When first I tasted the beers of Flying Dog Brewing Company, then of Colorado, now of Maryland,many, many years ago, I was more delighted by the Ralph Steadman art on the label, I must admit. There's quite a large segment of the beer-drinking public with a contrary opinion of his work. I don't care what they think, he's one of my all-time favorite cartoonists. And the beer isn't bad, either. It's another area in which we don't agree.
And now we have a fruity twist on one of my favorite Flying Dog beers, which was also one Steadman's most controversial labels. The head of the original bitch (hey, they're a dog-themed brewery. It's not out of place.) has been isolated and is floating amidst a display of flowers. Apparently, they've been making this for a few years, yet this is my first time with it. And I'm striving not to give the beer a gender, as the label copy likes to do. (It's a riff on "The Girl From Ipanema", and I always saw her as aloof, not as a bitch, but, whatever.)
Anyway, let's crack it open and see what we have.
Clear, golden/amber color, lasting layer of ivory foam on top.
In the nose: alcoholic/phenolic fruity & floral notes flit out of the glass before I get a closer sniff. Citrus overload. I'm getting a little pineapple. Overall, very promising.
In the mouth: Hop explosion on the palate, the tastebuds take a gentle pounding. Slightly harsh, but pleasant, with tropical fruit notes and hop bitterness expanding.Light-ish body. Easy drinking, for a DIPA. It hits hard like other double IPAs I like, but the Belgian yeast quality seems to be missing in this one. Did the orange and pineapple take over for the Belgian funk? I can taste the orange and very little of the pineapple, and ...Well, it's a good beer and I can drink it, but it's not shooting up the charts and taking over for any of my favorites. I'm going to keep Tropical Bitch on a lease.
The aroma begins with the familiar Belgian yeast notes found in Raging Bitch, paired with aggressive notes of bright pineapple and bubble gum. The flavor follows the aroma with a peppery, phenolic profile that becomes dominated by orange citrus flavors and subtle pineapple.
No comments:
Post a Comment