A slightly angry mutt!

Raging Bitch from Flying Dog Brewery in Maryland is described as a Belgian style IPA. I have to say that I am not 100% sure what to expect from this, I am a big fan of IPA's and I like some Belgian styles, but not sure what a blended version of these two styles will produce. This beer was produced to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Flying Dog opening it's doors for business.

The beer pours a slightly orange colour with a thin creamy white head. The aroma is quite complex, a piney flavour is apparent from the hops and also a slight sourness, the sourness becoming sharper if you give the beer a good swirl. Medium bodied with a lovely smooth and creamy mouthfeel. The taste is unexpected, lots of hop bitterness is apparent and the Belgian aspects of the beer are quite assertive, courtesy of the Belgian yeast strain. This beer is quite unusual in that it is very hoppy, courtesy of the Amarillo, Columbus and Warrior hops, augmented by dry hopping with Amarillo, but the influence of the yeast is also quite strong, giving the beer a clean flavour with a very slight hint of bubblegum. The flavour starts off with citrus hops up front, you then get a nice carmel flavour in the middle followed by a nice stiff bitterness on the finish.

Good information on the Flying Dog website should you wish to brew something similar to this. The hops are as mentioned above, the speciality malt is Crystal 60, and the yeast is a Belgian strain called Diablo. The IBU's are 60 and the ABV is 8.3% (plato = 18).

As mentioned I was unsure of what this beer would deliver, but I have to say I am very impressed. Immensely drinkable despite the high ABV and IBU level, and I have to say I am very thankful of the fact that I have two more of these in the fridge to enjoy after I finish this bottle.