Flying Dog Brewery
Frederick, MD
Available: CA, DC, MD, MN, NC, NJ, OH, VA, WI
Flying Dog’s Wild Dog Series Coffee Stout Batch 2 is brewed with coffee from Black Dog Coffee Co., Summit Point, WV.
ABV: 8.9
ABW: 7.1
Bitterness: 40
Original gravity: 1088
This 8.9 percent beer, with 40 bitterness units, has a nostril-widening aroma of coffee beans, with smoky grain and light, peppery hops. Fruit notes―raspberries and blackcurrants―break through in the mouth to balance the rich coffee character. Creamy malt makes an impact in the finish as the coffee notes diminish and hops make more of a presence. A rich and rewarding beer―but should I feed my coffee habit with the addition of alcohol?
It took a few moments for the bubbles to muscle their way to the top, eventually uniting into a stiff, creamy chocolate mousse. I have faith that the head will persist and am not disappointed ten minutes later. Nearly opaque pitch black, I barely detect a glint of red in the light. The nose leaves no doubt that this is a coffee stout with an earthy dark roast aroma and plenty of dark cocoa and sweetish burnt sugar. The mouthfeel is dense and I sense now what those bubbles were up against. No surprises in the flavor, with everything that I’d want in an imperial strength stout laced with the perfect dose of premium coffee. Roasted nuts, pure dark cocoa, charred, sweet dark fruit and espresso are all there. The finish is rich and amazingly soft, and after 20 minutes, there is still a thin hoop of foam.
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
K. Florian Klemp is an award-winning homebrewer and general hobbyist who thinks there is no more sublime marriage than that of art and science.
