Flying Dog Tire Bite Golden Ale

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

355ml bottle most green, at an albert heijnXL in zaandam, grassy and grainy, some citrus like orange and grapefruits, nice one.

(35.5cl bottle) Clear, golden colour with a blond medium-sized foamy head. Sweet bready and slightly grainy malty aroma with subtle fruity notes of pear, mirabelle and shy herbal hoppy notes in the background. Light-bitter flavour, light bodied with a lively, slightly sharp carbonation. Pale malt character with traces of cara-malt and wheat, also grainy and faint fruity notes; just a whiff of noble hops can be detected towards the slim and slighty bitter finish. What does one expect from a Kölsch ? (14.VIII.09).

bottle. Pours a clear, pale yellow with a white head. Nose is of dirty socks and cereal. Taste is grassy and nutty. Mouthfeel is thin. Not great.

Good solid summer offering. Light and drinkable from the aroma to the aftertaste. A little bit of malt and sort of a summery/grassy flavor, which adds to the imagery of the season, would go well with clams or shellfish at a beach party!

pale pour, light off white head. aroma is slightly grassy. Flavor is light, grassy, and soft. Aftertaste is very lightly bitter. To be honest, simply not very good.

yellow pour with a thinnish white head. Malt aroma. Taste is malt, a little hop flavor, o.k. overall. It is something new to my small village bar.

Golden ales are a bit of another conundrum when it comes to trying to pigeon-hole certain beer styles, a mistake that we are all guilty of making from time to time, me included. Having styles to help define and guide our tastebuds and the brewers is great, but for a beer to be a beer, does it really have to fit into a certain style? For centuries, beer existed just fine without having standardized beer styles. Simplistically speaking, if it tasted good, that was ultimately all that mattered.

She fills my glass with fields of golden hay and straw and grains of brewing delight while a cloud-white tuft settles into a thick blanket. Lace abounds as a few vigorous swirls releases a nose just as bright and golden as her liquid contents. Honey, melba toast, soft white breads, cereal grains, baled hay and fields of summer grass finish with a zap of lemon refreshment. Soothing and refreshing at the same time, Tire Bite promises to grab hold of my tastebuds and not let go; someone has obviously let the dog out to play. As our lips meet in a soft, smooth mouth-coating orgy of honey, soft baked white breads, and summer hay, lemon zest and lemon cream linger for a soothing finish. Soft, full of white dough and white breads with a lemon tingle and sweet breads, cereal grains, and soft hay. My Tire Bite Golden Ale is exactly what I expected and more; the more golden ales and golden lagers I have, the more I find I enjoy this particular beer style. As I greedily sup of her golden bounty, faint dryness tinges my palate, but overall she is soft, sweet, and with just a bit of a naughty side.

Once again Flying Dog impresses me with their solid lineup of beers. I just don’t know why, but I expect only average going into one of their beers and end up with a beer that is anything but. If you are unimpressed with lagers and pilsners aren’t your thing, then pick up a Flying Dog Tire Bite Golden Ale and be impressed with how delicious a lighter beer and should be. Now, if you don’t mind, it’s time to take my dog for a walk again. (tastes more of a Dortmunder Gold than a Kolsch)

Pours a yellow color with thin white head. Aroma of dish soap and malt. Flavor was pale and sweet malts and not much else.