Flying Dog-Raging Bitch Belgian Style IPA
Living near Maryland makes it hard NOT to hear about two specific brewers out of the plethora of micro brewers in the DMV. Dogfish Head and Flying Dog. I've already determined that Dogfish Head is a favorite brewer of mine just for their unique creations (Midas Touch, Chateau Jiahu, etc). So, I decided to start trying out the other brewer, Flying Dog.
Thus far, I am not impressed.
I heard good things about Raging Bitch and figured it was as good a place to start as any. Rumors and hype of a creamy, smooth golden drink with hints of sour citrus and rich malts tempted my taste buds to seek out and purchase this alleged bottled ambrosia of the Gods. After pouring it and admiring the rather beautiful golden hue of the beverage, I prepared myself to drink the drink that promised to show me the gates of Elysium. As I brought the glass to my lips and took a strong whiff of this alleged liquid gold, all I could think was, "why the hell is this so skunky?" That's where paradise began to crumble.
Traditionally, IPA beers are skunky by nature, but not always to a point that it's undrinkable. Sapporo and Asahi are good examples of IPA done right. A mild skunky flavor mixed with unique grain mixtures and a subtle sweetness. This was not found in Raging Bitch. At all. Like....AT ALL.
The initial taste, while refreshing, simply follows suit with the smell. A whole lot of bitter here. Even the notes of spice are simply a bit more bitter than it should be for something allegedly Belgian in origin. Luckily, the after taste is a bit more pleasant as subtle sweetness of grass, some earthy notes, spices, and malts begin to surface. I have to say though that the beer did go down smooth. However, the flavor just wasn't to my liking. A Belgium like Leffe or New Blegium ale's are the first thing I think about when anyone mentioned a good gold beer. Raging Bitch? Not so much...