Wild Dog Colorado Saison
Flying Dog Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not sure when I bought this. It's probably a few years old, but seems to have help up better than I thought.

Bright, sparkling gold under a towering head of frothy foam leaving behind clumpy lace. Spiced apple and Belgian yeast aroma...fruit, hay, herbs, flowers, and mild dusty funk. Sweet floral flavor with plenty of fruity yeast esters and grass. Spicy citrus peel and clove with a hint of honey and a small bite of alcohol. Medium-light body, prickly carbonation with a dry finish. I'm surprised! I thought I had let this one sit around too long for sure.

750 ml bottle shared by Paul at the first Cleveland BA Tasting @ Buckeye Brewing. Poured into a tasting glass.

This beer looks decent in the glass. It's a hazy gold color with touches of straw and orange on the edges. There's some active carbonation but the head and lacing are minor at best.

The smell is interesting. Honestly, this is a bit past its prime. Some apple cider and almost a wood-like quality dominate, indicating that oxidation has taken over. Some orange and a touch of honey are smothered by corriander and basement notes.

The taste is much along the same lines. There's a heavy fruit component, but it comes across as apple and not the orange that the label professes. Some honey add earthiness. There's a woody spice and some oxidation. Not nearly as funky (in a good way) or as spicy as I like a saison to be.

The mouthfeel is light with some carbonation that quickly dissipates. The booze is noticeable and the apple and spice linger in the finish. Not something I'd persue at this time, but it was a nice thing to try. I think this beer has gone to the downside of the hill.

Pours a nice bright gold with a yeasty haze and a fine looking white head that laced well. Even after sitting for a good 15 minutes there's still a decent film astride the beer, and things are looking good. The nose has all the hallmarks of a classic saison, with a pronounce dry funkiness giving off those tell-tale barnyard notes, backed by a zesty fruitiness, peppery spice and grain. Very decent and approachable on the nose.

I blindly bought this beer based solely on my appreciation for the style, but was a little concerned to find its merely average rating on BA as soon as I got home. Thankfully, the first sip lays this to rest. This is classic saison - no fancy twists of mega-souped up alcohol - just a damn good basic beer. Horseblanket combines nicely with grain and peppery yeast to provide the backbone of the brew, while there's always a zesty citrus fruitiness in the background. The finish is dry and peppery, just how I like it. The medium body also has a classy billowing carbonation which helps to bulk things up in the mouth.

A surprisingly excellent effort, which perhaps has been aided by age that has cancelled out some of the elements people find undesirable. For me, it was a basic saison, but when you do basic very well it can be brilliant.

Poured this 750 mL brown bottle into a Tripel Karmeliet glass. No date but I've been cellaring this one since 12/06. The pour created irregular white bubbles and a clear, bright golden body. A lush film of lacing slides down the sides of the glass. Cloudier on the second pour.

Smell was bright fruitiness. Not fresh but stewed. Chaulky Belgian yeast aroma.

Taste was dusty cellar. Spicy. Candied tangerines. Pretty dry. Dank yeastiness.

Mouthfeel was medium in the body and zippy in the carbonation.

A - this saison pours a pale yellow/dark orange color, wells up a huge rocky white head, moderate carbonation

S - yeasty base, with spice hints of clove or coriander, definite citrus notes, but couldnt pick out the orange specifically mentioned on the bottle

T - the light citrus and clove/coriander characteristics continue through to the taste from the aroma, but the biggest flavor component is a sweet honey flavor, its a mellow and natural sweetness that compliments the spicy/citrus/yeasty notes perfectly

M&D - the honey adds a superior smoothness to an already delectable flavor combo, it also adds layering and complexity, a wonderful beer

Shared with some friends. And yes, this one is unretired now.

A - Poured yellow with a 2 fingered white head, which dissipated slow and left very nice lacing.

S/T - Notes of honey, grass, white fruit, possibly nectar, a little brett and some spicy hops.

M - Well balanced, but thin and slightly sweet. Was hoping for a medium to full-bodied saison.

D - Good. I think the lack of body took away from this beer.

I bought this bottle some time ago and forgot about it in my "cellar" until I found it the other day.

A - Poured a hazed orangish color with a big white head that fades fairly quickly

S - Has a fruity sweetness of apples with some mild spice in the nose

T - The fruity apple flavor stands out the most finished with mild spice

M - This beer has a light body with high carbonation to it

D - For an accidentally aged beer I thought it has held up well and tasted good making it easy to drink if you find one somewhere its worth picking up.

