Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA (2008 and later)

Brewed by Flying Dog Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Frederick, Maryland USA

Bottle... Nice orange color, decent head. Nice bitter aroma of hops with some bready notes. Taste has a nice intial resiney bitterness with some sweet bready malts. Light(er) texture. Nice beer...

Dark golden colour. Very citrusy and bitter hop on the nose. Flavour is all American hops: piny, citrus, bitter and resinous. The finish is slightly sweet and a little dissapointing (possibly a dodgy bottle/batch).

Bottle from Mr Lawrence wine merchants, Brockley. Pours amber with a good lasting white head. Aromas of grapefruit, pears, baked apple, summer fruits. Leaves great lacing on the glass.Flavours of bitter lemon, grapefruit, a tad herby. Nice bitter taste. Finishes fresh, bitter and very hoppy. Nice.

Made-in-Usa at the first smell. Citrus and malt flavor really interesting and intriguing. A bit of herbs too. Taste: Medium to heavy bitter, with some vague sour. Palate: Light body, medium astringency. For me a really nice meet. Well balanced beer.

I just sampled this on draft at Union Jack’s. It’s a lot better than the original. I recall not appreciating the original all that much. But like I said, this newer offering is much better. It pours a dark golden color with a slightly off-white head. The head leaves a sticky lace around the edges of the glass. The nose is quite balanced, with a good amount of floral hops and biscuity malt. The body is a little too carbonated, but still makes for a decent session beer. The flavors are well-rounded and balanced, with a great mix of grassy and citrusy hops and bready malts, with subtle hints of grass, hay, grapefruit and pine. The finish is quite dry, with again a nice mix of maltiness and spiciness.

I admit I am a huge lover of hoppy beer, but wouldn’t consider myself a hop-head. I admire balance, and that’s a word that’s not in the Concise Dictionary of Hop Heads. Snake Dog IPA is for me THE perfect example of what an American style India Pale Ale is all about - or can be all about. It jumps up and down on the tongue, and leaves an increasing desire for a next sip with every sip you take, and that’s an achievement... Okay: I admit it, I love this IPA. It’s such a great beer that I actually drink all night long and still feel perfectly good. Foam: lace like, long lasting. Color: a perfect golden sunshine. Palate: one of the best balanced, full bodied and hoppy ales I know. One of my top-five beers ever.

Citrus dominates the aroma, but there is a toffee "warmth" to it, as well. Orange-amber in color, though it’s a bit transparent. Thin, ephemeral head. Grapefruit hops dominate, though a sweet and biscuity malt tries to battle it on the way down. Hops win. Rather yeasty, too. Crisp, perhaps a bit thin -- could use a more malt balance (i.e. could be sweeter). Out of bottle.

Bottle. Pours a clear amber with a nice thick white head with thick lacing. Heavy citrus and apricot aroma, a slight touch of grassy hops in there. Sweet malt and caramel with a pine hops finish. Easy to drink, easy going down. Decent.