Double Dog Double Pale Ale
Review Date 5/30/2007 By John Staradumsky
I double dog dare you to try this beer. Now come on, you knew I was going to say that, didn’t you? But really, if you think you’ve tried Flying Dog Double Dog Pale Ale just because you bought a bottle of Flying Dog’s Wild Dog Double Pale Ale a few years ago, think again. Because while along the same lines, the two beers are not identical. Unlike Wild Dog, Double Dog is sold in 12 ounce bottles, albeit in four-packs, for a rather reasonable $8.99 a go for starters.
Beyond the packaging, Double Dog is stronger than it’s dearly departed predecessor, clocking in at a hefty 10.5% alcohol by volume to Wild Dog’s 9%. A truly mouth puckering 85 IBUs of bitterness are also cited, an increase from the 80 Wild Dog had.
Flying Dog says that this double recipe of pale ale has double the hops and double the flavor so your date will look doubly good. Bully I say, but just how will you look to her? In any event, I think when you double a pale ale recipe you get a barleywine, and that’s what Double Dog tastes like to me.
Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale pours to a murky reddish brown color with a very thin head formation and a very bready, grassy hoppy nose. I poured my bottle into a wide mouth brandy snifter glass to allow it to warm and to better appreciate those wonderful aromas I just mentioned. Swirling the liquid in the glass will rouse them too.
The palate is chewy, thick and rich with caramel and fresh bread flavors. It’s the hops that really steal the show here, though, slightly citric and suggesting fresh oranges, intensely grassy and calling forth fresh mint and grass, and intensely bitter in the finish as well, with a long and lingering hop wallop to the tongue. The alcohol warms the palate as well, and makes this a very pleasant after dinner drink. My bottle went very nicely sipped after a hearty meal of a crisp garden salad with a parmesan peppercorn dressing, flat iron steak smothered in sautéed mushrooms, and a baked potato with sour cream and chives.
The intense bitterness of the beer helped to cleanse the palate, while the formidable alcohol content aided in digestion.
This one should age nicely. It will be interesting to see how the malt and yeast inspired elements as the hops mellow with time. In any event, I think it's even better than the Wild Dog. Highest marks.
Glad I tried it?
T
Would I rebuy it??
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled, Canned
(D)=Draft
