Road Dog Porter - Flying Dog Brewery

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.33/5  rDev -5.4%
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 +6.5%
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 +1.7%
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A 355ml bottle with a BB of April 2012, so it's out of date.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 +0.9%
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 -24.7%
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 -24.7%
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 -4.8%
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 +4.5%
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 -5.4%
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 -0.6%
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 -12.5%
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%
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 +4.5%
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%
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 +0.3%
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

dtivp

West Virginia

3.65/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark clear brown, ruby highlights with a half a finger light tan head that fades slowly with spotty lacing.

Aroma was light of roasted malt and hints of hops.

Taste followed the nose with roasted malt, dark coffee, hints of dark chocolate and a slight bitter ending which gave it a nice balance.

Mouth Feel was medium body, light carbonation, slightly dry and crisp.

Overall this was an average Porter, I prefer porters to have a slight creamy feel.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 02:27:29 | More by dtivp

jtierney89

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep hazy brown with a tan head. Some hops and peat smoke on the nose as well as some burnt rubber and charcoal. Some sweet malts also present underneath it all.

Very good yet thin lacing.

Big solid malt body with some caramel and chocolate sweetness. Nice balance from the hop presence on the back end. Flavors are well layered yet well blended too. All over the place yet concise at the same time. The robust and roasted malts come through at first followed by a bubbly body which hold things together well into the transition of bitterness. Some slightly fruity, minty, and soapy hops somehow manage to lend to an interesting flavor profile making this beer more intriguing with every sip. Not bad at all.

Serving type: on-tap

12-17-2011 02:01:18 | More by jtierney89

dlello2

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle. 1 of 5 in a double-blind tasting.

A - Off-white, super milky head. Sits forever. Brew looks a bit thin.

S - Quite sweet and chocolaty. Lots of milk chocolate actually.

T - Smooth. Definitely getting the chocolate but not as much as I'd have thought. Some nice bitterness from the hops to balance the sweet. Some touch of unpleasant bitterness in the aftertaste. Coming back to this one I definitely get some notes of grain/barley.

M - Not as much carbonation as I'd have liked. Definitely milky...the head makes it feel almost a bit slimy. It coats the throat but not in a syrupy way.

O - I enjoyed it, though not my favorite of the style.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2011 01:13:17 | More by dlello2

minterro

Michigan

3.05/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Sixer Mixer from oades

Quote from the bottle “good beer no sh*#"

A & S: the smell is maple syrup and very malty. Bit of hoppyness thrown in there. Fizzy off white head pours about a finger and a half. Head dies very quick, nothing is left in a min or two. Brown but pretty clear looking beer.

T & M: a very watery bodied, moderately high carbonation. Smoky, coffee. As the smell hinted tones of hops, but its super faint. good amount of bitterness to this one. Very drinkable.

O: On the lighter side of a porter, not bad but not what I look for. I’ve had a lot of good Flying dog beers but this one wasn’t very good.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2011 18:11:52 | More by minterro

airforbes1

New York

2.4/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

This beer pours a dark brown/black color with a decent head. The aroma is decent with some bitter chocolate notes but isn't exceptional.

I find the taste to be severely wanting. The taste is bitter and thin. I don't know what makes this a porter. I don't taste anything like chocolate, dark fruit, or coffee. It just tastes like bitter water to me. There is a slight warming effect from the alcohol.

If Hunter Thompson was correct when he said "Good people drink good beer," then good people don't drink Road Dog Porter. I was disappointed in this beer and I wasn't able to finish it in one sitting. I'll either finish it tomorrow or drain pour it.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 05:57:37 | More by airforbes1

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.73/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From the 12 fl. oz. bottle marked 037A1. The pour is a dark amber to brown with a little short-lasting head and some lacing. The aroma is quite typical of a Porter with dark malts, coffee, and a mellow but crisp clean hoppiness. The body is about medium. The taste is nicely balanced with a good dose of coffee, sweetness, and a bit of a hop background. There are some Porters that I like better but this one isn't bad.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 21:42:47 | More by puboflyons

rlee1390

Indiana

3.7/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A-Clear amber brown, two finger head but it isn't as tan as you'd expect, some lacing.

S-Roasted malt, not much else, maybe some coffee.

T-Lots of roasted malt and some coffee. Mainly overwhelming roasted malts.

M-Light for the style and a little flat.

O-If you're looking for a reasonably priced roasty porter it is a decent option. However there are lots of superior porters.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2011 03:48:23 | More by rlee1390

whendeathsleeps

Indiana

3.53/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Deep, dark brown, hints of red when held up to a light. Two finger khaki colored head.
S- Smoky, hints of roasted coffee.
T- Roasted coffee, dark chocolate undertones, maybe currants?
M- Dry and crisp, medium bodied, refreshing.

Overall a good American porter.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 23:49:24 | More by whendeathsleeps

DarthKostrizer

California

3.3/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Look: Dark brown in color with 1/2 inch head and great retention and some spotty lacing

Smell: Light coffee notes and a little roast

Taste: Fair amount of roast and ash with traces of chocolate and coffee. Decent flavor

Mouthfeel: A tad watery and medium carbonation

Overall: It's a ok porter with nothing special about it at all

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2011 06:45:59 | More by DarthKostrizer

BerkeleyBeerMan

California

3.65/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

App: Dark brown to black with a good clingling tan foam head.

Smell: Roasted malts. Caramel and toffee. Peat and smoke.

Taste: Simple balanced malts with a light bitter backing.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, refreshing and full bodied with a good dry finish.

Overall: Not a bad Porter. The recipe is good with no off flavors. Not super distinctive but I'd definitely drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 08:02:17 | More by BerkeleyBeerMan