Spanish Peaks Black Dog Ale

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

Clear brown foamy beige head. Nutty, vaguely smoky aroma. Farily full bodied, with notes of brown sugar and toffee, and a crisp mildly bitter finish.

I guess I like this more than the average rater. Pours an amber-gold, decent head that thins out quickly. Aroma is nice, peppery hops, lemon zest, caramel, and bready/yeasty notes. Flavor is initially fruity, lemon notes dominate, hop pepper, balancing malts (think toast), and a grassy and bitter finish.

Poured an effervescent dark amber with a fizzy off-white head. Aroma of maple syrup, a touch of grass and grapefruit, a bit of mustiness. Flavor is dry and bitter, with notes of wheat, a bit of fruity tartness, and a metallic medicinal astringent character. Bitter, but flavor-wise I wouldn’t call this hoppy. Finish is long, and dry, with the metallic character rounding it out. Comes off as a ho-hum pale ale that the makeres tried to spruce up by increasing the hop character, while not really increasing the complexity or drinkability of the beer. I’d take this over macro sludge, but otherwise the best thing this beer has going for it is the dog on the label. If Chug were alive and could speak, he’d tell his owner to put his picture on a better beer.

12 oz bottle from World Of Beer. Clear light amber color with nice off white head. Light aroma of sweet malts and not much else. The flavor is mostly malts. I taste lightly roasted and pale malts. There is a hint of noble hop spice as well. Decent beer but a bit too one dimensional.

Amber color. Elegant aroma of English hops. The body is medium, some light malt and caramel taste, but the hops are lost, they leave light traces.

Sampled on draft at Rivertown Inn in North Huntington PA this beer poured a chestnut color with a small tan head. The aroma was light fruity and floral hops. The flavor was light malts with moderate fruity and floral hops and a slightly bitter finish. Fairly easy drinking and quaffable if unspectacular.

nasty. bitter after taste. i love trying new beers, but this is one that i wont be trying again.

Bottle. Copper pour with a small white head. Bubbly and sturdy with decent lacing. Nose is fruity with floral hops, light spices, and earthy notes. Taste is more fruit flavors, light caramel, flowery hops, citrus notes and light tea leaf. Body is medium and a bit chewy. Moderate carbonation. Finishes with more fruit notes, light bubblegummy flavors, light tea, sweet malts and floral hops.