Flying Dog
By Paul Rinehart
A few weekends ago, I was out shopping with my mother in law. It was hot out so we looked for a cool place o sit and enjoy lunch. My mother in law, Elisabeth, comes to visit for a month every summer, and every summer we pick a favorite beer. This time around, we picked Flying Dog Pale Ale.
We sat down in an Irish pub and started looking over the menu. The waiter came along and asked if he could get us something to drink. Both Elisabeth and I love a nice hoppy, bitter beer. Flying Dog caught
my eye as I was in the mood for a pale ale. The waiter said it was a good choice for people who like their beer bitter.
My first sip was like heaven?it tasted the way an ale should taste! It was well balanced and finished well. My taste buds were having a party. On the other side of the table, Elisabeth's eyes widened and a smile came to her face. She smacked her lips and exclaimed, "Ooooh, that's good!"
Lunch came to a close and we asked the waiter if he knew where we could get Flying Dog. He gave us his best guess. We decided to check out the lead, but to our disappointment, we did not find it.
My search took me to the internet. I googled "Flying Dog" and found the website. It had a nice modern look to it and a hip attitude to it, just like the beer. "Flying Dog" hails from Aspen, Colorado and has been hand crafting beer 1990. For more information on "Flying Dog" and where you can get it, visit: http://www.flyingdogales.com. The "Find our Beer" feature on the website was helpful and easy to use, I plugged in my state and crossed my fingers for a good location. I scrolled down and found the one location in the area. Elisabeth and I jumped into the car and off we went to the store. We found our new favorite there and decided to try two others, "Old Scratch Amber Lager" and "Tire Bite Golden Ale." Since then, I've had a chance to try some of the other beers with catchy names like the Hefeweizen, "In-Heat Wheat." My guess is that these guys are dog people?my kind of people.
A word of warning: this beer is strong and rich, but once you taste it, it's like ambrosia. Here's a little more information on the "Flying Dog" ales we tried.
"Flying Dog Pale Ale"
Alcohol Content: 4.7%
Specialty Malts: 120L Crystal Malt
Hops: Northern Brewer, Cascade
Notes: Nice and hoppy! This one was by far my favorite.
"Old Scratch Amber Lager"
Alcohol Content: 5.3%
Specialty Malts: Malted White Wheat, Munich Malt, and 120L Crystal Malt
Hops: Northern Brewer, Cascade
Notes: This one was malty. I prefer things on the more hoppy side, but
this was a tasty beverage and went well with grilled food.
"Tire Bite Golden Ale"
Alcohol Content: 5.1%
Specialty Malts: Malted White Wheat, Munich Malt
Hops: German Perle, Hallertau
Notes: Not as hoppy as its pale ale cousin but still really enjoyable.
I found this went well with white meats such as spit-roasted chicken.
"In-heat Wheat"
Alcohol Content: 4.7%
Specialty Malts: Malted White Wheat, Munich Malt
Hops: German Perle
Notes: Fantastic to drink under an umbrella on the patio. If you like Hefeweisen then you will be sure to like this one. Goes really well with grilled meat.
So there you have it. This year we send our praise out to "Flying Dog Brewery!"
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