Super Hook
Flying Dog Brewery

Gross.

Low quality alcohol and extremely acidic. Gives you the spins if you fight through the taste. Tastes a lot like taking a big swig of super acidic vomit. Not a fan.

 

 

Flying Dog Brewery "Super Hook"
12 fl. oz. clear glass bottle labeled "FOR OPTIMAL FRESHNESS ENJOY BY: 02. 01. 23"
$2.49 @ Total Wine & More, Wilmington, DE

Notes via stream of consciousness: Carefully poured from a longstanding bottle I was able to leave most of the lees behind. The body is a mostly clear ruby beneath a short head of pinkish foam. In the nose it's fruity and alcoholic, mainly smelling like you've added a good amount of vodka to some Hawaiian Punch. So before I go any further let me take a look at the label and try to figure out what this is. It's a "HIGH OCTANE FRUIT PUNCH SOUR", "... WITH LACTOSE, BLOOD ORANGE POWDER, PINEAPPLE POWDER, CHERRY FLAVOR, AND FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICES FOR COLOR" at 10% ABV. On to the taste... it's not nearly as sweet as Hawaiian Punch, nor is the flavor as bold. Despite the fact that this is made with powders and flavorings whereas Hawaiian Punch is made with concentrated juices and fruit purees this seems less artificial. That's probably because it's less sweet but there are a lot of other things in Hawaiian Punch as well (Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Pectin, Acacia Gum, Ester Gum, Red 40, Blue 1, Sucralose, Potassium, etc.) The flavors listed are basically what you get although you might pick up some mango, guava or melon as well. The alcohol is present but not overtly so, and it's certainly not as clear as the aroma would have you believe. I'm not finding any bitterness but none is needed as there's some acidity to it, and the 10% alcohol by volume helps to dry it. In terms of balance it's very well done. It's not a beer in my opinion, and let me check the label on that just to be sure... it's not labeled as a malt beverage but that's what it really is. I can only assume that this is made to compete with a variety of similar products on the market; Seagram's Escapes for one, as well as Four Loko, Smirnoff Ice, and even hard seltzers. There are many available if you look for them, and let's be honest, the price point is damned good if you're just looking to get F'd up. Beyond that, just looking at what it is in hedonistic terms, it's not that bad and I'd consider drinking one of these if my options were limited. I'd rather go with an actual cocktail, and I wonder if it has less calories than a Mai Tai or Margarita although I'm thinking that it probably does. The benefit would be that it's already mixed and you could throw a bunch of these in the cooler before hitting the beach or taking the boat out. Hell, I'm even sitting in my kitchen on February 5th with an outside temperature of close to freezing and it's OK. Regardless, it's not really a beer so you have to keep that in mind when scoring it.
Review #8,528

Nucleated Tulip
Look: Opaque, dark fruit punch red. Pouring a sly bit over a 1 finger head which maintained as a half finger
Smell: Strong nose. Light-med yeast, light doughy malt, and sweet cherry-pineapple fruit punch
Taste: First is a very sweet toasted malt, hint cherry tartness and blood orange, which fades to strong alcohol. Finish is more malt and has persistent alcohol
Feel: Light body, gentle carbonation, dry finish
Overall: The taste just doesn't match the nose, and its barely sour. The alcohol note is strong, not very well covered up. Swing and a miss sadly

Not for beer drinkers. Also not really a sour.

 

Well this is rare, a bottle courtesy of the can man, woodychandler. Poured from a clear 12 oz. bottle. Has a purple/pinkish color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of fruit punch. Taste is fruit punch, slight tartness, just a hint of alcohol is present. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a solid beer.

Two clear twelve ounce bottles emptied into a clear glass liter mug revealed a rich ruby colored opaque brew. There's some rose tinted head, but it doesn't last long. Glass lacing is zero. With a bit of the alcohol in the aroma, it smells a bit like cough syrup. There's no malt, nor hops, just something akin to a cherry/berry flavored medicine. Points given for tasting just like expected from the label, "high octane fruit punch sour". Along with some cherry and berry notes, there also seems to be some citrus fruit. Although more sweet than sour, it's not overly sweet, nor overly sour. It does fall more in the sour realm of the sour or tart delineation. The mouthfeel is thin, but that's not unusual for a fruited kettle sour. The alcohol bite actually supercedes any sourness or tartness, which can almost be overlooked, as the ABV is a solid ten percent. It's not great, but it tastes better than dropping a couple of ounces of vodka into a serving of Hawaiian Punch.

 

Starts extremely sweet and immediately switches over to extremely bitter. By far one of the strangest beers I’ve ever had. Could I drink 2 in a row? No, but it’s a great beer to start the night off with at 10%. Beautiful red color, awesome label.