Beer-a-Day #323 
This dog enjoys his days in the sun… Old Scratch Amber Lager is a malty, mellow beer that is fermented at medium temperatures to develop both ale and lager characteristics. “Gold Scratch” raises the standard in the amber lager category.
Pretty copper color, clear, with a good sized off-white head. Rich and malty aroma, with a bit of floral hops. Medium-bodied and malty but easy to drink. This is one of my fall-back beers.
Flying Dog Brewery – Old Scratch Amber Lager
Beer-a-Day #322 
The young pup of the pack… Tire Bite Golden Ale is a refreshing, light, warm weather slammer with a flavorful hop edge. Brewed using exclusive imported German hops, this beer draws craft beer drinkers back from the “dark” side of the cooler.
It’s been unseasonably warm this November, so what the heck. Light gold with a white head that drops quickly. Aroma is very light, perhaps a bit floral. Taste is a bit fizzy and, well, inoffensive. I generally love Flying Dog beers, but this one didn’t thrill me.
Flying Dog Tire Bite Golden Ale
Beer-a-Day #298
By far the biggest dog in the yard… Horn Dog Barley Wine is a dark and malty English-style Barely Wine that is aged for a minimum of three months before being packaged. Like a fine wine, this beer will only get better with age when stored at optimum conditions.
According to the label, this is VINTAGE0811. November, 2008 I assume? Well, then. It should be nicely aged.
Golden brown and an almost syrupy texture. Aroma reminds me of spicy dried fruit. Some vanilla in the taste and more of that dried fruit.
You know, I didn’t used to like barley wines; they were just too thick for me. But I’ve come around to liking them. This is simply delicious.
Flying Dog Horn Dog Barley Wine Style Ale
Beer-a-Day #256
One of the highlights of GonzoFest yesterday was the preview of Flying Dog’s upcoming 20th anniversary beer: Raging Bitch.
I understand it’s made from an augmented Snake Dog wort with an exclusive Belgian yeast strain (called Diablo) and dry-hopped with a load of Amarillo hops. They’re calling it a Belgian IPA.
It was really good. It had that hop bite from a big, bad American IPA with the banana and bubblegum from the Belgian yeast. I’m looking forward to seeing it at my preferred retailer.
I got to attend Flying Dog Brewery’s second annual GonzoFest just up the road at their Frederick, Maryland facility. It was a great time. Lots of good beer, good food, and good music. And more good beer. I am looking forward to next year’s event.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are some photos:
Getting my media kit
That's JT Smith on the right
It was a gray, dreary day, but it didn't dampen the fun
In addition to a bunch of serving stations outside, they were also serving in the tap room
The crowd in the tap room
The crowd outside
A couple of happy GonzoFest-goers
Learning about brewing from one of the brewers. They were making a 20-gallon batch of porter
Fresh and pellet hops
Me and Gerard
The liver is evil...it must be punished!
Duff the "Ace of Cakes" and friend. Duff's band ...soihadto... was the musical headliner
Many thanks to Ellen who was my photographer and drinking assistant. Thanks to JT for putting me on the media list.
Some notes for next year:
Beer-a-Day #255
GonzoFest today. More on that later. In the meantime…
Blessed by Hunter S. Thompson… Road Dog Porter was our first beer to be illustrated by Ralph Steadman. This is a dark, rich and malty beer, with hints of chocolate and licorice resulting from the use of four prized malts. We also defended Road Dog’s honor when the Colorado state liquor board tried to ban us from selling it because “Good Beer, No Shit” was on the label. It took 5 years, but we won.
Deep chocolate brown with a finger’s worth of tan head. Definitely some chocolate and licorice, with a bit of perfume. Deep, rich flavor. This is good stuff.
I’ve got my tickets. Are you going?
Beer-a-Day #197
Meet the Alpha of the pack … Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale is brilliant amber in color and dry hopped with buckets full of Cascades for an unrivaled hop flavor and aroma. This is a true representation of an American-style pale ale, using the finest ingredients. Flying Dog Classic Pale Ale is a multi-award winning product and is consistently ranked as one of the best pale ales in the U.S. This is what craft beer is all about.
I would have written this up long ago, but my wife likes it so much I can’t keep it in the house long enough.
Copper colored and clear. Very pretty. Hops, hops, and hops in the aroma. Nicely balanced with just a little extra kick of bitterness.
Now to hide a few bottles…
Flying Dog Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale
Beer-a-Day #192
Well, what do you know? For all that I like Flying Dog and all that I like wheat beers (Hi Max!), I’ve never written this one up. And, since Cork 57 was doing a promotion for the Flying Dog tasting the other day, I picked up a six-pack.
She taunts and teases… In-Heat Wheat is our German-style Hefeweizen. She is a full flavor beer, perfect for the more adventurous craft beer drinker. The addition of malted white wheat gives this brew its smooth, full mouthfeel. A proprietary yeast creates intriguing flavors of bananas and cloves.
Yellowish-orange and hazy. Bananas and cloves as well as some apples in the aroma. Smooth with that fruitiness. Refreshing, to be sure.
