frederick maryland

Febrewary: Cinnamon Porter

~ lobablanca

Brewer: Flying Dog Brewery
Location: Frederick, Maryland
Type: American Porter
ABV: 6%

I honestly wasn’t planning on doing another beer review quite this soon. After the last beer beat down, I thought it would be wise to give myself a little bit of recuperation time. However, the best laid plans of mice and beer lovers…you know how that goes.

Back in early December of last year, Flying Dog had a really groovy release party at their brewery for the last Brewhouse Rarities beer they created for 2013: Cinnamon Porter.

11-febrewary-cp

For those unfamiliar with the Brewhouse Rarities series, it is pretty much the brewers (and, really, any Flying Dog employee) getting together at the end of the year or the beginning of the next and deciding on some spectacularly bat-shit crazy flavor ideas for beers. They typically either make them only for on-tap sales or they bottle a very limited supply (like the Green Tea Imperial Stout that I have aging downstairs right now). The slogan and inspiration for all of Flying Dog’s Brewhouse Rarities is a Hunter S. Thompson quote: “Too weird to live. Too rare to die.”

As much as I wanted to go to the release party for the Cinnamon Porter (not only did I think it sounded like an awesome way to spend an evening, but it was also the only place I could get this porter in a bottle), they had the party on a Tuesday evening. Even in the best traffic conditions, that would have been a really bad idea.

So next best thing? Stalk my regular beer haunts until one of them finally announced that they had a keg of Cinnamon Porter to tap! That’s precisely what I have been doing for the better part of a month. My pay-off came with a special DM this morning from one of my regular go-tos, letting me know that now was my time. After work, I headed on over, and I enjoyed one of the very first pints pulled from this freshly tapped keg.

My first comment is less about the beer itself and more about how places serve dark beers. This particular place served me a very, very cold porter. I will say this until I have no more ability to speak…and then I will write it: Porters and stouts should not be served cold. At most, if you are worried about your clientele complaining that the beer is too warm, then at least knock it up a few degrees from how you would serve a pale ale or a lager.

This beer was so cold that it was unwilling to give up even the slightest bit of flavor beyond the basics present in most porters. I even had a very difficult time discerning much from the nose. So, I patiently picked up my glass and cradled it in both of my hands, strolling around the perimeter of the store while looking at their beer and wine selections. Those who know me know that I don’t have the warmest hands, so this attempt on my part to warm the porter took a significant amount of time and energy on my part.

However, I do have to say that I was rewarded with a worthwhile payoff. As the porter began to warm, I could start to smell the gentle waft of cinnamon stick rising from my glass…not ground cinnamon, mind you, but the actual sticks. That muted, mellifluous scent…that promise of woodsy spice, just a scratch or two away.

Drinking the slightly warmed beer revealed even more of that soft, mulled flavor. I admittedly had no idea what to expect with this beer, but I know that when Flying Dog wants to knock you across the room with flavors, they do that in spades. This however, was a surprisingly delicate soup

Febrewary: K-9 Winter Ale

~ lobablanca

05-febrewary-k9wa

Brewer: Flying Dog Brewery
Location: Frederick, Maryland
Type: English Strong Ale
ABV: 7.4%

Hey, denizens. It’s snowing. Again. It’s only supposed to be “conversational” snow, which I suppose it is…if the conversation consists of the phrase, “Damn, why is it sticking to the roads?”

Guess it’s time to seek comfort once more with a four-legged purveyor of liquid winter warmth. This time, it’s the K-9 Winter Ale from my much-adored friends at Flying Dog. As is the case with many of Flying Dog’s brews, this one comes with a happy little story:

Your legs are strained and your ass is clenched as you descend down the face. You don’t even notice the blood dripping from your nose as the powder is crushed beneath you. It’s freezing cold, but you don’t feel a goddamn thing.

Oh, Flying Dog. You spin such heart-warming tales. Fo shizzle.

Apparently, this particular brew shifts its flavor profile each year, based on the whims of its brewers. I’ve never tried it before, so I can’t make the expected comparisons with previous beers. I can, however, say that this is probably the first time that I have been decidedly “meh” toward a Flying Dog beer.

It’s a beautiful beer, to be sure

Darktober 30: KUJO Imperial Coffee Stout

~ lobablanca

Brewer: Flying Dog Brewery
Location: Frederick, Maryland
Type: American Double/Imperial Stout
ABV: 8.9%

Here’s something we don’t often get: a story on our beer label! Something that seems far more prevalent on beers from other countries, especially the United Kingdom, most American beers come with only our less-than-festive government warnings. Flying Dog, however, provided us with the following happy little bedtime story:

“Enjoy your new pet!” he said. Twelve hours later, your heart is pounding with terror as you wake up to find the savage beast growling over a puddle of your neighbor’s organs. And that’s not coffee on your breath this morning, it’s fear. Sleep tight, my friend.

