Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser

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

The K9 is Flying Dogs’ Winter Seasonal. It pours a deep red color with a fizzy, off-white head. Aromas are of fruity strawberries and malts. This is the first of the pack to smell of alcohol. Initial taste is smooth with a slight coal taste. Bitter by the finish. Oily on the mouth.

Pours dark brown with little head as most of those Flying Dogs have. Dark malt, wheat aroma here with a sweet fruit scent as well. I enjoyed the dark roasted flavor this had and it when down nice and smooth.

Bottle (Utobeer): Deep ruby amber with a short beige head. Deep choc, mild dark fruits and hoppy finish. Not bad.

Bottle, from a FD mixed pack. Pours very dark amber. Almost brown, but definitely a good amount of red in there. You can still see it is pretty clear. Thin head dissipates very quickly. Little lacing. Aroma has hints of raisin, chocolate, and roasted malts. Hints of something I’m not refined enough yet to pin what it is, but it seems like a character from the yeast. Flavor is roasty, chocolaty, malty with a bitter hop finish that mellows back to the malts after the swallow. The malt definitely dominates though. Mouthfeel is on the thin side, but not too carbonated. I haven’t had too many english strong ales. From what I could guess this is probably a good one, but not a style I drink very much. Definitely would be a nice winter ale, I’m just a little late.

Bottle. Pretty smooth, with some raisiny, caramely flavours, and slight touches of aromatic hops. It does have flavour, but it does lack depth, seems to be sweet and smooth, with nothing else in the finish, to give it that extra oomph.

Not bad, not great. Lots of malt, just a hint of hops. Sweet, pretty inoffensive. Not the best thing Flying Dog makes by a long shot.

Pours a thn coffee color (dark, slightly transparent), slight chocolate scent from the glass. Minor head (fizz quickly disappates after 1-2cm height). Pretty malty, slightly bitter on the sides of the tongue. Roasted smokiness also hits the mouth as it warms. Medium lacing on the glass. Slightly towards a bitter version of a porter, but not quite as thick on the tongue. Sweet caramel flavorings come in a bit later in your mouth after a few extended sips. (Bottle pour 3/19/2006 - 2005/6 bottle)

Very sweet, smooth. Good for after dinner or with desert. Overall enjoyable.