Road Dog Porter - Flying Dog Brewery

Swift989

District of Columbia

3.24/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Appearance: It looks as expected. This beer dark reddish-brown with a bit of purple or fushia hint. Does not retain it's head.

Smell: Woody smell with a hint of cinnamon

Taste: A woody taste, like it smells, a bit fizzy. Complexity is just simple...the same throughout.

Mouth feel: Pretty easy to drink but not incredibly because of acidic coffee tase. Nothing amazing.

Serving type: bottle

Basically a solid porter I would drink again because I like drinking local.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 02:22:03 | More by Swift989

maxcoinage

Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from 12oz bottle into snifter a very dark brown with about an inch head which subsided rather quickly. Aroma was rather weak-slight chocolate. Mouthfeel is a light carb. Taste of coffee and toasted malt, there is a slight bitterness but it's pretty easy drinking. Average porter

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 22:39:52 | More by maxcoinage

Amish_Ambush

3.18/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed on: 10-14-2005

Appearance: It is an attractive beer. This beer settles into a dark cherry wood brown that retains its head nicely.

Smell: Woody smell with a hint of cinnamon

Taste: A woody taste to go along with the smell. This is not a complex beer at all.

Mouth feel: Thin and goes down easy. Nothing special here.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 02:25:13 | More by Amish_Ambush

mfnmbvp

Illinois

3.6/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle, with the date code reading 154A12, so I'm assuming that is 2012 and possibly April? I don't know.

A - Pours a ridiculously dark ruby brown color with a large head that lasted for a little bit. I got a bit of lacing to go along with it, also.

S - I smell sweetness and dark fruits, maybe a little bit of dark chocolate, and some booze smell up front.

T - I'm not a big fan of porters to begin with, but this beer isn't bad. I get vanilla bean flavor, and coffee of course that stand out the most.

M - Mouthfeel is good and clean and the chocolate taste lingers around for a while.

Overall, I think this is a very well made beer, but I am not a big fan of the style to begin with. Definitely a beer to try for people who do enjoy porters, though.

Flying Dog Road Dog Porter ---3.5/5

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 06:47:49 | More by mfnmbvp

gcamparone

Rhode Island

3.28/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Samuel Adams pint glass

A- Brownish-red with a small 1" head with little retention. Medium lacing

S- Roasted malt, chocolate

T- Very dry. Nutty, light notes of dark chocolate, roasted malt. Minimally bitter aftertaste

M- Very little carbonation. Somewhat watery

Overall, not the best of this style but still an enjoyable drink. I prefer a darker, heavier bodied style. This is more like a brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2012 21:28:51 | More by gcamparone

YellowHammer

2.9/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz. bottle into a Pint Glass

-See-through dark brown with a reddish tint. Not the darkest porter. 2 finger eggshell colored head. A small amount of lacing.

-Smells slightly roasted and grape-like

- Taste is slightly roasted giving way to alcohol but the roasted comes back for more and lingers nicely.

Overall a good porter that I enjoy from time to time. Solid, nothing too special but a good drinkable porter that works.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 03:49:03 | More by YellowHammer

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

355ml bottle poured into a 16oz pint glass.

A - Pours with a fizzy head of big, light tan bubbles. Lighter body for a porter, with a dark brown look and lots of reddish highlights. Looks like a brown ale really. Minimal head retention with no lacing.

S - A touch of dry coffee with caramel malt and a subtle hint of chocolate. All around a very mild aroma.

T - Starts off with light chocolate and caramel malt, and finishes with some dry coffee and a touch of roast that was pretty nice. Maybe even some earthy hops underneath adding to the mild bitterness on the back of the palate. While this is pretty damn mild, it's also very drinkable and more tasty than expected.

M - Medium to light body, with a bit too much carbonation for the style. Finishes with a nice dryness that lingers along with a mild bitterness and roast.

D - Porters have never really been my choice style, but this wasn't half bad. Just a mild, drinkable brew that fits the criteria of the style quite well in the end.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2012 23:02:18 | More by Converge

KajII

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

[Best served in a Nonic Pint glass]

The pour was a medium to dark brown with some red highlights and an average sized (1-2 finger) light brown creamy head that receded slowly down to a semi-thick film with a large collar, which did create some good streaky lacing.

The aroma was of a roasted dark bread malt and a mild leathery yeast with notes of baker’s chocolate, roasted coffee, dark fruit (black currants) and a bit of toffee.

The taste was malty and slightly bitter-sweet with a hint of baker’s chocolate and a touch of toffee at first and then became a tad bitterer with a dose of strong coffee and a mild fruity sweetness towards the end. The flavor stuck around for just a little while with a bold bitter-sweet mocha-coffee taste left to lying on the taste buds.

Mouthfeel was medium in body and creamy yet a tad dry in texture with a mildly ticklish carbonation.

