Double Dog Double Pale Ale - Flying Dog Brewery

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Red-amber with a creamy nitro head.

Caramel malts with boozy strength, citrus and floral hops, and a buttery aroma.

Floral hops and well-toasted caramel malts. Major heat. Tastes spiked. Thin oaky flavor with attenuation. The booze kills everything. Finish is all bristly hops anda acrid bitterness.

Creamy mouthfeel. Tight nitro bubbles. Pleasant.

'Double Pale Ales' must not be my thing. Not particularly hoppy. Not very bitter at first, but kicking at the throat in the finish. Too much strength. Totally passable.

Serving type: nitro-tap

08-04-2012 05:08:05 | More by thecheapies

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -19%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served on nitro-tap @ Kloby’s Smokehouse (Laurel, MD) on 4/14/12. Served in a tulip glass.

Pours a clear copper after everything settles, topped with a rigid finger of smooth and creamy white head. This pretty much stays this way during the duration of the glass, just drenching the sides with thick sticky lacing. Grapefruit, spice, and pine are quite bold here in the nose, being tempered a bit my light tropical fruit notes, a touch of dankness, and some sweet malt across the back. The high alcohol really adds some intensity to this but is at least more restrained than it is in the taste.

Speaking of which, the taste here is STRONG, with bitter grapefruit, pine, and an assertive spiciness cutting across the tongue and lingering HARD in the finish. Lighter tropical fruit, herbal tones, and malty flavors of caramel and bread do their best but are barely keeping the hops in control. The mouthfeel is fuller bodied and while I appreciate the smooth creaminess of the carbonation from the nitro-pour, the high alcohol just brings too much of a heady warm bite to this that amplifies all of that already aggressive hop character.

I haven’t had this in a while and after revisiting, I remembered why. Just too much damn alcohol gives this a boozy and overly fierce nature that I just can’t find enjoyable. Cut this down to around 8% or so and this would be really decent. Not even the nitro could save this one.

Serving type: nitro-tap

04-18-2012 19:17:26 | More by Kegatron

ClaremontBrew

California

3.38/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Nice orange color. Dense creamy white head (nitro). Fairly cloudy.

S - Sweet malty smell, but aroma dominated by citrusy hops.

T - Very boozy. Substantial malt sweetness, but ends surprisingly dry. Significant hop bitterness. This is a surprisingly complex beer. There's a lot going on in the flavor. Lots of whiskey or bourbon flavors coming through but also a lot of hop bitterness. A sipper for sure.

M - Very substantial mouthfeel. Syrupy, creamy, dense. But not cloying. Ends clean, but feels like a lot in your mouth at first.

O - Very interesting, surprisingly complex beer, but the heavy mouthfeel and overly boozy flavor is a little off-putting. Would probably not order again.

Served in a tulip glass from a nitro tap at Eureka Burger - Claremont, CA.

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-29-2011 16:43:57 | More by ClaremontBrew

remhaze

California

3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

flying dog on nitro. it was great. loved it.

A - Looks great. caramel brownish-red swirling. warmness coming off the cup.

S - A strong, potent aroma consisting of sweet, caramel malt

T - a mouthful of thick heavy foam at first, and caramel flavor hint to it.

M - mmmm... the thick foam makes it all worth it.

Overall its a good beer to have when it's on nitro-tap. It's not as interesting and fun if you were to drink it off from bottle.

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-09-2011 03:14:38 | More by remhaze

Dreadnaught33

District of Columbia

2.65/5  rDev -32.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

This beer puzzles me. I think as an American barleywine this would be better in my review of it most likely.

Has a pretty nitro look and lots of great spotted lacing on the glass, super smooth dark orange hue. Smell isn't totally present and has a little soap overtone to it and A little bit of unitergrsted raw hop. The taste has a huge toffee sweet malt note and some lingering dry bitterness. Caramel sweet and fruity almost. A little sickly and over alcohol-ed in a way that gets sickly on the palate quick. Has a marshmallow to it too. Wired and bizarre, seems like it's an iced pale ale or something, surely does not seem brewed to be a dipa.

Serving type: nitro-tap

08-27-2011 01:55:48 | More by Dreadnaught33

ehammond1

California

2.33/5  rDev -41%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

On Tap (Nitro)

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

A beautiful auburn and brown with a thin, airy, light brown cap. Incredible sheets and rings of lacing down the glass.

A strong, potent aroma consisting of sweet, caramel malt and pungent grapefruit and orange. Some alcohol heat as well, as can be expected at this ABV.

