Brewhouse Rarities: Mimosa Beer
Flying Dog Brewery

 

 

This beer pours a clear gold with a solid head. The aroma is bright and vibrant, with cream, cardamon, clove, coriander, crackers, orange peel, and orange creamsicle. The flavor is creamy, starting with a sweet hit of banana, clove, cardamom, and cream, then quickly turning to semi-tart orange juice and lemon peel. The mouthfeel is light, crips, and dry, with moderate carbonation. Overall this is a really fun beer - with combined big Belgian qualities, with the flavor s of tart orange juice, but manages to finish crisp and dry. Really lovely.

 

 

 

This site has been on Sunday since 2000 (EDT), it is now just past 0300 & I don't feel like waiting for somebody to start NBS (Week 694) when I have my New Flying Dog Beer Sunday (Week 694) ready to roll! It took me most of the week, but I am within three (3) CANs of being caught up on my Tavour CANs. In the process of rolling through them, I noticed that I had a number of Flying Dog bottles that were worthy of a brewery horizontal today. This marks today's kick-off.

From the bottle: "Brunch. For some, it’s an occasional weekend get-together. For Cooper, our Quality Manager, and Drew, our Brewing Team Supervisor – it’s a competitive sport. And in order to brunch the best, they pitched the ultimate beer companion for their breakfast/lunch hybrid needs. No need for all that orange juice."

I (believe) that they used champagne yeast in this one & there were a good bit of lees visible on the kick/punt before I Pop!ped the cap. I was very gentle in my pour so as not to rouse said lees & once decanted, there were loads of visible carbonation bubbles. The carbonation formed a one finger cap of dense, foamy, bone-white head that seemed to revive itself every couple of minutes. Color was a gorgeous Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 -5) with NE-quality clarity, prompting The Gelt Gang of Midas, Croesus & Mammon to drop by for an impromptu visit & a taste. Nose smelled like someone was peeling oranges & the mist was coming off of the fruit in waves! Mouthfeel was full and creamy, undoubtedly due to the carbonation. The taste was very citrusy and unexpectedly bitter, kind of like some pith got in there with the peel. Still, it was quite pleasant and very refreshing. It is not difficult to imagine this beer with/at Brunch. Finish was dry and refreshing, especially in the face of the day's already rising humidity.

Flying Dog Brewery "Mimosa Beer"
12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle, "FOR OPTIMAL FRESHNESS ENJOY BY: 08.29.18" and sampled on 05.19.18
$2 @ Wegmans, Collegeville, PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: "Ale brewed with orange peels and natural flavors" - I wonder what the natural flavors are. Ahh, I guess it's just orange. Or maybe white grape? I don't know. I'll have to pour this carefully as there's a lot of sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Success! It's still hazy though. It's a medium gold beneath a short head of bright white. Hmmm... the head is fading quickly. There's orange in the nose but it's not strong, and there's some sweetish malt as well. On to the flavor... it's interesting. The orange is there, and there's a bit of acidity to it that balances it as there's not much bitterness. But the malt isn't as sweet as the nose suggests it might be either. Again, the orange isn't that strong. It seems at just the right level - not to be a mimosa, but for the beer. Although now that I think about it, it's not a bad representation of a Mimosa, at least in the aftertaste. Looking back, the head is completely gone and there's no lacing. It's got some nice carbonation to it though. The body is light-medium. Overall it's pretty nice. It's refreshing and it would make a great summer beer.
Review#6,022

 

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, best before 8/29/2018. Pours moderately hazy pale golden yellow color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with solid retention, and reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Good appearance. Aromas of lightly tart lemon, lime, orange peel, pear, red apple, peppercorn, clove, light banana/bubblegum, wheat, cracker, white bread, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus/peels, and pale/wheat malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of lightly tart lemon, lime, orange peel, pear, red apple, peppercorn, clove, light banana/bubblegum, wheat, cracker, white bread, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/grassy/citrus peel bitterness, yeast spiciness; and slight wheat tang/tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, lime, orange peel, pear, red apple, peppercorn, clove, light banana/bubblegum, wheat, cracker, white bread, herbal, floral, grass, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Nice robustness, complexity, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus/peels, and pale/wheat malt flavors; with a great malt/bitter/spiciness balance, and zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing druyness from bitter/spiciness. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, and bready/grainy/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is good. A bit thin, but not watery finish. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.2%. Overall this is a pretty good fruited witbier. All around good robustness, complexity, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, citrus/peels, and pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and refreshing to drink with the modestly bitter/spicy/drying finish. They missed the mark on this one, just tastes like a regular witbier. No big orange juicy notes that I expected; but it was nicely enjoyable, and well made for the base style.

 

 

 

12 oz. bottle poured into a tulip glass.

L---Pale yellow with a bit of a haze to it. Thick white head faded quickly and left just a little lacing. Bubbles kept coming up from the bottom of the glass.

S---I get more lemon than the advertised orange, although the orange is definitely there.

T---Fruity. Much milder taste than I was hoping for. Orange and lemon again.

F---Light & airy. Well carbonated, gives it the light feel. Quenching, I could see many more than one of these going down on a hot day.

O---I expect bigger taste from Flying Dog. At 5.2%, though, it's clearly a sessionable beer and I can see a lot more than one going down on that warm summer day.