Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA (through 2007)

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

Flying Dog Brewing Company, L.L.C.--Snake Dog IPA India Pale Ale--2003 12 oz. Bottle. 5.60% ABV (4.0 / 5.0) Malt of the Earth Beer of the Month Club Selection. Clear thin bright light amber color. Light lacy head. Rich floral earthy hop front. Sweet crisp creamy dry grapefruit doughy caramel body. Dry rich hoppy earthy end. Buttery body with excess hops. Sampled 4/8/2003. Flying Dog Brewery, L.L.C.--Snake Dog India Pale Ale--2005 12 oz. Bottle. 5.80% ABV--45 IBU’s. (4.25 / 5.0) Beer of the Month Club Selection December, 2005. Rich lacy head. Clear bright dark gold color. Rich floral earthy hop front. Tangy rich creamy mild sweet caramel fruit tart grapefruit grassy body. Earthy rich hop spice clean end. Smooth balanced. Sampled 2/25/2006.

Reviewed March 2007... This IPA has a nice, appealing light orange color. Pretty clear, but still has that bit of slight haziness. Looks like Triaminic cough syrup. One finger of head takes its coat off and sticks around for a while. Appealing carbonation. Some specks of lace. Solid bitter hop smell with just a hint of citrus. Hops dominate, and esters come out as a secondary scent. Also woody "notes" after the fact. Bitter, woody hop flavor. Nice yeast base. Quite bitter indeed. Slight metallic/chemical taste that I have found to be common for this brewery; not in a bad way. Tastes like an Imperial IPA. Medium bodied and "wet" feeling. Slightly fizzy, with a bit. Thickens at the end. Quite buoyand on the tongue. It’s a very good drink. Maybe too thick for more than two in a row, but definitely good enough.

I drank this 12 oz bottle from a pint glass. The color was a nice light orange with a 1" white head. The appearance was very nice. The nose was strange with a little hops and something else I couldn’t quite place. The taste was a little malty to me but I could also taste the hops. The beer was pretty sessionable and I ate some aged sharp cheddar with it which really seemed to complement the beer. For some reason I kept thinking "they should make a Double Snake Dog" and that would be good. Serving type: bottle Reviewed on: 02-28-2007 17:44:38

Beautiful pour - candy amber hue in the beer with an above average meringue jiggly head that retains well. Nice bready and hoppy aroma. The NOSE is very balanced. On the palate this beer screams American IPA. Unbalanced, mostly hops, little malt, and slightly thin mouthfeel. It’s almost like... sucking on a dry tree leaf from the ground in October. The malt just doesn’t compliment the hops very well. I feel teased because the nose is so inviting, but then on the palate it snaps at me with the hops. Yes, I know it’s an IPA, but that doesn’t mean balance can’t be a part of the equation. Not very drinkable either. Takes some effort to finish the pint, and it just doesn’t make me yearn for the next sip like other IPA’s often do.

Old record... I didn’t even know they changed the recipe until I went to log this entry... I’ll have to try the new one. Not all that different from their classic pale ale, just a little bit more bitter, but lacks the balance and complexity of an awesome IPA.

On Tap at the Flying Dog Brewery Tap, Denver 12/10/2007 (Hopped with Warrior & Columbus ABV 6.4%) Very hoppy and fruity aroma. Clear golden coloured and very hoppy with a citrus fruit flavour. Crisp and bitter malt finish.

***review from Nov 14, 2007***

Standard light amber - very clear with no hint of haze at all. Poured a large off off-white / tan, long lasting creamy head with good lacing. The aroma is of peppermint....no, more of a mint - a sharp fresh mint with a definete herbal touch. some candied grapefruit and thick malt. The taste is very herbal and needs more hop flavour (where’s the grapefruit?). Large mint. Some bready malts. Nice carbonation, soft and smooth. Just above medium bodied, long lasting bitterness. This is not a fair comparrision but I put this head to head against Stone Ruination and this stuff is no where near Stone...or no where near most other AIPA’s I’ve had.

Poured yellow with fluffy white head. Aroma of pine. Good pine flavor with a nice balance of malt and some citrus in the finish.