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When I discovered that beers are divided into Summer and Winter brews, I thought that wouldn't really matter to me. But it turns out it really, really does. The pale, light brews I scorned in cold weather starting tasting much better when the weather warmed up. It still seems very strange! The weather change happened while I was going through the Flying Dog sampler, so that may be influencing my tastes there.
Flying Dog Sampler ( finished)
Some of the Flying Dog labels really irritate me. LOL edgy, you are trying too hard, etc. I'm not offended or anything, I love me some raunch humor. It's just that they're not funny. But I do admire them for standing up with the ACLU for free speech.
Garde Dog (Bier de Garde). Very nice! It was full of flavor, but still easy to drink.
Road Dog Porter. OK dark beer, but there are better ones.
Snake Dog IPA. I didn't expect to like an IPA, because of their higher ABV. I am a total lightweight! But this was nice. The first beer where I could actually smell a fruity aroma, and lots of different tastes in the brew - citrus/yeast/bitter that I remember.
Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale. Ugh, what a dog. Tried it warm, cold, in cold and warm weather, and hated it every time.
In-Heat Wheat Heifeweizen. Not as bad as the Doggie Style, but not good either. Sharp, one-dimensional, over-carbonated.
Old Scratch Amber Lager. Completely unmemorable.
Tire Bite Golden Ale. OK. Easy to drink, a bit sharp, with some complexity. A nice surprise.
Blue Moon Belgian White Ale = very nice! I had it at Mike's Grill, and they served it with a thin slice of orange on the rim. I'd tried before adding a little lemon juice to a beer (Flying Dog's Heifeweizen), and didn't feel it added anything. But this was a whole different ball game. It wasn't about changing the taste of the beer, since I didn't squeeze it in. It was the aroma of citrus in my nose as I sipped that did it. And the beer itself was a very nice light summer beer, too. However, I had a suspicion that Blue Moon is not the kind of small-scale brewery I want to support. Sure enough, it's part of Coors. So, all in all, a good option to keep in mind for occasions where only macro-brews are available.
Harpoon Summer Vacation pack ( Tried 1 each so far )
I love the labels on the Harpoon bottles! Fruits and flowers, very girly, with a bit of Art Noveau influence.
Harpoon Summer Beer. LOVE. Round full taste, smooth drinking.
Harpoon IPA. Disappointing. I liked Flying Dog's better. Maybe better allowed to warm up a little?
Harpoon Crystal Wheat. I wanted to like it, but it was sharp and somewhat one-dimensional. Maybe I'll try this with a slice of citrus fruit on the rim.
Harpoon UFO Heifeweizen. OK. It's less sharp and single-note than Flying Dog's, but not nearly as complex and yeasty as Berghoff's. May need to be served warmer. Whoops, forgot to swirl the bottle before I poured! Definitely have to do that next time, as well.
Wow, my tastes really do not match up to the reviewers on BA. LOL.
Flying Dog Sampler ( finished)
Some of the Flying Dog labels really irritate me. LOL edgy, you are trying too hard, etc. I'm not offended or anything, I love me some raunch humor. It's just that they're not funny. But I do admire them for standing up with the ACLU for free speech.
Garde Dog (Bier de Garde). Very nice! It was full of flavor, but still easy to drink.
Road Dog Porter. OK dark beer, but there are better ones.
Snake Dog IPA. I didn't expect to like an IPA, because of their higher ABV. I am a total lightweight! But this was nice. The first beer where I could actually smell a fruity aroma, and lots of different tastes in the brew - citrus/yeast/bitter that I remember.
Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale. Ugh, what a dog. Tried it warm, cold, in cold and warm weather, and hated it every time.
In-Heat Wheat Heifeweizen. Not as bad as the Doggie Style, but not good either. Sharp, one-dimensional, over-carbonated.
Old Scratch Amber Lager. Completely unmemorable.
Tire Bite Golden Ale. OK. Easy to drink, a bit sharp, with some complexity. A nice surprise.
Blue Moon Belgian White Ale = very nice! I had it at Mike's Grill, and they served it with a thin slice of orange on the rim. I'd tried before adding a little lemon juice to a beer (Flying Dog's Heifeweizen), and didn't feel it added anything. But this was a whole different ball game. It wasn't about changing the taste of the beer, since I didn't squeeze it in. It was the aroma of citrus in my nose as I sipped that did it. And the beer itself was a very nice light summer beer, too. However, I had a suspicion that Blue Moon is not the kind of small-scale brewery I want to support. Sure enough, it's part of Coors. So, all in all, a good option to keep in mind for occasions where only macro-brews are available.
Harpoon Summer Vacation pack ( Tried 1 each so far )
I love the labels on the Harpoon bottles! Fruits and flowers, very girly, with a bit of Art Noveau influence.
Harpoon Summer Beer. LOVE. Round full taste, smooth drinking.
Harpoon IPA. Disappointing. I liked Flying Dog's better. Maybe better allowed to warm up a little?
Harpoon Crystal Wheat. I wanted to like it, but it was sharp and somewhat one-dimensional. Maybe I'll try this with a slice of citrus fruit on the rim.
Harpoon UFO Heifeweizen. OK. It's less sharp and single-note than Flying Dog's, but not nearly as complex and yeasty as Berghoff's. May need to be served warmer. Whoops, forgot to swirl the bottle before I poured! Definitely have to do that next time, as well.
Wow, my tastes really do not match up to the reviewers on BA. LOL.
