Snake Dog IPA - Flying Dog Brewery

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

4.03/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On cask at Churchkey in D.C.

The beer is transparent and orange colored with a big, fluffy, white head. Quite a nice appearance, actually.

The aroma brings a healthy serving of hops and citrus.

I have no doubt that this beer is quite different from a fresh cask than when purchased in a six pack format from a warm shelf. The beer heavily favors hops over malt, and offers tasty citrus notes, as well as a healthy, fresh bitterness throughout. Good, not great.

Smooth and creamy feel. Goes down easy.

I'm a big fan of a good ale on cask. I had a 16 oz. pour of this, and enjoyed every bit of it. This is a marked improvement over the draft and bottled versions of this beer I've had previously.

Serving type: cask

09-03-2011 01:59:01 | More by Huhzubendah

BeerNemesis

New York

3.38/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Snake Dog IPA | 16 oz. on-cask | 7.1% ABV | 2010

Brewer: Flying Dog Brewery
Style: American IPA
Glass: Pint

Appearance:
Golden amber in color, but served from the cask with virtually no head -- this is odd considering the cask was freshly tapped. Generally unremarkable.

Aroma:
Very pungent and aromatic. Bisquity malts and leafy hops also play a role.

Taste:
Beer in the raw! Well first the positives: The bitter, aromatic hop character was astoundingly vibrant. A volley of flavors was continually hitting my tastebuds -- juicy, bitter, leafy, oily. It was spectacular, and to be honest, I've never had this reaction to a brew. That said, there were some major downsides. Aside from the freshness and vivacity achieved by growing up as a "real ale," Snake Dog IPA is pretty one-dimensional as IPA's go. The bitterness was intense, but there was really no malt counterpoint for me to lean on. Since it's biggest strength was the medium in which it was brewed, I say +1 for cask ales, but a big "meh" for Snake Dog.

Mouthfeel:
Oily and smooth. Medium-bodied. The carbonation was low (as expected), but really too low for the style.

Harmony:
One other problem occurred that aversely affected the experience: the brew was served closer to room temperature than cellar temperature. I have tried to keep that in mind when writing this review, but I can't help but think that it was a bit of a problem. Overall, I found Snake Dog to be high in juicy, leafy, hoppy flavor, but low in balance. I will not order this again, though it has convinced me that cask ales can deliver the goods in a way bottles or kegs cannot.

Price = $6.00 at David Copperfield's
Cask opened: May 2010

Serving type: cask

05-28-2010 18:45:13 | More by BeerNemesis

Travlr

District of Columbia

3/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

A: cloudy orange soup, looks more like a warm apple Christmas cider than a beer. No bubbles, no lacing.
S: intense aroma of freshly mowed grass with summer flowers and dandelions.
T: over the top hops. Bitter and astringent, with lots of pineapple, apples, and a sour and acidic finish.
M: thick and chewy body.
D: a struggle to drink, from start to finish. Unsubtle.

Serving type: cask

12-16-2009 15:42:26 | More by Travlr

DavoleBomb

Ohio

4.4/5  rDev +23.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on cask tonight at Max's in Baltimore.

I was absolutely amazed by both the smell and taste. It appeared no different from the regular Snake Dog, but it was chock full of hop oil aroma and tons of herbal hop flavor. There must have been an addition of wood as oak came through full force leaving this one to be remembered.

3.5 A
4.5 S
4.5 T
4.0 M
4.5 D

Serving type: cask

05-17-2009 06:27:49 | More by DavoleBomb

bennetj17

Arizona

4.35/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On cask at Papago brewing. This beer had a fluffy half-inch light foam top with great retention. Sweet aroma of citrus hops and sugary malt. Flavor was excellent, sweet orange and grapefruit-like hops with a tangy bitter finish that goes down smooth. Mouthfeel of moderate thickness and subtle carbonation, very smooth again. I would have had many more of these but unfortunately I had to move on and try some of the other goodies available to me. Not sure if I would recommend the Snake Dog IPA in general, but if you are lucky enough to find it on cask than surely have a pint...

