Table For Two
Flying Dog Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I sometimes wonder how I would get on without my local trader, tone77, and his ongoing deliveries of bottles to keep me from going CANCrazy. I may never know as he is coming by tonight for a pick-up and that often also entails a drop-off. I am waiting with bated breath.

From the bottle: "A Maryland collaboration for the ages"; "Belgian-style table beer"; "Beer brewed with honey".

In the meantime, I am emptying out my backlog of bottles, including this one. Whoa, Nellie, but this was one active beer in terms of its carbonation! I was initially heavy-handed on my pour and quickly realized the need to take my foot off of the gas. After things FINALLY settled down, I was faced with a finger of rocky, tawny head that hung around much longer than I would have liked, impeding my pour. Color was a hazy orangish-amber with lots of carbonation in evidence. Well, duh! Perhaps over-carbonated? Nose had a scent of orange peel or did they use orange-clover honey? Either way, it smelled good. Mouthfeel was a little thin but the honey was evident on the tongue along with a spiciness that was most likely yeast-driven. Finish was very dry, again probably due to the yeast and accounting for the extreme carbonation. I would definitely put this on the table if a bitch were coming over.

Thanks to Dyan for this one.

A light haze to this golden color with a fluffy white head. Some banana and pepper along with lots of yeast. Sweet, pale malt with a little bit of straw and grass. The banana is fairly pronounced and gives the beer a nice sweetness. Some bready malt and a hint of citrus peel. The straw and grass are there as well. Just a hint of pepper and maybe some yeast.

 

 

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a cloudy dark golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is mild, some fruits. Taste is good, fruity, honey, some malts, lots of flavor coming through. Feels full bodied in the mouth and overall is a quality brew worth seeking out.

3/15/2012

Review #1800

Bottle from Dyan. Thanks! Snifter.

A: Honey gold with a creamy white cap that lingers for a while. Lacing is scattered. Great clarity and color.

S: Notes of apple and pear waft from the glass. Lightly spicy pepper-like phenols blend with a touch of clove. Floral aromatics are restrained. Malt is biscuity and lightly sweet.

T: Sweet biscuit and bread with expressive fruity esters that bring to mind apple, green grape, and pear. There's a touch of mineral character and a low bitterness with a little white pepper. The phenols growl stronger in the lightly spicy and fruity finish.

M: Upper light to lower medium in body with upper medium carbonation.

Overall: A drinkable and satisfying Belgian Pale Ale.

 

 

12 oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Pours a clear copper, with a finger of bright-white head. This retains with a foamy ring around the edges of the glass, leaving back thin wisps in the center and smattering the sides with spotty lacing. The aroma smells grassy and spicy, with added notes of zesty citrus, musty earth, and a toasted sweet graininess, which all combine to give this some twang in the nostrils.

The taste is honeyed sweetness and toasted grains, with a softer fruit presence working itself in. A moderate citric bitterness adds a bit of assertiveness to the profile, as this end with some earthy must and spice on the finish. More grassy and herbal tones emerge from the hops and work into this as things warm up a bit. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, maybe a little lighter feeling, with a sprightly feeling effervescence to the carbonation that is firm feeling up front but then much creamier along the back.

Not bad at all. This was a decently flavored Belgian Pale with a lively crispness to the body that complimented the profiles well. I’m glad that I picked a bottle of this up.

 

 

 

Bottle pours a crystal clear golden color with almost no head to speak of. Just a small white rim around the top of the glass.

Aroma makes up some ground with some nice floral and fruity notes. Honey sweetness and bready.

Light in flavor. Floral notes and honey add sweetness. Reminds me of honeysuckle. Apples, citrus hops, bready, and hint of spice. All these flavors make it complex yet everything is so subtle that nothing is any dominant flavor.

It's very soft on the palate. A mild spicy bitterness on the back end. Clean, crisp and dry finish. Overall this beer is exactly what it was made to be. Easily drinkable and simple. Good session beer that would be good on a hot summer day. Too bad it's January.