Fever Dream
Flying Dog Brewery

 

Amber color. Medium-sized, white head . The aroma of malt, mango , citrus. Same notes and hoppy bitterness in taste. Heat from habanero at the end. Not bad.

Smell is wonderful when opening the bottle - I get a really good combinations of hops and mango. It pours well, with a slightly darker copper color.

Drinking it is really an experience - you get good mango and hop vibes up front, but then the habanero kicks in on the way down. To me, I taste all the spice of the pepper and less of the flavor. It's not necessarily the most pleasant thing in my experience, but if you enjoy the kick of peppers you'll love it. I wish there was more mango and less spice, or if they were blended slightly better, but it's overall a cool feeling.

I think Fever Dream is an apt description for this IPA - it's something different, and it hits you from out of left field. Something I'll finish a six-pack of, but probably won't go out of my way to get it again.

 

 

 

 

It is the occasion of Merry New Christmas (Eve) Beer Sunday (Week 670) & this continues today's festivities that I anticipate lasting well into the morrow! I really had no idea that I had so many Flying Dog beers in abeyance until I got started, but this is working out nicely.

From the bottle: "You're running through a field of flowers, sprinting at a pace you haven't seen since high school. There are voices in the background. Your seventh grade biology teacher telling you he'll see you after class. The flowers morph into Tom Selleck's mustache. He just wants to know if you want a straw with your smoothie."

Ha ha! My daily substitute teaching assignment had me hard by Save-A-Lot Food Store on Thursday & so I actually bought some mangoes to eat this weekend. One seemed like a nice accompaniment to this beer, so I sliced it open & peeled it before I Pop!ped the cap. A gentle pour was followed by a vigorous in-glass swirl to raise two-plus fingers of foamy, fizzy, light-tan head with moderate retention that left a ton of sticky lacing in its wake. Color was Amber to Deep Amber/Light Copper (SRM = > 9, < 13) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had the tropical sweetness of mango with an underlying spicy heat that could be smelled without much provocation. Mouthfeel was medium. The spicy heat of the habaneros did not get me as intensely as it did in this beer's first iteration as a Brewhouse Rarity, but I was still grateful for the sweet, sticky mango that I was eating as its accompaniment. The fresh mango enhanced the experience exponentially & I would highly recommend it as a tasty treat to go with this beer. Slowly, the heat continued to build to the point that my sinuses cleared, but not so intensely as to have me begging for mercy as with Safeword. I know that my pepper-loving friends would scoff at my low tolerance fro such things, but for me, a little goes a long way. This was not bad, nor was it overly hot, but after a 12-fl. oz. bottle, I was feeling satiated. Finish was dry as you should expect any beer involving spices to be. I might rate it higher as an Herbed/Spiced Beer, so YMMV.

Poured into a mug: color is copper, head is brighter white, presents with fine bubbles and dense frothy top; heady top lingers very well with good lacing on the glass sides.

Smell is a bit neutral with some malt and light hops, not much spicy or sweeter aromas.

taste is where beer let's you know what is behind it: flavor is slightly malty, then quickly overtaken by habanero heat which lingers and then some moderate mango like flavor.

Mouthfeel is moderate but the habanero heat is what lingers and presents some spicy presence on the tongue, cheeks and lips.

Overall, a very good spicy beer - hops are present and malt is balanced but the habanero and mango present nicely as well.

From the 12 oz bottle in a snifter. This beefy little critter pours a
brilliant deep amber color with a very nice head of white foam that
settles to a thick ring, thin layer, and presents nice sudsy lacing. Nose of
heavy peppery spice, subtle mango and orange notes, and subtle pine
with sweet caramel malts. Flavors follow the nose with mango and habanero
dancing heavily about a frail caramel malt backbone that strains to provide balance
to the heat of the peppers that finishes with a light pine and herbal hops that appears
and then is overtaken by the peppers. Nice mouth feel; medium body, medium carbonation,
and a plentiful warming pepper note.

While it is a nice brew in some ways I would suggest taking this one down with jalapeno or
chipotle peppers and adding a touch more malt. While it is not my cup of ale it is a good wake
up call to your taste buds. An interesting hybrid that gets warmer and spicier with warmth.

Cheers

Really enjoyed this. The habanero was warming. Slight mango sweetness in the background for balance, allowing me to still taste the actual beer. Always a plus in my book. A really great "once in a while" beer.

 

 

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: A slightly darker golden color with a thin off white head.

Smell: Citrus and pine notes with some light mango.

Mouthfeel/Taste: Smooth medium bodied. Taste of citrus and sweeter mango with a spicy kick of habanero to on the aftertaste.

Overall: was not what I expected! Good beer!!

Bottle poured into a BarrelHouse Brewing Co pint glass

A: Pours golden orange amber with a frothy off white head that settles to a firm layer and laces well.

S: Habanero comes right out, backed with tropical fruit, slightly dank herbal notes, pine, citrus, bready malt, and caramel sweetness.

T: Tropical fruit, mango, citrus, lemon, grapefruit, and tangerine, a bit of pine, slight dank herbal notes, bready malt, caramel sweetness, and a nice touch of heat from the habanero.

M: Medium body, moderate carbonation, nice warmth from the habanero.

O: Nice balance of IPA and peppery heat. Tasty!

 

 

A: The beer is relatively clear yellowish amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high white head that has good retention properties and hardly died down.
S: Light to moderate aromas of sweet, fruity mangos are preset in the nose along with hints of other tropical fruit hops.
T: The taste starts off with flavors of mangos and has a light to moderate amount of bitterness. Light flavors of habanero start to creep in in the finish and lend heat that lingers into the aftertaste.
M: It feels medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The combination of mango and tropical fruit hops seems to go really well. I liked how the habanero wasn't too strong and added just amount the right amount of heat. It was a lot drinkable compared to chili beers.

Serving type: bottle