DC Beer Week- Flying Dog Tasting

A good time to resurrect a beer blog is during DC Beer Week, no?

We went to the Brickskeller for the Flying Dog tasting last night. We've been feeling like the Brick has not been up to par- however, the one exception is the tasting events. They're well-priced and they're great. The Brick Burger is acceptable (I just tell myself not to think about how the kitchen probably looks), and the beer is always available in large supply.

Last night we drank 9 beers.

Wild Goose IPA: it smelled grassy, and was a light pale ale. It was not hoppy. It is 4%abv. and the brewer said it is new to the DC area. Ben and I both rated this a 2 (on Ben's scale, a 2 is "Below Average. The beer is lacking in many ways. Although not necessarily a bad beer, there are many better beers within this style. I will never buy or order this beer again, but if given to me, I might drink it.").

Flying Dog Kerberos Tripel: it smelled like a tripel (descriptive, I know). I thought it was a good Belgian-style beer. It was sugary, and not as complex as some other Belgians/faux Belgians around. It is 9% abv. Ben and I both rated this a 3 (on the scale, a 3 is "Average to Good. This beer does a fair job of representing the style. It's not one of the standouts of the style, but there are no noticeable flaws either. If I saw this beer in a store or at a bar, I would not purchase unless I really wanted some beer and there were no better options. However, if given to me, I would definitely drink it.")

Wild Dog "Diablo Dog" Belgian Style IPA (Diablo Dog is the house name - it doesn't have an official name... yet): it smelled like grapefruit and rosemary or thyme (yeah I need to get my spices straight). It was dry, and tasted like rosemary or thyme. It was one of the best beers of the night, and possibly the best Belgian IPA I've had! It was also the world premiere of the beer outside the brewery. They made it was a fun beer, but I'm hopeful they'll decide to bottle it. I would definitely drink it again! Ben and I both rated this a 4 (Very Good to Excellent. This is a standout beer for the style, and one of my favorites within the style. There is a level of complexity not tasted in lower scores. I would keep this beer in my fridge as a go-to beer and only cellar the ones that I know would give great results. This is a beer I would buy on a regular basis.)

Wild Dog Dog Schwarz (Black Lager): smells of smoke and sausage. Tasted of smoke and roasty malts, and the smoke really stays with you after you but the beer down. It is 8% abv. We already knew we liked this beer, as we have had a bottle before, and we have another bottle in the fridge. It was great on draft. We both rated this a 4.

Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter: I couldn't think of what it smelled like. It didn't have a strong aroma. It tasted of dark malts and slight hops. It is about 7.8% abv. Overall, it is a good beer, but not that exciting. We both rated it a 3.

Flying Dog Dry Hopped Gonzo: This version smelled of pinetrees. It was much hoppier than the regular Gonzo, and in my opinion, much better as well. It was also on cask which may have contributed to its greatness. We both rated this a 4.

Flying Dog Barrel Aged Gonzo: This version smells sweeter than the last two, and smells and of vanilla and whiskey. It tasted of bourbon/whiskey (it was aged in whiskey barrels, but I swear it tasted like bourbon), and it had a nice carmelized taste. It was slightly higher alcohol than the other two Gonzos at about 8% abv. I rated this a 4 and Ben rated it a 5 (Outstanding - World Class. This beer is not only at the top of the style, but one of the best beers in the world. I would purchase this beer whenever found and cellar many of these beers.)

Flying Dog Horn Dog Barleywine: This smelled of caramel. It tasted of candy and candy corn. It also reminded me of something from my childhood, but I can't recall what it was! We thought this would be better if it was aged a few years. We both rated it a 3.

Double Dog Double Pale Ale: This both smelled and tasted of pinetrees. It was 11% abv. It was a not-bad IPA, but nothing particularly outstanding. We both rated it a 3.

Overall, this was a really good tasting. It was fun to taste the three different Gonzos side by side.

Also, Bob Malone was a great speaker and had lots of insight into the business, since he's been brewing for 16 years. He stopped by our table when the program was over, and we talked about his beers. He really seemed to want the feedback, and it was great to talk to him! I really hope they start bottling the "Diablo Dog" or whatever they end up calling it. We'll definitely be on the lookout for the Barrel Aged Gonzo when it comes out too (he thought maybe in December).