Beer Review: Flying Dog's Gourd-geous Beers

Let me preface this new feature of my blog (Beer Review) by saying that I do not EVER intend on telling you things like this beer or that beer tastes like a leather jacket on a moonlit night worn by a mechanic who worked on BMWs in his spare time and who loved to frolick in fields of lavender with his girlfriend of 11 years who in turn enjoyed both a fat Cuban (cigar) and any drink aged in oak or wine barrels.

I wanted to talk aroma, appearance, taste, etc. etc. and maybe sometimes I will, but I don't want there to be a format. I'll just tell you what I think.

Up first...

 THE GOURD STANDARD- Pumpkin IPA, ABV: 6.7% IBU: 60

Flying Dog Brewery is no Dogfish Head Brewery...and that's ok. Adding ancient camel droppings to a porter is interesting, but so is just making funky beers. Flying Dog's interesting take on a pumpkin ale, The Gourd Standard, is a pumpkin IPA. Yes...I...P...A. I was pretty surprised when I saw it in the store. I almost didn't buy it but it was too intriguing for me to pass up.

I was pleasantly surprised. even though the IBUs clock in at 60, they're pretty subtle in my opinion...or at least not overpowering. It's not the West Coast IPA blast of hoppiness that you're expecting- they use German noble hops (Hallertau and Hersbrucker) to create a solid hop foundation. It's not in the background, but it doesn't overwhelm you, either.

So, there is a balance here with the malts and fermentables, most notably the biscuit and oats. The biscit is there to balance the hops and the oats give the beer that full-bodied mouthfeel.

And it's a pumpkin beer, but I have yet to talk about the pumpkin! Truth is, it's very subtle as well. The "magic" behind this beer, I think, is the balance between the hops, the malts, and the adjunct, in this case- the pumpkin flavor. Kudos to Flying Dog for picking the right earthy/spicy hos to go with an earthy and spicy adjunct/flavor.

The BeerAdvocate gives The Gourd Standard a score of 84. Maybe that's right on target, but I think when you drink it, you'll want to score it just a tad bit higher.

THE FEAR- Imperial Pumpkin Ale, ABV: 9% IBU: 45

It's not that this beer blew me away- it didn't. It's that it did what it set out to do. I didn't taste pumpkin or a gourd or anything- I tasted pumpkin spice. BUT, it wasn't too overwhelming and it paired nicely with the warmth from the 9% ABV (NOTE: Yes, that means watch out for the alcohol...this beer will sneak up on you).

They made an interesting choice with the Vienna malt, but it works well here. They also make two more bold choices with their hops (on of them is Warrior) and their yeast strain (Chico). This beer is called an ale but the grain bill might suggest otherwise.

If you want a decent, strong pumpkin ale, this is the one for you. It's not going to knock your socks off or make you want to plan for a day of from work just because you know you'll be up all night drinking this beer and you'll want to savor every sip...you'll just be grateful to have a beer that reminds you of this time of year.

My final thought on Flying Dog Brewery is...your labels scare me. They really do. I was afraid well before you came out with "The Fear". I could tell that the "Raging Bitch" might just be one. Very convincing. I realize that you can't change your labels now- it's a "thing"- but you'd better keep putting out decent beers in my home state or YOU'RE OUTTA HERE!

-DG