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Now, normally when there is a "Flying" in the brewery name, it's a Flying Dog selection. This internal mind struggle makes me feel like I'm cheating on my favorite brewery with a different flying mammal, but I have to remember that Flying Monkey is Canadian, so it's a different beast to begin with. Anyways, we were excited to see this at Wine & Brew Emporium. Why? Well, first the label is pretty rocking, kind of a throw back to vintage movies, and second, this is a craft beer from Canada. I had to let that sink in for a minute. I'm not familiar with many Canadian brews here (Labatt's and Molson are about the only ones that pop out in my mind).
I can't really find out much about their history online aside from the owner went to Mississippi, realized good beer vs bad beer, and started home brewing. You'll have that with any brewer at some point. So with that being said, I delve into this, eyes and nose first.
This pours an crystal clear amber color with a small amount of white head that sticks around. The aroma on this Citra heavy, 70 IBU, 6.0% ABV brew is amazing. A nice caramel sweetness lends itself to citrus, pine, and tropical fruit notes given off by the hops. The flavor on this is something else. It seems heavier than only 70 IBUs. This is a blast from the first sip all the way through aftertaste, going through the different flavors of a heavily hopped beer. There's a nice citrus peel bite at first, notes of tropical fruit and pine throughout. The malt flavor isn't as present in the flavor as it is the aroma, a little on the front end, but fading quickly to the power of the all mighty HOP. This is a Hop Lovers Beer! HOPSUS BE PRAISED! This has a slightly watery mouthfeel, smooth drinking with perfect amount of carbonation. That super heavy resiny feel it leaves all over the mouth after a sip makes me want to go out and buy more.
I'm intrigued to try more of their selections (as we just recently were able to obtain them in Ohio). Welcome to Ohio, and welcome to my fridge. I think Flying Dog won't mind if I drink you....
5/5 caps
-Nathan-
Oh my. So, between the above and now, I had the opportunity to question Nathan how this stacks up to our two other favorite citra-centric beers, Flying Dog's Single Hop Imperial IPA and Three Floyds Zombie Dust. He was silent on the first, and said that despite the thinner body than Zombie Dust, this had a better flavor profile. I didn't think that was possible. Let's find out.
The appearance is exactly as my partner-in-beer (beertner?) described. This has had some time to warm, as He-With-Boyparts wrote his portion and I continued on my piece of art for Peanut. I am picking up notes of caramel, citrus, pine, and -- squee! -- lychee. I can wait no longer; waiting to drink this is becoming like water torture. I think I just startled him with my exclamation of bliss. It starts out very piney for me, then it's like you just bit into a big, fat lychee. There are notes of orange, mango, and pine, and yes, some caramel, but I'm not quite sure in what order. I'm in such a state of ecstasy, I don't know if I can stop drinking it long enough to write about it. It is a little thinner body, but I have absolutely no problem with that. I think the body complements the beer quite nicely. Sometimes, a little lighter-bodied beer is what I prefer in an IPA. They don't always have to be meals-in-a-glass, especially not if the flavor is so well done. And trust me, this is.
This is a fantastic showcase for my favorite hop strain. It's a wonderful beer, and like Nathan, I welcome it to our fridge, Ohio, and most importantly, my palate.
5/5 caps
-Jennie
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