Flying Dog Extra Special Heller Hound

Brewed by Flying Dog Brewery
Style: Heller Bock
Frederick, Maryland USA

Thanks Chuck for acquiring this rarity. The beer pours to a dark chestnut colored body with a "water-bubble" like head. The aroma smells quite nice with interesting wine components. Smells sort of like a Russian River brew. Tart fruits, oak barrel, nice. Perhaps like Temptation? The flavor is tart with a very nice brettanomyces infusion. Smooth. I like this one a LOT. The palate is smooth, dry, sweet, sour. Very complex.

Hazed dark copper color with only a few bubbles adrift atop. Light oak and pale malts filter through the nose. Hint of sourdough in the backdrop along with some mild fruits. Smooth and full in feel. Flavors of Door County cherries, with a linger of sourmash. I like it.

Bottle... Mid-GABF ’06 at the Falling Rock Tap House, Denver... Murky, caramel-colored lager with a small, creamy, off-white head. The Flemish nose is of oak, vinegar, caramel and light smoke with a kiss of sourmash. Tart, acetic flavor with mild caramel sweetness, wood and just a whisper of bitterness. Full-bodied with an abrasive mouthfeel and soft carbonation. Finishes sour, bitter, then dry.

From Nick @ flying dog in trade. Pours a brown color w/ some dark ambers in it and not much of a head. Aroma is odd. Definate bret notes some sour fruits and a good oak aroma some light malts and has even a light wine. Palate was fairly light and easy well coated. Flavor is a nice tart fruit w/ a hint of vinager in it lightly sweet.. some malty aromas lots of sweet fruits after the tart part. A bit sweet for my touch but nice and quite good.

Bottle shared by MIBRomeo on 12/16/06: Pours a hazy copper mahogany with a thin ring of tan bubbles. Aroma of sweet caramel malt, light oak, and tart fruity cherries. Body has a nice balance of sweet caramel malt and tart fruity notes. An interesting and enjoyable brew.

Bottle. Pours a hazy copper with a ring of white foam. Malty lemon aroma with some brett. Medium body and carbonation. The taste has some wood, tea, nuts, apricot. I pick up a bit of oak in the finish.

Bottled at the Magic Porch... thanks to MIBRomeo for scoring this brew! Poured a lightly hazy reddish/iced tea brown with only a few loose bubbles around the edges. Nose was of tart cherry and dust funkiness with underlying smoky caramel, toffee, and a hint of lemon... odd concept for a beer, but worked very well. Flavor was heavily laced with funky brett fruitiness.. really liked how it complimented the sweet toffee and smoked wood beneath. Sour on the palate with a light and somewhat grainy body.. felt good. This was a very unique beer that I am glad to have tried! Thanks Chuck!

Milwaukee YeHA! 2006

Thank to MIBRomero for opening this right after the other brett release from Flying Dog. Whereas the Gonzo offset the infection well, I think this one came off a little differently. Infecting a hellerbock was an interesting experiment but I don’t think it should be tried very often. If you had given me this without a label, I might have thought it was from Russian River.

Aroma / Appearance - Wheat, lemon, bleach and a sour aroma form the first wave of sensory assault. After that comes some caramel and honey all wrapped in a tart package. If your sinuses were not clear before, you should have no problems breathing after smelling this. The body reminded me of dark stained wood with almost no lacing present.

Flavor / Palate - Sharp tart berries infused with chocolate syrup washed across my palate. It reminded me of some of the ’ation’ Russian River beers in the way the normal tastes battled the sourness underneath. This was a one of a kind beer. I don’t know I would want to drink more than one glass but it could be interesting under the right circumstances.