Flying Dog Wild Dog Schwarz

Brewed by Flying Dog Brewery
Style: Smoked
Frederick, Maryland USA

Tap at Bar Great Harry: Nearly opaque pour with a nice deep khaki head that retains well. The aroma displays some smoky character with mild peat, licorice and a tarry black malt presence. Some unsweetened black chocolate is there as well. Silky creamy body- salty roasted flavor but clean with a nice smoky character. Some peat qualities and licorice as well. An earthy soft smoke presence lingers on the back. A well done smoky Schwarzbier.

Draft. A pitch black beer with a thick dark brown head. The aroma has notes of sweet malt, smoke, and chocolate. The flavor is sweet with notes of coffee, smoke, chocolate, and malt, as well as light notes of roasted malt, leading to dry, roasted chocolate finish.

On tap @ beer temple. Aroma has chocolate, roast, dried fruits and smoke. Black coloured beer with a lasting, beige head. The taste is a bit sweet, bitter, smokey. Light - medium body. Nice and smooth. Good.

Tap @ Beer Temple Amsterdam. This beer is black indeed. Roasty aroma, even a bit milky. Malty roasty flavor with notes of raisin, smoke and tobacco. Hint of alcohol. Satisfying.

750 ml bottle from Plaza Liquors - Pours a clear dark brown color with a two and a half finger thick tan head. Very light lacing. Aroma is smoke and chocolate. Flavor is also smoke but no chocolate. It does have some dark esters and roastiness. Finish is fairly smooth, slightly bitter and somewhat astringent. Medium to full body. A decent beer, bot not quite worth the $17 price tag.

Bottle. Aroma of pleasant though somewhat subdued smoked meats as well as wood, chocolate malt notes, sugars, sherry-like oxidation. Flavor more roasted than smoky, though the smoked meats do remain. Oxidation mutes the entire picture. Now why was this beer oxidized? Maybe because its price is outrageous and virtually nobody, myself included, was willing to buy it until it sat on the shelves long enough to end up on the 50% off clearance rack. Even then, it would have taken an excellent beer to make it worth buying again at that price. Normally I don’t complain about the price of beers or the condition of old beers. However, here these two factors are so intertwined, and by all accounts needlessly so since this beer comes from a sizable, domestic brewery, and is not barrel-aged or otherwise particularly unique. I see no excuses.

On tap at Beer Temple. Black body with tan head. Nose of ham. Taste of slight chocolate, sweetish, then lots of ham. Watery but also very good.

Bottle from City Beverage. This is a seriously dark lager, basically black with a tan head. The aroma is meaty with bacon and campfire hints and some lagery sweetness. The palate is slick and hearty with a clean flavor. More smoke is noticed in the mouth than the nose. Lots of bacon and wood smoke with a dash of chocolate. This is a great beer, but doesn’t surpass Schlenkerla. I probably won’t buy again solely because of the price.