Serving type: cask

05-28-2006 06:07:24 | More by bennetj17

BeerYoss

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

bottle to goblet

Appearance - nice big pillowy head that slowly dissipates but continues to cover the entire surface. solid lacing all the way down. perfect golden amber.

Smell - woodsy, musky perfume with a touch of spice.

Taste - the hops are not overwhelming but pleasant pine freshness and a citrusy finish. nice balance from first sip to the finish.

Mouthfeel - medium to heavy mouthfeel. has a nice chew on it but the mouth doesn't feel coated afterward. just a touch of carbonation

Overall - nice solid IPA. nothing spectacular but pleasant and highly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 00:47:37 | More by BeerYoss

godlessape

Georgia

4.31/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured this one into a Samuel Adams pint glass. The body has a beautiful electric amber color to it that seems to actually glow, and it's topped with a creamy white head of foam.

The aroma is a well balanced mix of caramel malt notes along with a earthy floral, citrus and pine atmosphere that I expect with an IPA but could never grow tired of in a million years. The orange zest presents it's self rather nicely, and I swear I smell bud in here--the good kind.

The malt stands out proudly in the flavor, but only briefly before it gets body slammed by the hop bitterness. There's a lot of grapefruit here as well as peaches and weed that just jumps out at you like the Ralph Steadman art work on the label.

The mouthfeel is heavy and the carbonation moderate.

Overall I like this brew, and now wonder why I ignored it for so long.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 23:52:35 | More by godlessape

Mojo

Alabama

3.83/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

This is a soild if unspectacular beer. Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a Dogfish Head glass, the appearance was a clear medium amber with a minimal head, small amounts of lacing and not much head retention. The nose is very floral and bready, fairly nice. Taste is a sweet malt upfront followed by that distinctive citrus flavor that I love. Finish was bitter, but not overly so. This is a great beer for what it is, but hardly the stuff of legend.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 19:50:58 | More by Mojo

DavidS88

Massachusetts

3.24/5  rDev -9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Snake Dog from Flying Dog is one of the more interesting American IPAs I've had... and that both worked for and against this particular brew. Snake Dog poured with basically no head that disappeared almost immediately. I'm a guy who likes a little bit of foam on my beer so that was slightly disappointing. The quickly-vanishing head is coupled by very little lacing and slight carbonation. The only time any sort of foam did appear on the beer was when I took a fierce gulp and the beer was stirred up in the glass. I was however a big fan of the color of the beer. Rather than the sort of reddish-amber that I've come to expect from IPAs (Harpoon's in particular) this was much more orange, greatly resembling a pumpkin ale or even an actual pumpkin (please note that this doesn't mean I though there was actual pumpkin, it was just orange which I found both weird and appealing at the same time.) Snake Dog was also really cloudy... is there such a thing as an unfiltered IPA? If so, Snake Dog might fit that category. Snake Dog actually smells really good, which actually makes the taste that much more disappointing. While the nose detects lots of piney hops coupled with a decent amount of citrusy hops, but the taste was straight up pine. No citrus, no floral, just pine. And really bitter pine hops at that that just don't taste all that great. Maybe I was just expecting more from a beer that both looked and smelled really enticing and interesting, but the beer certainly fell flat. I might try this again, but only in multi packs cause I don't think I could do six of these in one setting. It's a solid effort from Flying Dog, but I've had better IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 00:36:38 | More by DavidS88

Samuel906

California

2.94/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Looks nice; sticky head, Lots of effervescing bubbles. Very dry, lots of resinous hops in the taste, boozyer than 7% should be. Underwhelming smell. Crisp, lots of carbonation. Very hoppy up front but not much else going on. Drinkable, but not a go to for me.

