Flying Dog's Horn Dog Barley Wine Style Ale

Hello everyone, Fontes here. Last night I sat down to enjoy Flying Dog Brewery's Horn Dog Barley Wine style ale. I purchased this beer from my local liquor in a four pack. The cost was about $9.99 plus tax. The alcohol percentage of this beer is substantially higher than most beers. It comes in at a very impressive 10.2% alcohol by volume. This beer was poured from the bottle into a standard pint glass.

Once I poured this beer into a pint glass, I noticed that the appearance of this particular beer is a deep amber color. The beer tops off with a slightly reddish head that dissipates rather quickely. When I smelled this beer I got hints of sweet fruits which were very pleasant to the senses. Some of the fruit notes that I picked up on were grapes and cherries. I also got hints of spices, such as nutmeg and cinnamon.

The taste of the particular beer is very nice in my opinion. It is very malty, which I find very common in the few barley wines that I have tried. Again, just as with the smell, I tasted grapes, and cherries, and different kinds of berries and raisins. The spices such as cinnamon come through nicely, as does caramel with a hint of hops. Due to the high alcohol percentage, you definitely get a bite from the alcohol which I tend to like when I'm drinking beer that is high in alcohol percentage.

Overall, I am giving this beer a thumbs up. One of the things that I like the most about barley wine style ales, besides their complex taste is the fact that you can age these beers. Flying Dog's barley wine is aged for a minimum of three months. However, back in February I tried Heavy Seas Below Decks Barley Wine. That particular barley wine was from 2007 and it was a very complex and enjoyable beer. So far, the most complex barley wine that I have tried has been Dogfish Head's Olde School Barleywine. That barley wine comes in at an outstanding 15% alcohol by volume. I was lucky enough to try that beer on tap and it was fantastic. I will try to get reviews of those barley wines posted in the near future.

So if you're interested in barley wines I definitely suggest that you pick up Flying Dog's Horn Dog Barley Wine. It is a complex beer that is very enjoyable to drink. It offers a beer drinker a definite change in flavors on the palate which is exciting and refreshing. So the next time you see this beer at your local liquor store be sure to pick it up!

Cheers Everyone!!