Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA (through 2007)

Formerly brewed at Flying Dog Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Frederick, Maryland USA

02.03.06 12oz bottle. The usual IPA color, it’s a coppery amber with small but lasting khaki head that leaves a trace of webby lace. Nice aroma of toasty cracker and grapefruit pith, chinooks are prominent, but with a background note of a dirty earthiness that, while potentially very nice, seems off somehow, kind of grassy in an oniony way. Odd. But that’s easy enough to look past and the citrus and floral notes are very nice. Like some of the other Flying Dog beers, this one falls short in the flavor department after a decent aromatic introduction. It’s pretty bland but with some late citrus pith and a lingering sticky hop finish. Slight diacetyl lingers as well, especially with temp. Despite a few nagging low points, I think I could do worse than to have this in my glass.

Bottle Code 119A06, Sampled October 2006
Pours with a lightly hazy, amber tinged, copper color and is topped by an initially two and a half finger thick, billowy, pale tan colored head. The aroma is definitely hop focused with notes of grapefruit intermingled with pine and a sort of raw, almost dank hop note. Underneath the hops is a toasted grain character mixed with a touch of caramelized malt, which gives the beer a sweet finish to the aroma. There really is a sort of musky hop note here, almost like an herbaceous garlic note or something.

This beer starts out dry, and bready with a toasted grain edge to it. It quickly becomes quite hoppy with a bit of balancing malt sweetness. Solidly bitter, but also with flavorful hop character that has touches of pine, a solid citrus-like note of grapefruit, and even some of that herbaceous almost garlic like note. There seems to be a green apple like note here as well, it sort of melds in with the citrus character. The beer finishes with a raw, herbaceous, biting bitterness that lingers on in the palate well after the beer has left my mouth.

This beer is quite a bit more aggressive than I was expecting from Flying Dog, their other beers in the regular lineup are much more subdued. While the flavors may not be perfectly integrated (it does seem a touch disjointed at times) in this beer, I do like the raw, aggressive hop character. This is still fairly light and quaffable, and is certainly enjoyable. Flying dog is certainly turning out to be a better brewery than I have given them credit for.

<font size=-4>Purchased: <a href=http://www.58degrees.com/>58 Degrees & Holding Co., Tucson, AZ<font size=-1>

I think this was actually pretty good. Had some nice citrusy hops. There lacked a good blend of malt and hops though.

A descent version of IPA. I'm a fan of the style but the finish just wasn't clean enough for my personal taste. I did however enjoy the start.

Sweet, hoppy aroma. Hard to tease much of a head out of it. Rusty gold color. Sweet and detergenty at first sip. Decent hop end. Not too bad. Very drinkable.

Appears a firm gold color topped by a pillow of white head. Aroma is considerably juiced up with hops and hints of citrus. Taste is bitter with a strong flavor of grapefruit and leaves behind a aftertaste of ginger. An okay IPA, but i feel like its missing something.

Two steps down from the Doggie Style, this beer has a bitternes that does not stand well on it’s own. It tased best with a burger.

Bottle. Pours an orange copper color with an off-white head. Faint citrus aroma with a bit of malt. Can you say BUBBLEGUM? I can even make out the brand; Bazooka. There’s also a ton of hop characteristics; flowers, grass, pine, oranges, grapefruit etc, and rater than complimenting each other they tend to clash a bit. Bitter finish with a bit of a musty, honey- malt characteristic.