Wild Dog Double Pale Ale
Flying Dog Brewery

Wild Dog Double Pale AleWild Dog Double Pale Ale
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Flying Dog Brewery
 
Maryland, United States
Style:
Imperial IPA
ABV:
9%
Score:
93
Avg:
4.24 | pDev: 8.25%
Reviews:
66
Ratings:
70
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 26, 2015
Added:
Oct 24, 2004
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  3
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by mcallister:
Photo of mcallister
Reviewed by mcallister from Ohio

4.32/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Not sure if this has been re-released or what but on tap at the Boston's Bistro. A cloudy, not nearly opaque mahagony. Large creamy, thick off white head has great retention and leaves a thick lace down the glass.

Great nose on this DIPA. Citrus hops is what it's all about. Grapefruit pucker, lemon, tangerine, with flowery aspects. A backbone of caramel malty-ness rounds things out.

This is a damn good DIPA and I can see why Flying Dog would brew this beer again as it's by far their best I've tasted. Rich bubble gum with smack your lips grapfruit flavors, totally citrus hop dominated. Hops are thick, and resiny. A floral mid with hints of pine. Toffee, and caramel malt add depth and complexity. Hops are high, and delicious. Alcohol does show through in the mid palate and is slightly warming on the finish. Finish is half way to forever.

Mouth is full in your face and readies you for another drink.
Mar 01, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.29 by grahamboudreaux from Tennessee

Mar 26, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by hoptitsbrews from Oregon

Sep 17, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by jfcaa193 from Canada (QC)

Feb 18, 2012
 
Rated: 4.5 by rab53 from Washington

Dec 01, 2011
Photo of HisDorian
Reviewed by HisDorian from Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This bottle is 5 years old, so not sure how the hops will have stood up.

Nice carmel brown color. Very light head, but doesn't dissipate quickly. Smells mildly of hops. Touch of citrus and .... mint? Tastes full bodied. Not a big hop bitterness. Thick carmel taste in my mouth with a nice mint aftertaste. It's actually bigger bodied than I thought it would be, but the hops must have deteriorated. Still a nice beer, and not what I was expecting.

I would drink this again, but not for much longer. It's definitely an older beer at this point.
Oct 30, 2009
Photo of Portertime
Reviewed by Portertime from Florida

4.57/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
I always like a good double and this is an excellent example. Pours a cloudy orange with a decent head. Smell of wet hops and a hint of juniper. Tastes well balanced with floral hops and caramel malts. Mouth feel is slick but full exciting the bitter taste buds and dancing the whole way down. Cheers!
Apr 05, 2008
Photo of DrJay
Reviewed by DrJay from Texas

4.23/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2004 edition, served at The Drafting Room, Exton in the spring of 2007.
Slightly hazed, medium amber with a creamy head that showed great retention and solid lacing. Fragrant pine and grapefruit aroma - solid, yet mellow. Solid caramel backbone with balanced bitterness carrying things through the end. The citrusy, piney hop flavour grew into a toffee-like finish. Slightly drying, medium bodied with a silky smooth texture and hint of warmth. Very tasty. This beer has really aged gracefully.
Jun 04, 2007
Photo of RedChrome
Reviewed by RedChrome from Connecticut

3.46/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Body was a murky copper colored liquid. A fluffy white head was an inch and a half and shrank slowly over a few minutes. Small amount of tiny carbonation can be seen rising. Lacing in sheets.

A very bitter hops aroma. A citrus quality seemed to strong. There is a bitter coffee aroma that blends with an alcohol scent. Bitterness and alcohol combine for a strong burning sense.

A very gritty dirt taste. Hops flavor was nice on the tongue, and finished with a citric acid flavor. Lemon taste was slighty grainy. Overall bitterness and alcohol coated other flavors.

Nice and thick body. A decent amount of carbonation to help this one tingle on the tongue before it goes down.

