Review of Flying Dog Brewing Double Dog Double Pale Ale
Posted By Ken Sunday, 22 May 2011 11:10
After a sort of impromptu get together Friday night with some co-workers for dinner, we stopped at an awesome liquor store on the south side of Indy to grab some beers to take back to one of the co-worker's houses to drink while hanging out. One thing I like about this particular liquor store is the ability to buy singles, which not enough places let you do. This is one of the singles I grabbed, as I had not had much, if anything, from Flying Dog before, and being a fan of double pales I thought I would give this a whirl. Read on to see what I thought of this one.
Ken's Review
Taste: B+ When I first poured this one, it poured a dark orange color. Then, when I took a smell of it I knew I was in for something big. The Double Dog doesn't take long to unleash an almost too malty flavor mixed with a mild back end of citrus flavor hoppyness. Once it settles you get a nice, very subtle burn of alcohol on the tongue and back of your throat. This one has a pretty intense malt flavor to it, but overall the taste is very enjoyable.
Packaging: B+ Flying Dog has some pretty interesting packaging, to say the least. On the Double Dog there is an almost monster-looking dog cartoon that appears to be in either underwear or a diaper, its mouth open and appearing to prepare to take down two mugs of beer at the same time. That's the best way I can describe this one. Monster dog equals monster beer? Maybe not, but I can see where it's going.
Value: B I am not sure what the full 4-pack price on this would be, as I bought a single. Prior to tasting I glanced at the receipt and saw a single was $2.79, which would equate to almost $12 for a 4-pack. I was surprised to see it was that much, as I wasn't expecting that cost, but once I tasted it I understood why it could be. Would I pay $12 to have a 4-pack of this? Probably not, and for what you get I would say the value here might be a little less than the cost.
Drunkeness: A This is also a key area of why Double Dog costs a bit more. This double pale comes in at a face-slapping 11.5%. And it shows when you drink it, as you can almost feel your body slowly being gripped by the beer as you continue to drink on. If you are looking to get to the dark side quickly, this is a reasonable choice, but there are much better ones to really kick-start the beginning of the end of your night with.
Overall: A- Overall the Double Dog Double Pale Ale was an impressive one for me. I wasn't expecting the taste, the cost, or the alcohol content (which was also something I did not realize until I actually looked at the bottle prior to drinking it). As far as double pale ales go, this one ranks up there on my list, but wouldn't be a favorite or go-to necessarily. It does, however, interest me to see what the other beers in the Flying Dog lineup are like.