Day 296: Doggie Style

Name: Doggie Style

Brewer: Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, MD)

Classification: American Pale Ale

Alcohol: 5.5%

Thoughts: In the past I have avoided Flying Dog because I haven't really had good experiences with their brew. However, I decided to give them another chance and try their classic Pale Ale, Doggie Style. It pours reddish-orange/amber color with absolutely no head whatsoever. The aroma had whiffs of dry hops and pale malts, but everything was faint and slightly dull. I think some more carbonation or yeast would have made the presentation and smells a lot better. The flavor is a little citrusy, with an orange peel tang to it. The hops and malts decide to show up in the taste as they build a good base for the other flavors to build on. Brady tones and some sweetness join in on the festivities. I think the taste of this beer is really good, but everything else fails it's attempt. I judge a beer on its entirety, not one aspect. This has potential, but it needs to concentrate on those other aspects. 

Rating: 83/100

Day 295: Great Divide 18th Anniversary

Name: 18th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA

Brewer: Great Divide Brewing Co. (Denver, CO)

Classification: Imperial IPA

Alcohol: 10%

Thoughts: Well I'm back on the wagon as my Shitty Beer Week is over. It was a nice refresher in why I am doing this blog. I wanted to do something challenging, I wanted to learn as much about beer as I could, and I wanted to inform me that there are better beers than the mass produced crap you see in most bars and stores. I started the rest of the blog with a special beer. It is Great Divide's 18th Anniversary special. It is a wood-aged Imperial IPA and as you can see in the small snifter glass about it pours a clear amber color with a bleach white, soapy head. The presentation for this beer gets full marks. The aroma was very grainy and woody (I assume from the wood-aging process). I was expecting a big, bold, flavorful beer, but the wood was a bit underwhelming and ladened the rest of the beer. This is a very soft beer and the palate can really relax and take in this beer. The hops are muted, but not subdued, and the malts are sweet. There are notes of apple, vanilla and herbs. It creates a very different taste and an interesting one at that. When drinking this beer, don't go into it thinking that there will be a ton of hops because it is an Imperial IPA. Instead enjoy the wood-aging and the uniqueness of this beer. Oh yeah, I had this at Tyler's hence the Wife in the background. 

Rating: 85/100

Day 294: Bud Light

Shitty Beer Week!

I have decided to have a Shitty Beer Week to celebrate the horrendous mass produced beer that does such an elegant job of representing this country's beer market! Go Shitty Beer!

Name: Bud Light
Brewer: Anheuser-Busch (St. Louis, MO)
Classification: Light Lager
Alcohol: 4.2%

Thoughts: I found this review of Bud Light and I am going to repost on here because it says it all. "Smells and tastes like a combination of alkaseltzer, pennies, seaweed and lake water. Truly terrible! The perfect beer for a) poor people; b) young people; c) people who don't know better; d) big parties or some combination thereof. With that said, the fact that this shit is the best selling beer in the world does not speak to quality but rather illustrates that bud light is the fast food of beers."

Rating: 52/100