Flying Dog Supertramp

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As we near our 300th post, I would like to announce that we've had something working in the background that will be our 300th post. We may enjoy it more than you, but you will most likely read it, as you ARE loyal readers, right? And no, Spotify, it is not the Nordstrom Field Guide Remix, fuck off with your ads. I'd rather spend money on beer than spend money on your ad-free shite. 

Each time Flying Dog releases a new brew to the Ohio market, I feel like a kid on Christmas. I start doing a little dance and sing "I got new doggies, I got new doggies." Make fun of me if you want, things that excite me are few and far between now with the realization of turning 30 and the fact I've been in factory work for 8 years... Jesus shit, no wonder I drink. 

After tonight, I add another Flying Dog bottle to my already impressive collection. Complete side note, if anyone has any empty bottles of Kerberos, Heller Hound, or other older/not distributed to Ohio selections that would look good in my collection, please email me at behindthetap@gmail.com, we'll work something out.

Not only does the label appeal to me (Ralph Steadman is a fantastic artist), but I do enjoy tart cherries as well. So, let's see how, on a clean palate, this 4.6% ABV Tart Cherry Ale ranks among the rest of the Pack.

The color is beautiful, a light orange with some pink tones. Decent looking carbonation with a white, one-finger head that lingers around. The aroma on this is almost like a red wine; complex, heavy, dark stone fruit.... huh. I wouldn't expect a nose like this out of a 4.6% brew. The flavor of interesting. It starts off drinking like a kolsch (smooth, light bodied, memories of summer on a porch pop in your head), then this flips the script with some light cherry flavor that starts building, gaining intensity. That's when you notice the slight sour notes that are gaining momentum. The sour notes eventually meet some sweetness from an almost biscuit-tasting malt to join harmoniously on your tongue, joining the cherry in shimmying and shaking down your throat. Slightly mouth puckering and phlegm inducing from the sour, ending in a "hey, I just ate some cherry pie" finish. The initial couple breaths afterword make this seem boozy, like a 15-16% wine. This is such a unique beast. This is a summertime brew that I look forward to enjoying during pool parties and corn hole tournaments at our friends' house. 

4/5 caps

-Nathan-

Oh hell, he wasn't joking about the Nordstrom Field Guide Remix on Spotify. It was the first ad after I had started listening to some Depeche Mode. Note, I had made it through precisely the intro to a live album, and this crap interrupts me. No, music isn't the most important accessory this season; I'm more of one to build an outfit around a song or artist, but thank you for your concern, Nordstrom. Damn you for your fine shoe selection. And by "build an outfit" I really mean select a brewery t-shirt to pair with jeans and Chucks. Motherhood and working in a brewery and homebrew supply store have really dulled my fashion sense, or at least made shopping for new clothes less appealing.

Nathan described the beer quite well. It's lovely faint pink color is beautiful. The aroma is quite complex, although I would not compare it to a red wine (I am thinking he was referring to the complexity and layers of flavors in this). There is a yeasty prominence in the nose that is delightful, along with notes of cracker and then the cherry pops in to say hello, like an old acquaintance whose face you cannot quite place. This starts off tasting more like a cherry soda than a beer for me, then a tart note takes over, and lends itself to the underpinnings of cracker-y malts and that yeasty note making a reappearance. It is rather light in body and leaves bubbles reminiscent of champagne in my mouth. Hmmmm, I wonder if I will be as giddy as I am on champagne at the end of this glass?  

Overall, this is a rather refreshing beer. Like Nathan, I look forward to enjoying this all spring long.

4.1/5 caps 

Cheese Pairing: A lovely fresh chevre

Food Pairing: I would love to see this blended with cherries in a sauce atop some of Nathan's cheesecake. Or in a fresh, beered-up version of a Black Forest Cake.

Music Pairing: "Breakfast in America" by Supertramp. It may be too obvious, but we couldn't resist.