May I introduce you, denizens, to the mascot of the lair this Darktober: KUJO. This beautiful black beast of a brew is quite simply amazing. It’s also rather unkind of me to be reviewing it for you, as I don’t believe Flying Dog has set a release date for a second round of its brewing. This was part of its 2011 Wild Dog Series, which of course lets you know that the version I’m reviewing tonight is another from my stash of aging beers.

I’ve also had this one fresh from the bottle, of course, as well as on tap. The flavors of KUJO are frighteningly intense in both forms, with a bit of a more bitter edge from the bottle. The coffee used for this stout is provided by Black Dog, a local roastery located in West Virginia. I can tell you this, denizens, if you enjoy delicious, unique roasts that aren’t to be found on the shelves of your local supermarket, you might want to give Black Dog a look. As for their contribution to KUJO? Absolutely amazing. It takes a really strong, dark roast to withstand a flavor profile this intense, and Black Dog delivers just the right balance.

With nary a noticeable head and an almost impenetrable darkness, KUJO is a rabidly rich stout. And aged for just under a year, it becomes even more frightening in its intensity. The coffee flavors deepen, the roasted maltiness is magnified, the thick, delicious mouthfeel expands, the already high ABV intensifies, but remains just below the level of overpowering the other flavors beneath it. This is one hella amazing beer, too fierce to chug, too special to treat with anything less than the utmost respect. Besides, you don’t want to piss off KUJO. This is one beast you’d rather not have glaring you down over a frothy snarl.

Darktober 29: Gonzo Imperial Porter

~ lobablanca

Brewer: Flying Dog Brewery
Location: Frederick, Maryland
Type: Baltic Porter
ABV: 9.2%

Welcome to the Final Three, denizens. These are purely indulgent entries for me. I’ve had these final three beers many times in many forms. As many forms as I can possibly have them. They are three of my favorite beers from what might be my current favorite brewery: hometown heroes Flying Dog Brewery.

Flying Dog actually started out in Aspen, Colorado, in 1990. They relocated to Frederick, Maryland, in 1994, and it’s been all upward and onward since for us on the East Coast.

I’m not going to babble on about the color or the head or the lacing or the nose or anything along those lines. You can’t even see the color on this entry, thanks to my totally groovy cobalt GEEK glass…although look at that head!! So luscious! You’ve been here with me for almost a month now. You know what descriptors I assign to good versions of these beers…and you know what the few meh or worse entries received in their descriptions as well.

[Loba Tangent: Those of you who actually have stuck around for this entire Darktober? Thank you so much…your indulgence of my random weirdness never ceases to surpise and delight me.]

Also, the selection of these final beers is based on my subjective responses to them. My palate is bizarrely my own…that being said, today’s beer is bar-none my current favorite. Of any beer I’ve ever had.

Is it the best? Probably not. But, oh, the overload it dumps into my pleasure cortex. It’s the liquid version of that crazy game that Commander Riker nearly broke the Enterprise crew with…thank goodness for Wesley!

o_O

I love Gonzo Imperial Porter. Do I think it’s an “everyday beer”? No. I wouldn’t want to drink something this decadent, this complex, this gorgeous every day. That would make it pedestrian, and that is a word this beer most assuredly does not deserve. This is a “treat beer,” in whatever form you can find it. Gonzo Imperial Porter, fresh from the tap, is like ambrosia to me. A must. Gonzo Imperial Porter, fresh from the bottle, leaves me feeling warm and happy. Gonzo Imperial Porter bottle-aged? Sweet merciful Hunter S. Thompson, this beer bottle ages like Helen Mirren: playful, distinguished, and breathtaking. Tonight’s bottle has been aging for about 14 months. Everything about it is…more. Perfectly, deliciously more.

I will say this: Aging this beer definitely turns it into a sipping beer. The intensity of the flavors make it a crime to imbibe it with any semblance of haste. This beer requires the respect of time.

There is another form of Gonzo Imperial Porter that I am sad to say I have yet to experience: Barrel-Aged Gonzo. Flying Dog makes this one in very limited batches, and the moment it hits shelves around here? It’s gone. People love this version of Gonzo. I’m willing to bet I would love it, too. I just need to get the chance…so if any of you ever see a bottle on a shelf somewhere, shoot me a text, okay? 🙂