Flying Dog's Brewhouse Rarities series. Supposed to be draft-only (except 3 of them that will be available in 750ml bottles as well), and only along the mid-Atlantic areas. Somehow, it has found it's way to the Midwest, Columbus, Ohio specifically. Oh, don't dare get me wrong, I'm so ecstatic that I'm sporting some wood.... The wood is Trollie, you see, as he's made of wood, but at the same time, he's also my drinking companion, more so than Jennie.
According to Flying Dog's website, this has the following:
7% ABV, 18 IBU, Perle, Cascade and Galaxy hops. Pilsner, Raw Wheat, Midnight Wheat, Torrified Wheat and Flaked Oats as the specialty malts.
So, with Trollie by my side, I put on my Gonzo-vision and dive balls deep into this pint glass, taking your through this train wreck I like to call 'my beer review.' Please note, there are not many reviews on this, so I feel like the Great Gonzo in the Sky is smiling down upon me.
This pours black and opaque, like soy sauce, with a small amount of off-white head. In the aroma, there are notes of your typical wit, coriander and spice. But there are also tones of roasty notes and tones of citrus. These meld together in a way that should be a felony, but then again, look at all the things that are felonies that are fun. Hell, I've committed multiple felonies, sometimes multiple at one, just never been caught, and that's the thrill of it all. Knowing somewhere in the back of your twisted mind, that no normal, sane person would attempt such a feat, due to fear of persecution and consequences. But, I, as Robert Frost said, I took the one less traveled by. And that's how this aroma sneaks into your olfactory senses with a twisted grip, astounding your mind with all the memories it's trying to recall, placing scents with places, people, and beers. But enough about that; onto the real part that people look for. How does this taste, you sorry bastard? Well, It's not that easy to answer. There are hints of caramel up front, that slowly give way to some more whole grain-sort of bready tones, somewhere combining with some light roasted tones. That bizarre trio is met by some piney and citrusy flavors from the hops that go on a ravaging spree across your taste buds when they meet up with good old coriander and spice, but mostly more toward the back end of this smooth drinking beauty. The mouthfeel is medium with, surprisingly little carbonation. I say surprising, as when our friend was pouring this into the growler, the brew was rather foamy, to where she said "I think I lost 3 growlers of head pouring this one growler."
All in all, a very interesting brew. If you have the odd notion to try something new, and you have the opportunity, try this. To quote the good Dr. Hunter S. Thompson: "There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die."
4.7/5 caps
-Nathan-
Happy American Craft Beer Week! Thus begins our week-long celebration of all things American craft beer.
OK, that's an adequate Thompson quote, but not the one I expected, my dear Gonzo-wannabe. The one I expected, after your felonious rant above, is as follows:
If I'd written all the truth I knew for the past ten years, about 600 people -- including me -- would be rotting in prison cells from Rio to Seattle today. Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of professional journalism.
The truth of the Big Black Wit should perhaps remain under wraps; I can't lie, I'm too pretty for prison. So is Nathan. And indeed, this beer is much to weird to live, and too rare to die. Huh. Now I have Avenged Sevenfold's "Bat Country" stuck in my head.
The pour is as Nathan described. The nose gives some citrus and bready malts and farmhouse yeast strain. Uh oh. I don't really care for Flying Dog's farmhouse yeast strain. I don't mind it in Raging Bitch, but I don't care for it in, say, Wildeman or In-Heat Wheat. Just my personal opinion and tastebuds. Well, let's see if it's more Raging Bitch or if that bitch is in heat.
This beer is downright weird. I taste plenty of roasty black malts, and then it's definitely a wit beer, with hints of coriander and, wait. I definitely prefer this colder, at fridge temp. This glass has warmed up while Nathan was typing away. The farmhouse notes are more Woody Creek White than In-Heat Wheat (that's doable), and have really come to the forefront since it's warmed. When it was cold, it was easy to discern the roasty notes and the wheat, and the farmhouse dank was much less pronounced. Now it's kind of a hot mess. And not in a good way. It kind of tastes like they blended Hoegaarden and Guinness in my glass.
It's definitely not my favorite from Flying Dog. But since this beer will only be brewed once, apparently it's not too rare to die. Suck on that, Dr. Gonzo.
4.05/5 caps, because it's warmed too much. I might give it a 4.1 if it were cold.
-Jennie
-Jennie
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