Though the beer looks incredible, and smells good as well, I can't stand the way it tastes. It's remarkably bitter and incredibly harsh with alcohol. The powerful alcohol and chemical taste is strong from sip to swallow. There's some bready and caramel sweetness hidden underneath, but very few enjoyable flavors are present. It's listed as a DIPA, though this beer seems to have far more in common with a barleywine. That being said, this doesn't make for a good barleywine, either. This is my fourth time having this beer, and my third different serving type, and I've never finished my serving whether it be from bottle, tap, or nitro.

Medium bodied with smooth, nitro-style carbonation throughout, though incredibly harsh with alcohol. Tough to swallow.

Not for me.

Serving type: nitro-tap

08-17-2011 16:31:54 | More by ehammond1

LittleDon

Texas

4.58/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A half pint on nitro at Urge Gastropub in Rancho Bernardo, San Diego, CA

Dark amber, clear, with great head and copious lace. It doesn't get better than this. Aroma is malty, caramel sweet, and a touch of citrus. Very soft carbonation and medium body. Flavor is bold coffee roast with a noticeable amount of alcohol come middle. The finish is bitter without the typical chocolate tones. The worst that can be said about this beer is that the alcohol is on the high side and may be a bit hot.

Serving type: nitro-tap

04-21-2011 03:15:49 | More by LittleDon

nickthetick

Maryland

3.78/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: poured a dark amber with a dirty white hockey puck on top that left these beautiful rings along with a nice lacing in between.

S: a lot of pine and grassy hops.

T: it starts out very hoppy and abrasive, a lot of pine and resin and grassy qualities up front. It smooths out a bit and I could pick some malt qualities. The alcohol is very noticeable and hangs on the tongue.

MF: heavy body and chewy, and warm.

D: I'd be hard pressed to buy this again, I wouldn't give it away if I got it in a mixed pack.

Serving type: nitro-tap

02-07-2011 22:10:17 | More by nickthetick

Metuo

Virginia

3.8/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Nitro-tap into an 8 ounce snifter.

A: Honey/Amber Color with a wonderful creamy head that laces very well.

S: Raisens, various citrus fruits, flowery hops. Not entirely complex, but still very pleasant.

T: Intense hops on the first sip, then mellows with the raisens being very present.

M: Unsurprisnly smooth considering the nitro.

D: Very nice sipper, the alchol is present though.

Serving type: nitro-tap

12-12-2010 16:18:00 | More by Metuo

DoubleSimcoe

New York

4.25/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Double Dog nitro-tap at Max's Taphouse in Bawlmer, MD.

Appearance: Nice dark caramel-deep orange color. Hazy but slightly transparent. Incredible head, very white and frothy and bubbly. Beautiful thick lacing. Love nitro pours!

Smell: Very subtle, as in most nitros. Citrus, some hops. Sugar and malts. Toasty breadiness too.

Taste: Sweet, followed by bitterness. Alcohol dominates, as in the regular draft version.

Mouthfeel: Creamy of course. A little hot and boozy. Medium body, medium-to-high carbonation, a somewhat unpleasant burn in the back of the throat as it goes down. A bit dry.

Drinkability: Higher than the regular draft, but still a sipper at 11.5%. This is one of my favorite beers, and I'm glad I tried it on nitro. Cask is my last!

Serving type: nitro-tap

10-28-2010 20:30:17 | More by DoubleSimcoe

dtivp

West Virginia

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed this beer poured from a nitro-tap at Magnollias in Purcellville, VA.
Poured a copper amber color with a small white head that dissipated into a ring with some lacing.
Aroma of sweet caramel with hops.
Taste is sweet caramel, honey and ends a little bitter with floral hops and some smokiness, the alcohol is there but not dominant
Mouthfeel is creamy, medium body with a little alcohol warming.
Nice strong beer, to enjoy at a slow pace.

Serving type: nitro-tap

07-19-2010 02:07:40 | More by dtivp

jpweisel

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on nitrogen tap at Max's Taphouse in Baltimore.
Pours a clear amber. Amazing citrus hop smell. Not overwhelming. This was a hop bomb but also has some malty sweetness as well. On a nitrogen tap so it had a creamier mouthfeel and taste. High alcohol but drinkability is great.

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-11-2009 19:45:06 | More by jpweisel

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a snifter.

A: Slightly hazy golden copper color with one-finger, foamy, creamy, off-white head that lasted a couple minutes and left a nice film. Fantastic lacing.