Serving type: on-tap

03-24-2013 00:55:42 | More by Samuel906

jmutoml757

Virginia

2.91/5  rDev -18.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into pint glass.
A- dark amber color, one finger head that left intermittent lacing.
S- definite hint of citrus, lemon to be exact. a scent of pine comes through too.
T- The lemon taste is evident at first, but the hops are dominant and sit on the back of your tongue with a slight bitter aftertaste.
M- It is actually too smooth for an IPA, but this makes it very drinkable and almost refreshing. Despite the slight, bitter aftertaste the overall feel is weak for an IPA.
O- I would drink it again but not on a regular basis. This is not a special occasion beer because it lacks the body and bite and hoppiness expected in a stellar IPA. That being said, it is a smooth everyday type of beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 03:53:33 | More by jmutoml757

Omnium

Pennsylvania

3.89/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle > 16 Pint Glass
A - Pours a beautiful tangerine color, 1 finger head, moderate density, good lacing. A good looking beer.
S - Big citrus smell here with lots of floral background. Some dry pine, and a little booze as well.
T - You do get those nice citrus flavors in here, but has a sweeter malt to it, not overly sweet, medium dry bite from the hops. Crisp flavor.
M - The alcohol presence can be a little deterring, as well as some of the density of sweetness
O - Great year round beer from Flying Dog, love the good hop flavors extracted in this brew. Good for many occasions to come.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2013 00:46:01 | More by Omnium

superspak

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, best before 5/1/2013. Pours fairly crystal clear golden orange color with a nice 2 finger dense white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of grapefruit, pine, orange zest, lemon zest, floral, grass, light caramel, bread, and piney spiciness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and decent strength. Taste of grapefruit, pine, caramel, orange zest, lemon zest, floral, grass, herbal, bread, pine resin, hop earthiness, and piney spiciness. Good amount of pine bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of citrus, pine, citrus zest, floral, grass, herbal, light caramel, bread, hop earthiness, and piney spiciness on the finish for a while. Good balance and complexity of piney citrus hops, with a decent malt balance; and hardly any cloying bitterness present after the finish. Medium-high carbonation and medium bodied; with a lightly creamy, very crisp, and sticky mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with hardly any warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is a pretty nice IPA. Nicely balanced with lots of piney citrus hops; and very easy to drink. A nicely enjoyable offering.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 06:53:28 | More by superspak

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.66/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance – The beer is served an golden-amber color with a small white head. The head has a moderate level of retention, eventually fading to leave a lighter level of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is very light overall. It consists largely of a mix of sweeter and hoppier citrus; notes of tangerine are mixed with some bitter grapefruit. Along with these is an ever so light caramel smell.

Taste –The taste begins sweeter and maltier up front, with flavors of a bready nature and lighter fruits (apple and tangerine). Up front there isn’t too much hop other than a very light citrus hop. As the taste advances further it stays relatively malty and sweet with some caramel and more fruit coming to the tongue. More hop flavors come to the tongue as well however, balancing the sweet. These hop flavors are mainly of a grapefruit citrus nature but also contain notes of an earthy and pine nature. The earthy and grapefruit get stronger toward the end of the taste, but never become too strong. In the end a sweeter and lightly bitter (largely grapefruit) flavor is left to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the thinner side for a 7.1% abv brew with a carbonation level that is rather average. The thinner body and carbonation make it quite easy to drink, although a little more thickness of body would likely have been nicer for the hoppier flavors of the brew.

Overall –A decent and fairly easy drinking IPA. It’s a little on the sweeter side and a little low on the hoppiness, but for the most part fairly balanced.

