Why We Picked It: Flying Dog usually makes an appearance and a strong breakfast stout was a bit new to us.
What Flying Dog Says About It: You woke up at noon and the motel breakfast buffet is already over. But don’t cry into your bacon just yet, this beer is packed with everything you missed. We gave ourselves a singular mission— brew a stout with all the roasted malt flavor you expect from a waffle maker, plus the huge coffee and vanilla flavor of a cafe latte. Well, mission accomplished. Trust us, it’s the best thing to happen since toasted sliced bread. So keep your PJs on, get a few extra hours of sleep, and set your alarm for happy hour. Operation Breakfast has arrived.
Style: Stout - Coffee
ABV: 9.1%
IBU: N/A
Website: https://www.flyingdog.com/
To Better Know A Brewery: A physicist with degrees from the California Institute of Technology and the Carnegie Institute of Technology who had previously co-founded the Aspen Center for Physics in 1962, George Stranahan left an associate professorship at Michigan State University in 1972 to assume ownership of the Flying Dog Ranch in Woody Creek, Colorado. Eight years later, he made his first foray into the restaurant business, opening the Woody Creek Tavern in nearby Woody Creek, Colorado. It became notable for its association with journalist and Woody Creek resident, Hunter S. Thompson, who frequented the establishment on a near-nightly basis for late lunches when in town. Thompson and Stranahan (who previously served as Thompson's landlord) had enjoyed a close friendship since the late 1960s. In 1990, Stranahan and co-founding partner, Richard McIntyre, opened the Flying Dog Brewpub in Aspen. It was the first brewery to open in Aspen in over 100 years, and was one of the first brewpubs in the Rocky Mountain region.[3]
Am I the only cracking open my 9% ABV coffee stout at 5:30 on a Wednesday? This is lovely. Heavy on the coffee and no way any human could guess the potency. I think it's a very good thing that I only have one in the house. A very good thing. I guess I'm getting some vanilla but seems like breakfast is a bit of an overreach. 4 out of 5 whatevers.
ReplyDeleteRo is not a fan of coffee. She initially refused to even take a sip and finally after being forced to said "This is everything I hate about Christmas (beers). Coffee, and spice, and nothing nice." The good news is that she has decided to make carbonara for dinner so I will be getting my bacon and eggs after all.
I thought this was pretty good. Sweet, but good.
ReplyDeleteI could rock this for breakfast. If drinking beer for breakfast was something I felt comfortable when anytime other than a Mexican vacation.
I’d like to cook with it. I think it would be great in brownies or ice cream.
I broke this open at 6AM with some cinnamon bun muffins I made for breakfast today (super easy and a better way to make the canned cinnamon rolls from the store, if anyone is interested in the recipe let me know).
ReplyDeletehttps://share.icloud.com/photos/09qmT8lA7Epy1MuF2AQa4lxvA#Fulton
I just don't get peoples like (or even love) of Flying Dog. As someone who has read all of the Hunter S Thompson books 2 or more times and also has all of the Ralph Steadman books including a signed copy of the Proud Too Be Weirrd (yes 2 r's) coffee-table edition and his new pandemic book A Life in Ink I love all of the labels. I dont go as far as collecting all the Flying Dog bottles as alot of Steadheads do...but they are great pieces. It is still amazing to me that a little brewery in MD has such a unique and well known artist create it's labels.
That said Flying Dog's beers I always want to like...people always talk about how much they like them...I-I-I... I just dont get it? This is a good example to me of why. I love a good breakfast stout, especially on a cold day like today was. Even with it being cold from the fridge, that warm coffee or chocolate flavor maybe a sweet maple syrup or loving vanilla taste is just a great way to start the day. Mix in a little 9% gets me nice and loose for my morning meetings with my teams overseas...this just missed all those things.
To me it tasted like how my leather boot smelled that one time I set a cup of coffee in it, I forgot about it and found it a week later. The maple I got tasted like that cheap imitation syrup, the coffee was more like old school instant Folgers in the red tin. The mouth feel was just a little off as the carbonation had more of a pinch that that smooth stout feel.
Maybe I am crazy or maybe I place unrealistic expectations on Flying Dog because of fandom to other things...
I feel like maybe Flying Dog is flying on their reputation as I remember having some great beers from them but even their "classics" miss the mark for me now a days.
Steadman said “Americans live with the certain knowledge that the source of their greatness has not yet been released.”
I feel like I live with the the certain knowledge that the source of Flying Dog's greatness was released 20 years ago and I am the only one who has caught on.... 3 (two donkey's and one bridge) out of 5.
I'm not saying this is the best 24 Days of Beer post ever, but it's too 3%. Also, yes, I would like the recipe.
Delete*top 3%
DeleteSuper easy (basically cut them and put them in a muffin tin)
Delete1- Preheat oven to 400
2- Generously spray 8 regular size muffin cups (is that right right word? like a muffin pan use 8 of the holes) with non-stick spray
3- Open can of 8 cinnamon rolls
4- Cut each roll into 6 pieces (1 cut in half 2 cuts the other direction in 3rds)
5- Sprinkle 6 pieces (1 full roll) into each muffin tin
6- mix 1/4 cup of brown sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk
7- spoon 1 large spoon full of brown sugar slurry onto each muffin (save that bowl with the little bit of brown sugar mix in)
8- place in oven 8-10 minutes (we always like ours a little under done)
9- remove from oven and let cool for 2 minutes
10 - open icing and put it that brown sugar bowl
11- microwave for 15 seconds
12 - remove muffins from pan and drizzle brown sugar icing over muffins
13 - ENJOY!
Stronger and more potent than I expected (didn't read label before I tried it), but I love stouts. I'd get it again. 3/4.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed this one...great, smooth stout with a strong coffee punch. Nice!