S: Caramel malt. Pine and citrus.

T: Moderate sweetness and moderate bitterness. Caramel malt, pine and citrus, like the nose. Alchohol was mostly unnoticable which was surprising.

M: Medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. Crisp and slightly dry.

O: A good imperial IPA. High ABV, but you couldn't tell from drinking it.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 00:52:29 | More by SolipsismalCat

PhantasIPA

Delaware

4.8/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

The color of this beer is dark gold. It poured from the bottle with a solid and heavy 1/2 inch head and left a heavy lacing against the glass. A moderate amount of carbonation can be seen in the beer.

Smells like very strong caramel sweetness followed by the pungent, heavy alcoholic scent. The barley and hope scent is mixed and the weakest of elements in the overall scent of the beer.

Taste is outstanding! Just like the smell, the sweetness is upfront (caramel, hint of darker brown sugar) followed by the alcohol, then the spices, barley and balancing hops of the beer.

The mouthfeel is very good as well. It is a strong beer so you are going to have the heavy alcoholic taste on your tongue, but the sweetness and the barley linger as well, creating a full flavored after-taste. Carbonation is not a factor as it is very subtle.

Overall this beer is fantastic. Strong and balanced, flavorful and unique.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 18:21:58 | More by PhantasIPA

ToughGuy

Delaware

4.49/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is my favorite beer in my favorite style (DIPA).

Poured into a Samuel Adams tulip glass, it has a three finger head, with a citrusy and a bit of a boozy aroma. The bitterness of the hops is somewhat mellowed by the sweetness of the malts, but the hop's bitterness, thankfully, win the battle. I find that the beer gets better as it warms.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 03:03:20 | More by ToughGuy

Greywulfken

New York

3.93/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: medium deep amber beer in a nonic pint, nice and clear, finger of tan head, some lacing

S: pretty standard fare:some sweet malts under the cloak of hoppage, mostly of the piney resinous sort

T: again, pretty standard stuff here - the malts were sweet, caramel-like, some butterscotch and toffee tones; the hop action was resinous and pine, not so much on the citric side - overall this was a fairly sweet-edged DIPA, but with a nice bitter finish

M: medium bodied, moderate carbonation; nice mix of sparkle and coating on the tongue, slightly tacky aftertaste

O: a serviceable DIPA, nothing to rave about but nothing to scoff at either; worth a try for the style fans and advocates

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 01:49:34 | More by Greywulfken

patre_tim

China

4.34/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A: Clear filtered amber, 3 finger yellowish head, moderate carbonation.

S: Citrus hops, floral, fresh fruit like watermelon, pine, sweet, cologne or perfume.

T: Sweet, fresh fruit, floral like a bouqet of flowers, perfume like obsession or something, bitter linger.

M: Syrupy, low carbonation.

O: Unique floral fragrant Imperial IPA. Really enjoying this beer. Balanced yet exteme in its display of floral and sweet and bitter aspects.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 04:54:41 | More by patre_tim

UCLABrewN84

California

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

On tap at Mohawk Bend in Los Angeles, CA.

Pours a clear light orange with a foamy bone colored head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, citrus fruit, and citrus zest. Taste is much the same with a honey flavor on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2013 00:10:04 | More by UCLABrewN84

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.66/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

About a finger of head on a cloudy, dark straw colored body.
The aroma is a sharp lemon with grapefruit. Very citrusy.
The taste is bold bitterness beginning to end. There's a peek of sweetness at the beginning.
The texture is crisp with a thicker body, moderate carbonation.
It's a bold, hopped ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 03:52:13 | More by Fatehunter

Ryanm1

Pennsylvania

4.75/5  rDev +20.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Wow! This beer packs a punch! Drinking a pint at my favorite local in manayunk, couch tomato cafe. I'm a veteran enough of the flying dog to know that this is similar to their other IPA. As I sip down the pint of hazy golden brew it leaves rings of white lacing in the side of the glass. You've got the conspicuously hoppy flavor with grapefruit overtones on continual sips. Floral kind of honey smell. The alcoholic content albeit over 11abv cannot be distinguished in the flavor. Hoppy IPA almost like they made a raging bitch but as a double IPA. Great tasting, thick but golden semi sweet nectary finish.

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2013 01:08:10 | More by Ryanm1

Mic-Lee

3.93/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Transparent amber color. Nice lacing. A blast of malt and hops hits you as soon as you open the bottle. Hops up front but a strong malty background and the booze is there. Nice, full and consistent smell is of dried fruits and currants. Medium bitterness in the finish. Body is medium with substantial carbonation.