Serving type: on-tap

02-23-2013 02:49:30 | More by Darkmagus82

ALBuff

Hawaii

3.33/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Hard not to want to love this for the killer artwork, but the bottom line is this IPA didn't blow me away. It's decent, mind you, but I'm more into the big citrus flavors of a west coast IPA. This pours a nice looking light amber color, with a narrow creamy head. The nose has elements of floral hops and bready yeast, whereas the taste combines an earthy, grassy bitterness with a slightly sweet and malty finish. There are also subtle nuances of metal or minerals, which I find mildly off-putting.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 01:05:10 | More by ALBuff

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.79/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Single bottle from Premier Gourmet in Buffalo. Only my second Flying Dog brew - artwork is pretty trippy.

Poured into a goblet. Deep amber-copper, nice colour, good half inch of foam that simmers into a thick ring. Bits of lacing as well.

Nose is malt-forward, quite sweet - almost pushing into DIPA territory. Peach, orange, grapefruit and a few other hop goodies in there.

Solid IPA, with a noticeable peach-orange fruitiness that is held aloft by a big malty backbone. Again, this reminds me of a DIPA somewhat.

A bit heavier than I'd like, but quite crisp and slick on the tongue.

I liked this one, not sure why. Tropical, fruity hop flavors seem to yield automatic approval from me, and this one had that indeed. Good tasting IPA; I enjoyed drinking it.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 04:38:16 | More by JohnnyBarman

Wildcatz69

Kentucky

3.1/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Poured into pint glass from a bottle with great artwork from Ralph Steadman.
Thick head dissipates into thin lacing as it snakes down the glass.
This golden amber snake smells bitter upfront but the hops are there.
Forking your tongue into the glass you can taste a mouthful of venomous malt that paralyzes the muscles.
Overall this is a yummy brew to send you flying after a few with alcohol percent at 7.1%

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 18:15:41 | More by Wildcatz69

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

3.21/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: poured from a 12 oz bottle into a nonic pint glass, slightly orange amber colored with a short thick head that dissipates slowly leaving some lacing, hazy

S: floral hop smells, piney resin, some slight malt

T: bitter up front but with a slight metallic off flavor, maintains a fairly one dimensional bitterness throughout

M: kind of sticky, alcohol noticeable, astringent finish with a less than pleasant aftertaste

O: much better IPAs are available for the same price, beer lacks balance and depth of flavors

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2013 02:59:48 | More by M_C_Hampton

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.99/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A 355ml can with a BB of Oct 2013. Acquired recently from Trembling Madness in York after I noticed it in a cooler; these are new there so I'm hoping it's relatively fresh. As always, Ralph Steadman's art is fantastic!

Poured into a Delirium chalice. A hazy orange-amber hue with medium carbonation and visible sediment. Yields a smallish head of white foam that lasts for a minute or so before reducing to a patchy surface layer. Aroma of intensely fruity, resinous hops with notes of grapefruit, orange peel, pine, citrus and hints of tropical fruit. This is underpinned by a backbone of caramel malt and subtle earthy yeast. Moreish.

Tastes of plentiful aroma hops with a powerful bitter finish. Notes of grapefruit, orange oils, pine resin, cannabis, citrus, faint tropical fruit, caramel malt, earthy yeast and stewed hops. Well-attenuated; the alcohol is nicely hidden. Mildly spicy on the palate, followed by a strident bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth, dry and tingly, with pleasant carbonation and good body. Hop oils stimulate the tongue. Highly astringent, with an aftertaste of bitter aromatic hops and faint malt.

Tasty stuff, a solid American IPA. Certainly hop forward and attenuated; the malt is thoroughly relegated to a back seat. Tons of hop aroma/flavour but the malt and yeast do provide a degree of balance. Would've been nice if the head had lasted longer, but this is a minor quibble. A quality brew that should please any hop-lover; well worth sampling if you have the chance.

Serving type: can

01-19-2013 00:49:41 | More by jazzyjeff13

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The Best By stamp is partially cut off on the label, but it looks to read 05/0X/13, so I'm happy about freshness. Time to throw her in a glass.

Pours a honey amber color with some hop haze. Foam is off-white and sitting pretty. Lacing is decent. A generic, but pleasant, IPA appearance.