Overall a nice easy to drink Porter, with just enough fruity sweetness to offset the bold bitterness...

http://www.facebook.com/KAJIIsBeerReviews

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 20:04:51 | More by KajII

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.05/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Reviewed from session notes.

Dark brown color with a brief frothy head that died back to a skin layer in about half a minute, no lacing. Smells faintly of chocolate malt and ghostly amounts of roastedness. Not impressed with the aroma particularly, here. Flavor throws a tiny bit of burnt toast at me and a spoonful of watered down black coffee, and that's about it. Thin body and adequate carbonation. Overall, somewhat underwhelming compared to other porters on the market. It could really use some more depth and complexity to in order to compete.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2012 02:24:47 | More by WastingFreetime

korguy123

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle into tulip. Date code is 226A12

A- Dark, murky brown. Almost black pour with a thin off white head and decent lacing.

S- Slight roast, watered down coffee, little bit of chocolate and char.

T- Darker roast than the nose, bitter chocolate with a touch of floral hops. Burnt toast and a bit of coffee.

M- Thin bodied, good carbonation, slightly watery.

O- It isn't bad, it isn't great. I find it lacking a lot of character and body.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 01:03:19 | More by korguy123

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.33/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass. Despite an aggressive pour, almost no head; dark brown body.

Smells of roasted malt, honey and a touch of burnt coffee.

Burnt malt taste upfront that holds on until the end. A sweeter, roaster malt tone comes in, ends with a solid bitterness.

Crisp and medium body with moderate carbonation.

Descent to average porter.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 22:15:48 | More by Fatehunter

TheSixthRing

California

3.75/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a dark cola brown with a slight reddish tinge. Head is a light tan, 2 fingers thick and good retention. Resulting lace is thin but sticky.

Smell - Faint aromas of roasted malt. A touch of caramel and toffee. Hints briefly of chocolate milk.

Taste - Soft flavors of malted chocolate powder. Hints at a roasted coffee character, but doesn't quite get there. Hops are present and add a touch of bitterness, giving this a bitter, mellow baker's chocolate character as it fades to the finish.

Mouthfeel - Closer to light than medium body. Smooth. Carbonation is a tad lacking. Light for the style.

Overall - A fairly light porter. Really chocolatey. Decent balance. Not an outstanding porter, but certainly drinkable and would work well as either a dessert or a session beer. I enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2012 05:45:05 | More by TheSixthRing

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

3.58/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A 355ml bottle with a BB of April 2012, so it's out of date. Picked up cheap the other day from my local beer specialist - they're selling off cases of old stock. As always, I love the Ralph Steadman designed label.

Poured into a Delirium chalice. A dark reddish-brown colour - appears black unless held to the light. Medium carbonation. Yields a decent head of creamy off-white foam that hangs around for a few minutes before subsiding to a patchy surface layer. Aroma of dark malt with notes of citrus and aromatic hops, underpinned by subtle hints of roasted/burnt grain and yeast.

Tastes of dark malt with a dry finish. Notes of roasted grain, faint coffee bitterness, subtle aromatic hops and yeast. A slight malty sweetness. Quite dry upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is tingly and smooth, but rather thin and insubstantial. Aftertaste of mildly bitter dark malt.

Pretty good - I like the combination of dark malt and mild aromatic hop notes. The body is perhaps the only feature that disappoints; too thin for a decent porter. Hop bitterness could also be given a boost. However, it's certainly drinkable and goes down easily enough - I might pick up a few more while they're available. Worth sampling.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 00:46:49 | More by jazzyjeff13

flagmantho

Washington

3.55/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: deep amber-brown hue with a thin finger of pillowy tan foam. Reminds me more of an English porter or an American brown. Not bad, though.

Smell: lightly nutty, caramelly aroma with a fair bit of toffee. Hops are earthy and mild. An interesting aroma; again, I'd call it more of a brown ale.

Taste: caramel and toffee are present, as in the smell, although there is an added hint of roastiness (although this is indeed just a hint). Bitterness is moderate and balanced. I wouldn't call this a porter, but it is tasty enough.

Mouthfeel: medium to medium-light body with a good carbonation and creaminess. I'm rather surprised, but pleasantly so.

Overall: this is a decent beer, though I might not go out of my way to try it again. I think "porter" is a misclassification for this beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 05:09:00 | More by flagmantho

happy4hoppybeer

Pennsylvania

2.65/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Nice shiny dark brown, with thick tan bubbly tan head. Good retention. No real lacing.

Very little aromas, faint scents of barley and grains. Absolutely nothing going on in the nose. Bleh.

Mouth is slightly more interesting, but only slightly. Very light body, with some roasted barley, slight caramel sweetness, but all very faint.

