Hempen Ale

Formerly brewed at Wild Goose LLC (Flying Dog)
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Frederick, Maryland USA

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

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The ONLY thing negative about this beer is that it is retired! The wonderful aroma hemp and hops hit you in the face the moment you opened it. No it doesn’t taste like bong water! It’s a good full body beer that’s hoppy and has a beautiful reddish color. The sudsy head even tastes good! I miss it and can hardly wait for it to come back. What a good idea Flying Dog!

First of all, Zool (31) must not have ever tried this beer. I too thought it was some sort of marketing gimmick until I tried it. This is without a doubt one of the very best brown ales I’ve ever sampled - and I’ve sampled a lot! This ale is outstanding and deserves a shot from any serious beer drinker. So, Zool, keep sipping your Bud and let the rest of us enjoy the real beer. Deep brown color, hearty tan head. Flavor is off the charts good. Lots of hops character and rich, malty flavor notes. Outstanding.

hemp. hoppy. good beer.

Had this beer on 7/14/1998. Color is a nice golden brown, carbonation looks good with a light head. Aroma is a strong malt scent with good back tones of hops. Taste is full of flavor almost a Pale Ale. It starts off with a creamy body full of a roasted malt feel, this goes down easy. The finish is also full of flavor with a light bitterness and a good floral hop flavor part of which they claim comes from the hemp seeds. It fits the description on the label very well and is a great full flavored brew.

Good novelty... I wouldn’t drink this all the time though...

An interesting brew. Hemp seeds seem to create a more robust hop presence and a lingering aftertaste. Yes this is brewed with real hemp seeds, yes it is legal and upon further investigation it is found that this will not force you to fail drug tests.

UPDATED: MAR 28, 2003 What an interesting beer. I can't quite put my finger on what the hemp seeds add to it, but this is a nice sweetish brown ale. The aroma and flavor were chock full of chocolate, caramel, and coconut (yes, coconut) notes. Perhaps the hempseed oil is similar in character to coconut oil?? That combination led to a general impression of german chocolate cake - sounds strange for a beer but rather enjoyable. Sweet without cloying. Nice brown color and lacing. I also should add that this beer does not contain any part of the hemp plant except the seed. There should be no expectation of special herbal qualities because it contains no herb other than hops.

Brownish in color, very floral & herbal nose, also a floral & herbal taste, almost like a pale ale in a lot of ways

Bottle, cellared 4 years. Like most of the aged beers I've been enjoying, this one opened with a dark, syrupy smell. Pours a very dark brown body, with a few tiny particles of stirred up sediment, under a thin, clingy head. Nice molasses malt flavor with a café note. I could catch the herbal spiciness of the hemp more than I could any hoppiness, possibly because of its age. There's also a nice alcohol warmth that slowly insinuates itself.
I notice the link for Frederick Brewing is no longer active. Anyone know if they're still in business? Oh, and here's a <a href="https://www.jatox.com/abstracts/1999/oc to a research article that suggests drinking this won't fail you on a drug test.

Dark Brown Color, Medium Head. Roasted Malts, lightly hopped. Full complex taste ’Brown Ale with a twist ’brewed with the seeds of the hemp plant added. Did not notice any ’mellow herbal flavor’. Finish is clean, aftertaste is slightly bitter; malt sweetness shines through in the aftertaste. 2nd tasting much better than initial tasting