To celebrate their 10th anniversary, the Flying Dog Brewery released a few new brews in 2004, both a bit unusual for them. They were lagers, a Helles and an Octoberfest, from a brewery that has in the past brewed only ales. And beer lovers like myself thought that that was great. But Denver, Colorado’s Flying Dog had more surprises in store for beer enthusiasts. The first of these is Wild Dog Double Pale Ale.

This is the first in a series of special brews Flying Dog has planned. Each will be released in the months and years to come, and will be limited edition brews with small production runs. Not all states will get them, or so the brewery says. Here’s a bit more info from a small card attached to my bottle:

Wild Dog Double Pale Ale marks Flying Dog’s 10th anniversary and the launch of the Wild Dog series. A deluxe collection of limited-release beers from our brewmaster, the series will show some of the boldest styles from around the world. At 9% Alc by Vol and 80 IBUs, Wild Dog Double Pale Ale is the stuff legends are made of..

All well and good, but just what is a double pale ale? In this case, it’s a souped up IPA with a higher alcohol content and oodles of malt and hops. And it’s good. Really good. Each 750ml corked bottle is numbered; mine is number 632. It was bottled in September of 2004. The green glass they use is a no-no, but my bottle (admittedly young) is just fine.

Wild Dog Double Pale Ale pours to a dark orange amber color with a thick creamy head formation and an intense grassy hop nose. The nose alone is just incredible; it’s like sticking your head inside a bag of fresh hops. I could just sit here and smell the stuff all day. Umm, well, I can’t support that. I just have to take a sip.

The palate is big and full bodied and packed with rich chewy caramel malt flavors. But it’s the hops that steal the show here. While sipping, a huge grassy hop aroma wafts from the brew and assaults my nose. Just incredible. Then too, the beer is permeated with hop flavor, grassy, slightly piney, and very, very bitter. There’s just tons of fresh hop flavor here, and hopheads are really going to love this brew.

Especially the finish, where the huge hop bitterness really grabs the tongue and just lingers and lingers. At 9% alcohol by volume, I should be getting some alcohol warmth here, too, though I don’t notice that. The hops just seem to drown it out. In many respects, double pale reminds me of a young Bigfoot Barleywine , in both malt and hop profile.

I think this one will age out very nicely, though you’ll want to store your bottles out of the light. I think the beer is overpriced at $10.99 a 750ml bottle, but I’m glad I bought one. You should too. If future beers in the series are as good as this one, beer enthusiasts everywhere have a lot to cheer about.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 

 



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