Overall, pretty dull porter, nothing at special, and for porters, you can do a lot better.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 22:12:22 | More by happy4hoppybeer

stcules

Italy

2.65/5  rDev -24.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Dark brown, ruby edges. One finger of beige foam.
At the nose a light toasted, coffee, a bit of dustiness, but all real light. Some burnt, and a hint of red fruit.
At the taste, not too convincing, too light. Malt, the same notes of the smell, but too watery.
Not a bad taste, but really too light.
Some caramel and sweetness in the aftertaste.
Lack of character. We expected some more.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2012 19:51:09 | More by stcules

raszputini

North Carolina

3.35/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Solid porter. Pours dark brown with a bubbly camel colored head. Head goes away fairly quickly. Smells of roasted malts, coffee and chocolate. Mouthfeel is somewhat thin, but smooth. Not particularly bold, but notes of coffee, chocolate, dark fruit. Decent porter.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 22:10:47 | More by raszputini

tdm168

North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark brown with a reddish hue. When it's first poured there is a little off white head, but it quickly fades to thin lacing. The nose offers little, maybe some faint roasted malts. The flavor is chocolaty, roasty, and lightly nutty with a clean, slightly bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, smooth, and lightly carbonated.

This beer is very drinkable. It has a clean, subtle flavor that's enjoyable but not overwhelming. Overall, this is a decent porter that's worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2012 00:57:08 | More by tdm168

dexterk1

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from bottle to pint glass. Head is thick and nice. Color is dark brown to almost black.
Odor is pleasant overall. Sweet, malty with some toffee/caramel notes to it.
Taste was a little let down after the nice odor. It has sweet maltyness with some hops at the end.
Mouth feel was a little lacking as well. Not really the mouth filling feel of most porters I have had.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2012 01:31:24 | More by dexterk1

BeerNutz324

Minnesota

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

12oz bottle into a pint glass

Ap- dark, dark brown, it almost has a purple hue. .5inch white head with OK retention

Ar- roasty, caramely malts and not much else. maybe a hint of coffee and some dark fruit.

T- coffee, bitter roasted malts with the tiniest bit of bitterness from the hops at the end of the hold.

M- good carbonation for the style. medium bodied.

O- good porter, not great though. Wouldn't seek one out again but if my buddy offered me one for free I would drink it :)

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 01:44:39 | More by BeerNutz324

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.08/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a Gulden Draak tulip. Pours a very dark red amber with ruby highlights. One finger tan head dissipated quickly leaving a thin, fine film, but no lacing. Faint roasted malt aroma. Bland smoky and roasted malt and a somewhat metallic hop aftertaste. Thin bodied. Not a porter to return to. A rare Flying Dog miss.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 03:33:18 | More by LiquidAmber

jsprain1

Minnesota

2.85/5  rDev -19.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A- Clear brown with red highlights and a thick cocoa head with some lacing.
S- Aroma is pretty plain with some roasted malts and earthyness. Not much there though.
T- The flavor is more on the lines of an amber than a porter to my taste buds. Toasted bread, a hint of caramel, and some earthyness. Fairly bland for a porter.
M- Body is too light and the carbonation has this weird sensation where there isn't much of it but it has a coarse texture.
O- Didn't care for this one. Mediocre, especially considering that I like their imperial porter so much.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 04:15:20 | More by jsprain1

chilly460

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a deep black with brown at the edges when held to light. Produces two fingers of billowy tan head, decent lacing and retention.

S: Get some light chocolate, maybe some whip cream in there too. Very little hop profile can be picked up.

T: Get plenty of semi-dark chocolate immediately, somewhat bitter. Then comes a combination of caramel, and that sweet cream again.

M: Feels a bit rough, thin and over carbonated.

O: Decent enough brew, easily to drink as a Porter should be.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 21:19:20 | More by chilly460

claspada

New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark brown body with a medium-sized, off-white head. Nothing to mind-blowing here.

Aromas begin with small amounts of over-roasted nuts and some bitter chocolate. Smells quite sweet, lots of caramel and roasted coffee, a touch of chocolate perhaps.

The tastes begin with roasted malts with a sweet tea-like taste and hints of smoke. Very light hop flavor and bitterness in the finish. Small amounts of burnt caramel sugar and a touch of chocolate emerge more as it warms.

The mouthfeel is medium-thin body with medium carbonation. Dry watery texture.

Overall this is a very lacking beer experience. Not enough flavor for a 6% porter. I've tasted 4% pale ales with more character and flavor profile. Nothing bad about it but I won't revisit anytime soon.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 15:59:03 | More by claspada

dansmcd

Australia

3.53/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Thin fizzy head recedes quickly to a ring which retains until the end. Body is very dark brown/maroon with a red tint at the edges. A few spots of lace are shortlived.

S - Sweet malt, chocolate, caramel, with a sprinkle of vanilla and cinnamon.

T - Nice enough balancing act between sweetness (blackberry, caramel, cinnamon) and bitterness (coffee, dark chocolate) with some smoke over the top.

M - Body is disappointingly thin and spritzy with a slightly dry and bitter finish.

O - Nothing brilliant but certainly drinkable. Much better options out there.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 12:53:33 | More by dansmcd