Overall: A very high alcohol content in this brew is hard to disguise, but it’s fairly well contained in this DPA. The flavor is nice, well-balanced and the bitterness isn’t overwhelming. A little too malty. A solid brew, but only if you’re in the mood for something strong.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 00:17:48 | More by Mic-Lee

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

4.2/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This one I find to be quite an oddball, but very interesting and quite tasty. it's really quite blowing my mind right now, as it's not anything like what I expected. But then beer cannot be judged by expectations alone so...

Nice looking, copper to tannish orange and clear with a nice off white head that lasted and left nice lacing.

It's about halfway between a malt-bomb IPA and an "imperial" pale ale (if such distinctions can really be counted on to have much meaning). I think "american strong ale" would have been a better category for this one. But it doesn't matter that much because it's a good beer no matter how it's categorized.

Aroma wise there's tons of malts, lots of hops, and a pungent earthy component.

The taste is hot with alcohol almost to the point of being "spicy," but I quite like it. I wasn't expecting such a strong brew when I popped the bottle! (also I was too lazy to look it up first, lol). It's really a malt-bomb of an IPA in many respects. Lots of bitterness from the hops, lots of hops flavor, but the most outstanding points to me are the malty flavors, which are considerable.

There's a kind of dry, woody finish like so much maris otter got overtaken with a hops spillage and then they dumped in more malts and just said "brew it anyway." Carbonation is middle of the road and appropriate.

Kind of like a good hoppy pale ale recipe that accidentally got doubled. Very enjoyable, one of my favorites from this brewery. I would definitely like to find this one again and buy an entire four (or six?) pack of it.

Not for the faint hearted, BTW. Bud light drinker's heads would asplode upon their first sip. Craft beer drinkers will enjoy it thoroughly.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 23:46:33 | More by AlCaponeJunior

CloudStrife

New York

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a snifter.

A: Pours a clear amber with a 1.5 finger mostly white head. Not too much visible carbonation or lacing. Good color and clarity.

S: Nice fresh hop smell, I get a lot of citrus too like lemon and grapefruit. Hints of booze.

T: Pretty hoppy up front, citrus like the aroma. Still a fair malt backing. Fairly hot with some strong alcohol Leaves a lingering skunky hop between sips.

M: Medium to full mouthfeel, sort of nectary and sticky. Alcohol doesnt really make this too hard to drink despite being so high.

Overall a damn strong pale ale. I like the fruitiness of the hop. Certainly a sipper for a nice relaxing night.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 01:42:06 | More by CloudStrife

stephenjmoore

Maryland

3.7/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Very light amber body with a thin white head that fades quickly. Somewhat transparent with carbonation bubbles coming up from the sides of the glass.

S- Some citrus/pine hop aromas along with an abundance of sweet bready malt aroma.

T- Very similar to the smell, hop character comes through in the way of pine along with some citrus, to compliment the deep malt flavor. Alcohol comes through towards the end of the taste, which is to be expected from such a high abv beer.

M- Medium carbonation, syrupy and definitely a sipper. Leaves some residue in the mouth after each taste.

O- Good, bold beer. Was a little more hop-forward when I had it on tap, but the bottle is solid too.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 23:48:10 | More by stephenjmoore

NoLeafClover44

Delaware

3.98/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into a standard pint. Bottled just over a week ago.

A - Pours copper with a thin off-white head. Perfect clarity. Pretty good tiered lacing on the glass.

S - Smells of citrus, bread, and floral hops. The 11.5% alcohol is apparent on the nose, but in a way it adds to the complexity. The aroma has a malt bill similar to a barleywine, surprising for such a fresh pale ale.

T - Initially sweet with molasses and bready malts. Citrus comes through in the middle followed by a big, bitter hop kick. The alcohol is warming on the throat. The hops and booze linger for a while on the palate.

M - The high alcohol gives this a slick feel. Good carbonation and a medium body.

O - They can call this beer a pale ale, but I'm not buying it. I think it is probably closer in flavor to an American Barleywine (think, fresh bigfoot) or at least a DIPA. The booze is a little bit hot, but I really enjoyed this as a sipper. Big hops accompany a complexity of malts. To me, Flying Dog is an underrated brewery and this is one of their better beers. This is one I grab regularly when I want just one or two that will get the job done.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 01:11:41 | More by NoLeafClover44