Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch
Raging Bitch is Flying Dog’s 20th anniversary brew, and is classified as a belgian-style india pale ale. Flying Dog Brewery is located in Frederick, Maryland. They originally opened in 1990 as a brewpub in Aspen, Colorado, and became the first brewery to open in Aspen in over 100 years. Its “Doggie Style” beer was bottled in 1991, and won an award as The Best Pale Ale in America at the Great American Beer Festival. They moved to Denver in 1994, and then moved to Frederick, MD in 2006, with full production moving to the MD brewery in 2008. They are known for using the artwork of Ralph Steadman, and inspired by Hunter S. Thompson. Two of my favorite quotes of theirs are lead on their website: “Good People Drink Good Beer”, a quote from Hunter S. Thompson, and “Good Beer, No Shit”. Flying Dog is one of my favorite breweries, and make some of my favorite beers. In my humble opinion, one of the best beer buys on the planet is their Canis Major series, which includes their Gonzo Imperial Porter, Horn Dog Barleywine ale, Double Dog Double Pale Ale and Kerberos Tripel. They now offer “The Pack”, and I recommend you go to their website for more details.
Their Raging Bitch, as mentioned above, is Flying Dog’s 20th anniversary beer. As per their website, “An American IPA augmented with Belgian yeast, our 20th avviversary beer jumps out of the glass and nips at your taste buds with its delicate hope bitterness. At 8.3% ABV, this bitch is dangerously drinkable”. As just mentioned, this beer is 8.3% ABV, with a 60 IBU, a Plato of 18. You can go on their website for more brewing details. I will tell you upfront that I love this beer, and have bought many a 6 pack of the Raging Bitch. For this review, I used a pint glass, although I have consumed this beer from the more appropriate tulip glass (as well as a chalice glass being an acceptable choice).
A– This poured a clear orange and light amber color. There was a nice, frothy off-white head with generous lacing that lingers on the glass throughout my consumption of this beer
A– A wonderful mixture of floral and piney hops with some citrus-like fruity sweetness along with a faint smell of belgian yeasts. However, the hops dominate on the nose.
T– Wow! The tastebuds are greeted first by the sweetness of this beer, with the citrus and belgian yeast notes upfront, along with some caramel malts and hints of non-citrus fruits like peach and pear. This is quickly followed by the bitterness of huge dry, piney notes and nice spiciness. Be warned! The hops in this beer are huge! The yeastiness tends to linger throughout the taste.
M- Sharp at first, but smooths out nicely. Nicely carbonated, but full bodied with a light and airy, dry feel.
D– This is where the problem lies: this beer, to my palate, is extremely drinkable. A very dangerous beer because you do not taste the 8.3% ABV of this beer. This, for me, is the kind of beer I can drink in large quantities. Great balance of the Belgian and IPA styles!
Comments- I love this beer! It is, to my taste, an amazingly well-balanced, crisp, enjoyable beer. Very drinkable, with a nice kick, and at 8.3% ABV, the alcohol content really sneaks up on you. The beer is as it name describes; a Raging Bitch! It first caresses you with its sweetness, dragging you in, and then, BAM!….it hits you over the head with its hops and bitterness. This is another great beer from Flying Dog. I always make sure I have a six pack in my beer fridge at all times!
Food Pairings – As a bonus, as per Flying Dog’s website, they have recommended food pairings, as from
BeerDinners.com : Raging Bitch pairs well with Strong cheese (sharp or blue), Spicy Thai, Dark chocolates and anything rich, hot and sassy
Overall Grade: A
Hop Therapy Brewing 