Double Dog Double Pale Ale - Flying Dog Brewery

I can't believe I lived in Northern Virginia for so long and never ventured up to Frederick, MD (well...it IS Maryland...one never really WANTS to go there) to visit the Flying Dog brewery. I think that this is a brewery that I will do a lot of reviewing for in the future.

I will make a quick note about the situation that led to me purchasing this beer. Sarah and I typically buy our alcohol from the Liquor Baron right up East Washington, which is conveniently located about a mile away. Bottle Stop Liquors, which is where this beer was purchased, is probably .9 miles from here. I would rather CRAWL the extra tenth of a mile to get to the sweet sweet Baron than to go into Bottle Stop. The place is filthy, has weird people hanging out next to it, and has people working there who are not the friendliest bunch. At any rate, I have now established my preference. Problem was, the Liquor Baron was changing management or something and we were forced to go to Bottle Stop. There was some ghetto little sign at the cash register that for the bargain price of $199.99 you could obtain a bottle of wine from Charles Woodson's (Packers CB) vineyard. I inquired about it (not to buy) and the manager said that a case was "accidentally dropped off there." Something tells me there was nothing accidental about it - it seems like a Sopranos break-your-knees type deal that went down so I paid and go the hell out of there. The Baron is back open by now, thank God. Honestly, never go to Bottle Stop Liquors. Awful.

Anyways, now for what you really came here to read...

Vitals:

Name: Double Dog Double Pale Ale

Style: American Double Pale Ale / Imperial Ale

IBU: 85

ABV: 11.5%

Gravity: 24 Plato

Purchased at: Bottle Stop Liquors (4 pack)

Descriptions:

Appearance: This pours a pretty dark brown - you could almost mistake it for a brown ale if you didn't smell or taste it. As you can see in the picture the head on this beer was bursting out of my mug, probably about 3 fingers or so in total. This quickly receded but left a very heavy lace on the glass that was left up the whole side as I drank the beer. Very sticky/resinous.

Smell: Smelling this beer seemed to be quite distinct in three places for me. It started off with a very floral aroma, then moved to citrus briefly, and then the piney hops smell to finish it off. This beer smells great to a hophead like me.

Taste: OK, so before I tell you what this beer tastes like, I will say that the main hop variant that is used in this beer is Warrior Hops...enough said. This beer is completely overpowering in every sense of the word. It is more malty than a lot of other PA's I've had recently, and you can taste a little bit of sweet caramel in there, but man, these hops absolutely beat you over the head. Definitely one of the hoppiest beers I've ever had. Some orange and lemon come through but mostly you get grapefruit in this one. You get a long aftertaste as well. The hops are somewhat spicy, or that may just be the warmth of the beer as it builds, but you get some of the piney hop flavor that the aromas promise. It doesn't hide the high ABV, but I don't think it's a detractor with a beer that you know will be this powerful. This beer is WAY bitter and I love it!

Mouthfeel: This definitely leaves a sticky resin coating your mouth after the beer goes down. The mouthfeel is a little on the thicker side for me, which is predictable given its 24 deg. Plato gravity rating. However, it ends up being a smooth drink and builds up some warmth as it goes down, not quite a burn though.

Overall Grade: A-

Comments: I think the best way to describe drinking this beer is that it assaults you. This beer is certainly not for the faint of heart. If you can handle a big beer, big bitterness, and big hoppiness then try this thing out for sure. If not, you probably won't enjoy it, but hey...at least you'll only need a few to get to feeling good with that 11.5% ABV that it boasts. Flying Dog really hit a home run with this beer - I just wish it had a lower ABV so I could have more than a few at a time! Try this out if you're a hophead!!

Cheers,

Hurls