A nice beer. Would be a great beer to enjoy with a plate of chedder cheese. A nice beer surprise I picked up when a friend was cleaning out his cellar.
Dec 20, 2006
Photo of beerceller99
Reviewed by beerceller99 from Louisiana

3.93/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
This is a review from 2006 so the brew was 2 years old at the time.
Clear copper color with a thick, frothy head.
Piney hop smell with a hint of sweet malts.
Medium bodied and smooth.
Strong flavor of ripe pit fruits and sweet caramel with a hop and alcohol bitterness to finish.
A pretty good beer here , tastes like an American Barleywine .
Oct 06, 2006
Photo of mentor
Reviewed by mentor from Colorado

3.78/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Discovered in my cellar. Crap...how old is this hoppy beer? Take my review with a grain of salt.

Pours a 1.5 finger light tan head over a nearly clear amber-brown liquid. Some particulates suspended. Smells woody and piney american hops. Malt sweet is gentle with soured caramel. Taste is malty sweet with piney hops. Darkened sugary caramel. A bit of citrusy (tangerine) and a touch of alcohol sting. It's clean of grassy hop character and rougher alcohol fusels. Fruity esters mix with the hops quite well and come across as pineapple. Md-thick body and modest carbonation. Decent, but nothing I'm eager to revisit.
Apr 15, 2006
Photo of doubleipa
Reviewed by doubleipa from Georgia

3.9/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Have had this in the cellar for well over a year. I expected this beer to lack some of it's great hoppiness it had when I had a fresh bottl. However, the aroma certainly indicated that the hoppiness did not diminish. Unfortunately, while it smelled very hoppy, it sure didn't taste very hoppy, at all. The head was great for a year old; it lasted forever and had excellent lacing. While the aroma was much hoppier than malty, the taste was the exact opposite. There was still some hops left and the alcohol had lessened quite a bit.
Jan 31, 2006
Photo of brewdlyhooked13
Reviewed by brewdlyhooked13 from Ohio

3.26/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 2
Bottle #1620

Appearance - a darker caramel and orange beer. Thick and creamy cap, light orange in color and very sticky.

Aroma - rich bouquet of orange, lemon, and pine.

Taste - full, boozy feeling right away. A rush of orangey citrus flavor kicks in, followed quickly and strongly by dry, piny flavors. The harsh alcohol never really goes away and stands out a bit too much. The finish is dry, bitter, and lingering. A lot of flavor but tastes like the intent was to accomplish something extreme, almost brash.

Mouthfeel - moderately heavy body, good carbonation level, on target.

Drinkability - a hop head's delight but it can deliver a wallop the next morning. I like trying the style, but this isn't one I would generally pursue.
Jan 22, 2006
Photo of deBeers
Reviewed by deBeers from California

4.4/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
This is one hell of a double pale ale!!!

10th anniversary limited edition release (1994-2004) that weighs in at 9% abv and 80 IBU's.

Fruity esters, bready, pours with a nice creamy head and heavy body.

Dark amber and remnants of scotch. Much bigger than a pale ale and it was easy to compare seeing as we had flying dog's IPA on tap as well and it was double that basically :0).

This was drank on New Year's and pretty much ends with MMMmmmm...yummy. Good with green bean casserole as well!
Jan 05, 2006
Photo of blitz134
Reviewed by blitz134 from California

4.38/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Bottle #2057...I bought this over a year ago...

Almost didn't even get into this thing. The cork was really stuck.

Huge three finger light beige head on the pour. Reduces slowly in rocky, pillowy mounds and coats the sides of the glass in a nearly solid layer of lace. Body is clear and a golden, crimson color. This is truly a beautiful brew.

Aroma is loaded with citrus. Lots of grapefruit and tangerine with some apricot hints. A good floral kick as well. A very nice aroma and quite strong. Has some hints of sweet alcohol to finish it out.

Taste is really nice and has a good kick to it (although fresh on tap a year ago it was stronger and in its more preferable form). Taste is sweet with lots of citrus. Not as much grapefruit as in the smell but more orange and tangerine. Has a good caramel malt aspect to it which makes this pretty balanced. The year cellaring this beer really calmed the bitterness down. A year ago this would have probably received a 4.5.

