Ruination, and nothing wrong with that. This is a challenging, tremendous IPA.

Pours a hazy rich orange. Nose is loads of grapefruit with sugar, lemon zest, caramel, toffee, clementines. The nose was so nice, but the flavors came up short. Bitter orange, sweet caramel, some tanniny huskiness, bitter lemon. Body is a bit fuller than medium. Long lingering bitterness. Hides the ABV well. Very nice

An orange-red beer with little head. Aroma was citrus, & very sweet. The mouthfeel was very sticky. After each drink as you pull your mouth apart you can feel it sticking to each other. The taste was very sweet, with some citrus. I was expecting more hop in this but got a thick sweet beer. By the way what is a double pale ale-sounds like an IPA-I guess that is just the name they gave it.

Bottle. Bronze beer with a strong head. The aroma is deeply hopped, and the flavour is very well hopped and malty bitter. Overall a very nice beer.

Deep and clear amber resin wit mahogany and copper highlights that shimmer and sparkle beneath a soft bubbly head that fades quickly into a ringlet. Scattered pockets of large bubbles float lazily upon her surface while lace sticks to the sides of my glass like glue. As I bring her nose to mine, I am bowled over by the wet, dank, and super piney and vegetal blast to my senses. I’m no longer in my living room; instead I am standing in the middle of a dank, humid, moist swamp surrounded by a dank marshland, wet dusky moss, weeds, greenery and sap. Dry waxy grapefruit skins help to bring me back to reality, but with another swirl and another whiff I am transported right back to where I started. Curious, if not a bit unusual, I am almost reminded of a weaker, younger cousin to the 120 Minute IPA with all its dank, humid, swampland vegetation bordering on rot. I have a feeling Double Dog is going to be more of an IPA then a “double pale ale”. My first quaff is wet, thick, and very grassy with a hearty helping of dank, wet, mucky rainforest floor to squish between my toes. My palate starts to dry as grapefruit skin both on the inside and outside adds a helpful cutting hand of dry citric acidity to balance Double Dog’s overall thick, wet, and heavy body. Is that my imagination or did I just get a sour, bitter zap of earwax? The further along I progress with my Double Dog, the worse he gets and I find myself unable to continue further on. I’m not sure if Flying Dog was going for a wet, hoppy, vegetal IPA with their Double Dog Pale Ale, but whatever they were shooting for was a total miss for me. I’ll stick with their regular Pale Ale which is excellent.

I was really hoping for a dazzling display of hoppy, malty balance while pushing the boundaries of what constitutes a Double Pale Ale. Unfortunately, Flying Dog wholly disappointed me on this round, though I still have a deep respect and thirst for the rest of their lineup, regular and Canis Major. It may just be me, and if you enjoy the 120 Minute IPA from Dogfish Head, then maybe the Double Dog will be right up your alley. As for me, I’ll avoid that particular alleyway and stick to the street.

Pours a big head with a very nice lacing that covers the whole top of the beer. Dark copper body. Thick hops and fruits aroma. Beer has a tangy sweetness. Rather on the hoppy side of things. Heavy malt undertones. Molasses all over the place. Lots of citrus flavoring as well. Good, but not great.

Drank this earlier today. My first from Flying Dog. Pretty good brew! A tad strong for my tastes on the alcohol but considering how much it has it is well hidden.

7 Oz bottle. Pours a hazy rich orange. Nose is loads of grapefruit with sugar, lemon zest, caramel, toffee, clementines. Flavor is semi disapointing. The nose was so nice, but the flavors came up short. Bitter orange, sweet caramel, some tanniny huskiness, bitter lemon. Body is a bit fuller than medium. Long lingering bitterness. Hides the ABV well.