Pleasant saison that finishes skillfully dry, without sourness, and so good drinkability. Aged a bit in my cellar. Pours a neutral colour with minimal head. A little spice in the aroma, a bit more in the taste. Above average mouthfeel from the honey. Orange there, unobtrusive.

750mL bottle courtesy of oldstylecubfan poured into a tulip.

The first pour is a clear light golden with hints of orange underneath a huge fluffy white head that dissipates fairly quickly leaving a bit of lacing and small swirl of foam on top. The second pour is considerably more hazy.

The aroma is very sweet, almost like watery apple juice with lots of yeast as well. There is a faint hint of funk and I don't get much in the way of spices.

The taste follows the aroma with some light apple sweetness and yeast backbone. There is no funk or spices that I get in the taste. It's a very basic saison taste.

The mouthfeel is fairly light bodied with decent carbonation and slick in the finish. It's not as dry as I expected either.

This is a drinkable saison but not one that really brings anything different to the table. Fairly basic, slightly watery with very little spice or funk in the taste. Average saison.

Golden colored with a white head the has some retention and lacing. Earthy aromas, light grass, lemon, and clove. Bready taste, earthy, clove, and spice. Higher carbonation and medium bodied. Pretty good Saison that I wouldn't mind trying again. Maybe if we're lucky, they'll make this again.

appearance: hazy golden orange body. Thin white head with white lace lasting thoughout the session.

nose: apple, pineapple, honey, fennel, cane sugar. some fusel alcohol.

taste: light cane sugar upfront. hop bitterness imparts a tart citrus througout. lemon rind. not as complex as I hoped. sharp alcohol flavor in the end.

mouthfeel: crisp and bubbly as it should be. light, airy and clean mouthfeel.

drinkability: I did not want another pour of this. Not the best of saisons. the alcohol comes through hard. If it were just a little more complex in the flavor dept, I would be more willing to seek out this beer.

A- Pours a slightly hazy orange color with a fairly thin white head. Not too much retention or head on this one.

S- Smells really nice. Quite a bit of things jumping at me...little bit of a sour funk, fruity mainly apples, yeasty, and some peppery spice.

T- Bit of a let down after the smell. Nothing terrible just expected more from the smell. Some fruity apples, spice, and yeasty.

M- Lighter in body, good amount of carbonation, and finishes dry.

D- Easy to drink, again not terrible just, easy to drink and glad I got to try it.

Found this gem at Stateline liquors in Elkton, MD...in late July. Poured into my Chimay chalice. My first review of a retired beer.

A- Nearly opaque golden yellow body with a giant frothy white head that takes forever to settle down (which is what is prohibiting it from a 5.0...I couldn't pour it without it overflowing). It finally settles to a 1 finger thick eggshell white head. Cloudiness is thick and dynamic. When held up to the light bubbles can be seen rising to the top. A truly beautiful beer.

S-The smell good but not as potent as the rest of the brew. Mild floral hops tingle the nostril first followed by a fruity scent of pear and apples.

T-Upfront is a semi-tart/semi-sweet fruity flavor of pear and apples. This is accented by minimal floral hop flavor and a big bready yeast backbone. The finish has a sudden presence of floral hop bitterness along with a touch of alcohol. What lingers is a hint of floral hops and the bready yeast.

M-Medium carbonation and a mouthfeel full of yeast. Its much thicker than others I have tried of this style (which may come with age). Big silky and smooth.

D- I really liked this and I wish I would have picked up more than one bottle. I know the other reviews for this are much lower than mine...but maybe all this beer needed was some aging...I'm sure it was much boozier in the beginning. This is a wonderful brew overall and the best I have tried from this brewing co.

edit: when sorted high to low...all of the highest ratings are from 2008...just more suggestion that this one needed some aging.

A: Poured a cloudy light orange color with a 2 finger bright white head.

S: lemons and oranges, along with with fresh baked bread and a nice underlying fruitiness.

T: For flavor there was some citrus peel and a touch of pepper along with a yeasty bite. There was some tropical fruitiness, dried pineapple, bananas, cloves, and sour oranges as well.

M: very creamy and tart, and active delivering a nice carbonation bite.

D: Very good drinkability and a good recommend.