Spanish Peaks Black Dog Ale

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

The aroma has caramel, cardboard, resin hops, and figs. The appearance is a copper-red brown with a smallish head that is persistent none the less. The flavor is bitterer than the aroma would suggest. It also is sweet with plenty of malt. The palate is average. The finish is bitter and a little fruity. This is pretty good.

The aroma is caramel sweet with some fruit undertones. The color is a cloudy brown with a tan head. The head lingers for a while and there is lacing. The taste has a caramel sweetness at first with a light fruity finish.

Pours a medium amber color. Aromas of malt, fruit, with a touch of hops. Flavor is hoppy and dry with buttery notes. Dry finish and dry hop aftertaste.

Bottled. Medium orange pour with a short off-white head. Sweet nose of caramel with less potent citrus and floral undertones. Flavor had some odd artificial sweetener about it... all the way through. Caramel and floral hops were also in there. Somewhat smooth across the palate, but there was a big hit of poorly-placed bitterness in the middle of the finish. Didn’t do it for me.

First beer I have done here. Thought it had a nice color and flavor. THought it had kind of a hopy finish.

(12 oz bottle: Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, CA) Hmm, not a bad little beer out of the gate. The mildly sweet, lightly roasty and fairly nutty maltiness is partially balanced by a light bitterness that stays somewhat in the background from start to finish. The light roast shows the greatest longevity on the palate, finishing strongly and outlasting all the other flavors. After sipping this beer awhile, it’s warmed up a bit and now it’s reminding me a bit of a nut brown ale, especially in the finish. Very light roast in the nose, but it’s not a very aromatic beer at all. Light-medium bodied with good carbonation. A small and short-lived off-white head sits atop the murky, dark ruddy amber colored body. As the head fades to a small ring, it leaves no lacing on the glass. Overall, this is a decent enough beer, better than I remembered it being.

Dark amber beer with a big off-white head that fades quickly. Aroma is pleasantly malty. Flavor is smooth and malty, with a crisp, yet light, hoppy finish. Very faint bitter aftertaste. Nice medium body. Mild throughout and way too drinkable. Would be a great party brew. $7.99 for a sixpack at Broudy’s, Orange Park FL.

Pours with a frothy, large bubbled, tan colored head that sits atop a lightly hazy deep orange-amber colored brew. The aroma is a mix malty notes of caramel lightly toasted whole grain bread and fruity notes of cherry & strawberry. The taste starts out with a certain smooth creaminess, but quickly moves to a light frothy spritziness. This beer has a nice (though fairly subtle) zesty hop character to it that adds a bit of a bite as well as some nice flavor zing. The taste is quite fruity with notes of cherry and raisins. There is a bit more hop character than I was expecting in this beer and there is a nice fruity character to balance it. Actually not a bad example of an English style Pale Ale.