Mouthfeel is divine. Creamy, thick and oily on the tonge. Coats every corner of the mouth. Drinkability is very good as well. Well hidden alcohol and a nice hop flavor. Thick mouthfeel that still sits light on the stomach. A wonderful beer.
Dec 15, 2005
Photo of ybnorml
Reviewed by ybnorml from Rhode Island

3.93/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A clean dark amber/copper beer. Has a big foamy off white head with some great lace. The aroma was at first a peppery hop quickly followed by a more assertive piney hop note with a hint of malt sweetness in the background. Each mouthfull brings a slightly different hop character foward (piney then grapefruity then tea like) but intertwined with a constant gentle sweet malt backbone. About half way thru the glass the alcohol starts to warm your tummy.
Dec 11, 2005
Photo of GClarkage
Reviewed by GClarkage from California

4.67/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
11/29/05- Received via trade with Lostbearbrew.

Presentation- 750ml bottle, caged and corked with a bottle number hand written on the label. From 2004.

Appearance- Dark golden pour, 3/4 inch off white head with light lace along the sides of the glass.

Smell- Lots of caramel, roasted malt and hops. Almost a brandy like smell. Alcohol is present.

Taste- Super smooth and caramely. One of the best tasting malts I've had in a beer..period. I'm sure it was more hoppy when it was fresh though. The hops are nice and sweet with a grapefruit flavor. Almost liquor like. Seems like more than 9% after the first sip.

Mouthfeel- Smooth and lightly creamy. Lower carbonation level.

Drinkability- Terrific change of pace DIPA. This one ages well I can see. If you like the malt you will love this brew. Thanks much Lostbearbrew for the awesome beer!
Nov 30, 2005
Photo of Ahhdball
Reviewed by Ahhdball from Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I was told when i picked this up I had bought the last one in Ohio and I'm glad i got a chance to try this! Coked 750ml witha the number 3435 on the side.
Most of the time I like Flying Dog but am usually not overwhelmed like the case for the Wild Dog - good stuff!
Rust orange color topped of with a heavy beige head. Sticky lacing indicated some reside.
Hop aroma but not huge like I'd expect from a Double IPA. Orannge, malt and good pine nose was evident.
Oily hops followed by a pine, then malt backbone to finish. Pepper, citrus then pine as well.
If this comes out again next year I'll pick it up. After trying this I may look into the Gonzo Porter. I've been hesitent but I may now be convinced.
Nov 04, 2005
Photo of fisherman34
Reviewed by fisherman34 from Canada (MB)

4.49/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Amber in colour and VERY hoppy. I think the hops are specifically Northern Brewer and various C-hop varieties, but I could be wrong. Flavor wise it’s an insane battle between hops and malt. There’s a huge malty and ripe fruit thing going on along with a large herbacious hop presence. Heavy mouthfeel. This one is special indeed, and not one for the faint at heart!
Aug 03, 2005
Photo of mikeys01
Reviewed by mikeys01 from Colorado

4.35/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Served from a large champagne style bottle. Wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the Wild Dog and it’s double pale ale designation, but I must say I was impressed, and based on this I’d like to see Flying Dog stretch a bit more from their usual beers. This dog poured out a peach opaque color, covered in a thick and foamy white head. Aroma was a slightly odd combo of fruitcakey bread and citrus, and a fair dose of malt sweetness. Tasting yields a good solid bitterness, and a prolific bold and flavorful bounty of fruit and malt splendor. Seems much fuller and bigger than I would expect, even in a double/imperial. Flavor brings you biscuit flour dusted mango and orange citrus, some and crème brulee caramelized malty sweetness as you ease into this one. The bitterness, which bodes more towards a double IPA IMO, sticks with you the whole way. Finish is just a bit spicy hot with alcohol, sweet, and bitter on the sides of my tongue. Delicious stuff, worth trying for sure.
Jul 12, 2005
Wild Dog Double Pale Ale from Flying Dog Brewery
Beer rating: 93 out of 100 with 70 ratings