Floral and earthy hops are fragrant in the nose. There's a metallic element in here, too. Sweetness seems to be a gift from biscuity malts. Very East Coast, very balanced.

Now, that's a floral IPA! Hints of citrus whisper lemon or even lime, but this is dominated by slightly bitter herb and flower notes. Pretty dry compared to the nose. A touch of yellow grapefruit in the middle-end. Finishes with moderate bitterness and flavors of orange and apricot. Pale malts balance the leafy hops with light wheat cracker sweetness. I'd call this terribly average, except that it's decently put-together. A nice construction, albeit, without straying far at all from the beaten path.

Light-to-medium body. Carbonation is just average, as well. Not as drinkable as many an IPA, but it's still easy to finish in ten minutes (if that's your thing).

I'm okay with this now, but I may never buy it again. I don't think I'd order it on-tap unless it was one of the only craft offerings available. Not to knock it, but it's just not a stand-out. It's a face you forget about at a party. It's a decent sandwich you ate three years ago. It's forgettable. But, it's good for what it is.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 00:24:26 | More by thecheapies

fallopia

Indiana

3.78/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from cold bottle into pilsner glass.

Appearance: Orangish-yellow straw with slight opacity with medium white head.

Aroma: Peach and grapefruit flavors with bits of floral and grass aromas as well.

Taste: Fruity, peach flavors with quick, balanced bitters and slightly pine-flavored hops.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with well-balanced hops that have a lingering aftertaste.

Overall, I enjoyed this beer as a good IPA with balanced hops. I ate it with spicy food which allowed it to balance out those flavors and gave the bitterness a refreshing, palate-cleansing feel. It would be tougher to drink this alone.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 02:45:33 | More by fallopia

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12oz bottle Ito a duvel glass

A: pours a clean golden amber, with a little less then a finger of off white head, some nice spots of lacing.

S: skunky and citrusy hop aromas, resiny.. Sweet malt backbone .

T: deffinatly a sturdy malt backbone on this one. Sweet citrus and caramel, a bit of a graininess to it as well. Pleanty of hops.

M:light medium body with a bit of a viscousness to it, dry and bitter in the finish. Low carbonation

O: not a bad ipa, not a bad ipa at all.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2012 02:31:49 | More by PeterIngemi

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.73/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I poured this beer into my Dogfish, chalice glass. The coloring and foam is spot on. I got about two fingers of foam on top of the orange brew.

I smell a decent amount of citrus hops coming off this beer. This bottle is pretty fresh, which helps in the retention of the hop smell.

The flavor is pretty good. You definitely get the hop presence, but there isn't enough malt in there to create a very good balance.

Overall this is a pretty good beer. I recommend picking this up when it is fresh, but I would leave it alone after a little aging.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2012 00:41:05 | More by ummswimmin

ColdWaffles

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: An amber IPA. Keeps its pretty standard white head for a white and then sticks with a solid lacing.

Smell: Smells like hops, grass, and most other moderate IPAs, to be honest. Maybe a little more malt than 'normal.'

Taste: Enjoyed this IPA. It's not super hoppy, but it's got some nice bitterness going. Pretty well balanced, but not the best Flying Dog or IPA in general.

Mouthfeel: Not super heavy for an IPA. A little sticky, but not too much. Honestly, I could kill a feel of these with the right food.

Probably the worst Flying Dog beer I've ever had, but that's not bad. Like everything I've had from them pretty well, this included.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2012 23:45:06 | More by ColdWaffles

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a snifter.

A: Clear amber with two-finger, white, foamy head that lasted several minutes and left a nice film. Great lacing.

S: Grass and funk.

T: Light sweetness and solid bitterness. Lacking in hop flavor but full of bitterness.

M: Light to medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. Dry and crisp.

O: Overall, too bitter and not enough hop flavor. Otherwise, good.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2012 02:02:59 | More by SolipsismalCat