ReplyDeleteNow that’s tasty. I’m usually a Flying Dog skeptic - too often it seems like their default brewing method is to throw in some extra hops and call it a day. But since I guess that doesn’t work with stouts, they went the extra mile to add coffee, vanilla, and maple (?) instead. Now I’m sorry I didn’t have it for breakfast.
ReplyDeleteSmooth for the higher ABV - though subdue for a Flying Dog brew (which isn't a bad thing).
ReplyDeleteI mentally prepared myself to be disappointed by Flying Dog as I usually am, lowered all expectations despite the colorful description on the bottle...and ended up thoroughly loving this beer! The coffee flavor really came through and I would not have guessed it was >9%. After this one, waiting until 5pm for tomorrow's breakfast beer is going to be a major feat!
ReplyDeleteAfter suffering a drive through the trail of lights I was looking forward to my day 2 treat.
ReplyDelete>>Can I have another one of yesterday's beer<<
For those of you who have read past comments by me, this is not my shtick and it looks like there are more to come. But I still love the opportunity to try new things.
So what's wrong. It's all been said above by a very active group (so proud of all of you, give yourselves a round of applause and have another beer. This will be a great end to a crappy year), cheap syrup, Seneca coffee, where's the 🥓, why is this even called beer? As my friend Adam says, flying dog just never lived up to the hype.
2/5 lumpy oatmeals.
&%^%$ Auto-correct. Sanka Coffee
DeleteDidn’t realize Flying Dog was so polarizing. I’ve been a fan since coming to Maryland but I tend to like breweries that make a lot of different beers and Flying Dog does that while maintaining some of my boozy favorites (Gonzo, Double Dog, the Truth).
ReplyDeleteFlying Dog allegiance aside this beer checks my boxes and my boxes include high ABV, stout, some coffee. I wouldn’t guess this was over 9% if I didn’t already know. Flavors (coffee, vanilla, maple syrup) remind me of Christmas morning when my dad inevitably opens a breakfast beer before breakfast is even made. 4 out of 5 for me.
Flying Dog is hit or miss from me. They used to make my absolute favorite pale ale until they cheaped out and changed the recipe. Anyways, on to this beer. Wow, really great. I loved the aroma, smoothness, and overall flavor of this beer! I agree that it doesn't tast like a 9% beer. I was expecting a 4% given the name, and thought that it was a little too flavorful for that. But 9%? Never would have guessed it. Very well done, and extremely enjoyable. Another winner!
ReplyDeleteEnjoying this. Lots of vanilla. More vanilla than coffee for me. And definitely packs a punch. More please.
ReplyDeleteFirst, fantastic comments folks thru 2 days. It makes my beer loving heart swell like the Grinch on Xmas Eve.
ReplyDeleteAs for the beer, like others, I've never liked Flying Dog as much as I felt I was supposed to. Double Dog and Raging Bitch are strong efforts, and I adore the link to Hunter and Steadman... But I've never gotten hooked and this brew is an example of why.
Strong flavor structure and a nice smooth feel, but the balance between the coffee, stout, vanilla and maple syrup are just off for me and seems sweeter with every sip. Just not quite there for me. 2.47 Hunters out of 5.
Drinking this beer made me think..."What if Scott Shepherd gave beer reviews in a beat poet style every Wednesday night at Mad City Coffeehouse?"
ReplyDelete(Spoken over a steady beat of finger snaps.)
Beer. (snap, snap, snap, snap...)
COFFEE! (snap, snap, snap, snap...)
No, beer. (snap, snap, snap, snap...)
Beeeeeer... (snap, snap, snap, snap...)
COVFEVE!! (snap, snap, snap, snap...)
You take the beer and the coffee and 9.1
You got Flying and Dog and Maryland Hon
Go, man, go!
Daddy-O!
Strong flavor structure and a nice smooth feel
But someone's gotta make this doggy heal
On your feet!
It's way to sweet!
I give it 2 outta 5
mega-size beats."
Well, enough of that. Onto my review. Hey, I didn't love it, but I liked it. Not always the biggest stout fan in the world, but I sort of liked the weird mix of flavoring, and despite the disclaimer on the label suggesting this is like eating an entire breakfast brunch, I didn't feel like I needed to drink this via a kinfe and fork, and that was a plus for me. 3.0/5.0 Shepouacs for me. Go, man, go. My witness is the DOB blog. Peace.
Three snaps man. Three snaps.
Delete(And yes I definitely have a beatnik side and would be proud of this deconstruction of the dichotomy between beer and breakfast)
Delicious. I'm a big fan of stouts and porters so kudos to the team for the selection. I guess it's been a while since I have had a coffee stout because the first drink really punched me in the mouth with a strong coffee flavor. Then I quickly realized that I like that, so yeah. Reminds me of the brunch from black flag, which I think I prefer to this. Still I really enjoyed this. 4.5/5 breakfast buffets.
ReplyDeleteI am a fan. Definitely felt the 9% at first sip. Maybe a little too sweet, but I really did enjoy this one. I agree that I was not aware the Flying Dog was so polarizing, but I really enjoyed reading the comments on this one. I really think I must have this for breakfast sometime. I want another. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteGreg - Very tasty. Clearly better than today's (Number 3), which I think is a fair comparison given they both going for the breakfast stout market---no question which wins in the Pepsi Challenge. I didn't feel the ABV strength. I enjoyed the sweetness overtop the slight coffee bitterness. I found myself wanting another; I found myself sad without one.
ReplyDeleteBit syrupy but solid bite and refreshing, sweet and surprising. Not had anything like it before but I like it. Could not tell it was 9%. Impressed with the Mad Dog this time, which for me is unusual. 3.3/5
ReplyDelete