Why We Picked It: It's an imperial, which is usually good and had a Thanksgiving theme. Plus, Bill wasn't looking when we snatched this one.
What Flying Dog Has to Say: A traditional Czech Pilsner dialed up a notch with light malt notes and a slightly floral and herbal hop character. Pair this 8.4% ABV bad boy with Aunt Kathy's hugs, Cousin Todd's humble brags and Grandpa Gary's fart
ABV: 8.4
IBU: 35
Notes: Apparently, there's a MadLibs like game on the label if you are paying attention.
So it was about 30 minutes into Dec. 1 when I cracked this one open. I am few beers in and sitting in a hotel in NYC (yes, I packed the beer in a cooler and traveled with it), so my pallet may not be ready to fully appreciate it. Stiil, I enjoyed the very rich and filling brew. I pick up the malt more than the floral. I would like a little more bite, but a nice start to the 24 days. 3 sleigh bells out of 5.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to mention here again how much I love this event. We're heading up to the not as exciting as where Scott is part of New York and the first thing I packed was the first three beers. We're visiting an extensive collection of my in-laws so this beer seems highly appropriate. However, I fear that my age and iphone typing skills will prevent me from properly entering my standard four paragraph entry on my personal history with the beer including the first time I drank a Flying Dog, the first time I flew in a plane, the first time I saw a dog, the first time I saw a dog on a plane, the first time I saw a dog flying a plane, my love of Sopwith Camels, and how my beer blogging is a poor man's Hunter S. Thompson which will bring us full circle back to the label of this beer. Occasionally I mention how the beer actually tastes but that is clearly secondary. So I will do my best tonight from the Hampton Inn and fear not, my brevity over the weekend has nothing to do with a lack of enthusiasm for the event that truly makes my December.
ReplyDeleteHey all- first time commenter, long time beer drinker. I work with Bill, Joelle, and Chip. Here’s what I had to say about beer #1 on Untappd:
ReplyDeleteThis was ok-Flying Dog seems to make beers with a hoppy flavor but not much else going on
But that’s just me and Flying Dog -I’m looking forward to the rest of the beers!
To make Untappd check in easier and help keep track of the beers, I made a list at
http://untp.beer/d2dae1dd49
I don’t see a way for other users to copy over the list to their account, but I guess you could set up your own list and add them one by one.
I'm not a fan. It might taste better paired with the right food, but by itself, it's just leaving a bitter taste. And we've got enough real family drama right now. 2 jingle bells.
ReplyDelete24 days of beer is back! Love this month. Like this quite a bit. Kicking this off with my neighbor Ross, also taking part in 24 days. While watching the Pac 12 title game. On a Friday night. Which makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteHey guys, this is Ross. Thanks for putting this on. This is awesome. I’m feeling a solid 4 for this beer. Mad Libs always makes for a good time.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess this is my consolation prize for not lining up last night to score a bottle of Founders CBS today.
ReplyDeleteThis beer is odd to me - it starts out with a nice golden hue out of the bottle but that is where the downward spiral begins. It ended up tasting like a slightly sweet but weirdly thick lager. Where it is thin however is the complexity - just kind of bland with no finish or lingering tastes of note.
I will give them credit however for packing a pretty big alcohol punch into something which is so plain otherwise. Not quite sure what they were trying to accomplish here but if that was the goal bravo. Kind of like dropping a huge hemi into a minivan and painting some racing stripes on it - just because you can doesn't always mean you should.
Maybe I'm just bitter about missing out on CBS but two sleigh bells out of five for this one.
I think I like the novelty of this beer more than the taste. It's like an IPA, just without all the flavor! The faint aroma makes me expect a pilsner, but the back end bitterness is a bit strong and doesn't fit the malt profile. That said, I'm super excited to try all of these!
ReplyDeleteNewcomer to the party. Thanks for having me. I work with Beer, I mean Bill...I was out of beer last night so it took every ounce of will power to not crack open the first selection. I opted to sort them neatly in my 2nd fridge to pass the time instead. Anyhoo, what's with the scary Flying Dog labels? -1 for scaring my kids when Daddy asks for his beer. I'm not much of a beer critic, but I could smell the holiday notes in this one. Put me in the mood. Decent companion while embarking on some exterior illumination. The woman to whom I'm related by marriage also enjoyed her two sips. 3.0 Clark Griswolds
ReplyDeleteI like this one though I feel like it would be better as a summer beer. It's a little too sweet but I like that it's not over hopped like a lot of IPAs. I liked the first half better than the second, particularly due to the sweetness. My mouth feels more like I drank apple juice than beer at this point. Still I give it 3 Christmas trees out of 5.
ReplyDeleteSo as predicted I just typed this all out and hit publish and it disappeared. Take two.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from upstate NY! This beer and I survived the 7 hour journey. Family drama road trip on the way to a weekend of family drama. So appropriate. Maybe that’s a factor, but I find this amazing. I usually shy away from pilsners but this is smooth with a nice kick. I may never again order another Pilsner under 8% ABV.
I was never a big Flying Dog fan until I took the brewery tour last summer. Just seemed like cool people. And Chip, how dare you question Ralph Steadman! Gonzo Beer! But again I may be biased since I drove by there 8 hours ago.
Overall I am just so happy that it is December again. I say this every year but I really think we should do this every month.
I wonder if they called this "Family Drama," in part, because it's sort of a recipe that can't quite agree what sort of beer it should be when it grows up. Looks like a pilsner, has a little IPA-esque bite, and then there's this malty thing going on. As to why this is considered a holiday beer...? I don't know if I can score a beer with 2.5 bells, but if I can't, I'll throw in a little something extra for the effort and take it up to a 3. Flavor is just okay, but I like the bite.
ReplyDelete"Aunt Glenda showing pictures of her scheming cats. Uncle Jimmy singing songs about his fifth divorce. Cousin Larry bragging about participating in 24 days of beer. And you can't leave, it's another Christmas blogpost for the whole family."
Oh yeah, 4 bells. Although now I kind of want a Bell’s.
ReplyDeleteTardy here... and new so that's a double neg against me;)
ReplyDeleteThis gets 3 out of 5 bells and only because of the effort and creativity. As mentioned by an earlier poster, this beer is trying to hard to be too many things; just like Gary in fantasy football;) Kidding of course. Merry beermas everyone.
-Sam
Newbies are never a negative! Plus, a positive for the fantasy football jab
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