Double Dog Double Pale Ale - Flying Dog Brewery

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

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

This is a high IBU beer, surprisingly high alcohol that's hidden, and yet understated and tasty. Not an in your face DIPA, its well crafted and balanced. No mistaking the C-hop that comes at you full tilt, there is the right amount tos weetness to allow terrific drinkability. Soft and above average mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2010 01:14:53 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.08/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

"If the prayers of dogs were answered, bones would rain from the sky."

--Proverb


Rich ochre that becomes glowing rich ochre when backlit with morning sunshine. Thanks to the use of chocolate malt, Double Dog resembles an American barleywine more than a DIPA. The pale toffee colored crown is thickly creamy and looks like it's chock full of hop resins. Something is causing gorgeous sheets of thick lace to stick to the glass. Not quite 'best of show', but definitely a contender.

Given the... uh... interesting malt bill, I'm not a bit surprised that caramel dominates the nose. Dominates might be the wrong word since chunks of candied grapefruit and orange peel are never very far away from the action. Dry-hopping with Columbus and Cascade will do that.

My biggest problem with Double Dog DPA falls under the heading 'brewing philosophy'. Once again, there's so much caramel (and chocolate!) malt relative to pale malt that hops don't have a chance to shine as brightly as they might have. Not only that, but alcohol is too prominent at this stage in the beer's life. Aging it would, of course, dull the hops.

Actually, if blinded, I would have guessed that I was drinking a barleywine. That 'cherries soaked in Jagermeister' flavor just cannot be ignored. It really doesn't matter that a few tons of hops were used since their flavor is hamstrung to a considerable extent. Their bitterness sure isn't. An IBU count of 85 seems conservative.

The mouthfeel is full and rich. The creaminess of all those malt sugars are complemented nicely by the minor buzzsaw from all those alpha acids. Even with a laid back amount of carbonation, when it comes to mouthfeel, this dog has both bark and bite.

Since I never got the chance to try the original 'Wild Dog' Double Pale, I'm glad Flying Dog has begun brewing it on a regular basis. I haven't gotten around to drinking my bottle of Horn Dog yet, but my guess is that this beer is closer to being the American barleywine equivalent of that beer (an English barleywine) than it is a true DIPA. It's still an enjoyable sipper that I'm glad is available locally.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2007 15:41:20 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.85/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

My first legal HG purchase in SC Woo Hoo!!

Poured a pretty clear nice burnt amber with a big off white head and a nice bit of lace that flowed down the glass. The smell was dominatd y alcohol, as was the taste. Once it warmed some decent hints of citrus hops were brought forward and could finally be smelled. Lots of hop presence and a nice sweetness that tried to balance it out.The taste was smooth, albeit overpowering with the strong alcohol flavors. Overall this was a good brew, however I think this may be one that was so brought up on ABV that really didnt need to be, and that brings down the drinkibility a bit.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2007 23:39:51 | More by mikesgroove

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.9/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Thanks to Huhzubendah for this 12-ounce bottle. Served in a Mikasa tulip.

Pours a tawny-amber color with a clear body and a three-finger head. Good retention of the off-white head with plenty of lacing on the way down.

The nose brings some citrus and tropical notes, which are layered atop a malty base of bread crust and caramel. Very fruity and sweet in general. The flavor starts with a strong bitterness beating out the background sweetness. There is some citrus rind and a faint tropical character, but the majority of the flavor is sweetness contrasted against the 85 IBU bitterness. Some booze in the background.

Overall, this is a bit of a muddled mess. Not terribly impressive and the booze grows as it warms. Medium body that is too chewy. Too boozy, even for the 11.5% ABV. Not terribly impressed.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 15:55:27 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a hazy, brownish-amber body with a plush, off-white head.

Smell: Nicely fragrant aroma of caramel and toasted sugar with pungent hop scents of juicy citrus fruits and resinous pine. Maybe a pinch of spice in there, too.

Taste: A brief taste of caramel, oven-tosated sugar and spices with a decent dose of sweetness before the hops roll in with flavors of grapefruit, orange peel, and pine. A hefty, aggressive bitterness follows, but the malty sweetness upfront helps to temper it somewhat. Finishes dry with a lingering bitterness and a hint of earthy spiciness.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Slightly oily mouthfeel. Nicely warming.

Drinkability: Bold and brash, it'd be a fine choice for a nightcap. It's doing fine as a late-afternoon beer, too!

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2007 21:01:29 | More by ChainGangGuy

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

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4.03/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Quite reminescent of their 20th anniversary Double Pale Ale. However, this beer seems very green and a bit too aggressive at this point. Very malty, but quickly dominated by strong and bullying American (Cascade) hops and hot alcohols. Lots of complexity, fruitiness, chewy-ness, and flavor. The malts range from caramel sweet to bready hearty-ness. The hops go from grapefruit and orage rinds to pine and grassy flavors. Alcohols are well woven into the malts and hops but show much aggression late, almost to heartburning levels. Though a strong contender with Hop Slam, this brew will improve over the next six months.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2007 20:38:24 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

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

I admit I have been kind of a harsh critic on Flying Dog in the past but this beer erases a bit of that,poured a light copper color with a big fluffy 1one finger white head. If your a hophead like me the aromas are sublime deep resiny pine and grapefruit rind not much else just intense hoppy goodness,the flavors are not as intense but its still a hop driven palate no doubt very resiny like in the nose big pine elements with the citrus somewaht taking a backseat malt well its there but its in a dryer form and pretty well hidden.Iam burping hops so thats a good thing a good brew from Flying Dog.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2007 22:23:36 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Unleased from the bottle, the Double Dog trots with confidence rather than just breaking loose and running full-speed-haphazard-about with its moderate carbonation and full dextrinous body only allowing it to raise a short head of frothy-then-creamy off-white foam. And that's a sign of things to come. It's not foaming at the mouth wild, but rather quite tame - despite its muscle and fangs!

The head holds quite well, and it leaves thin blankets and broken-walls of spotty and splotchy lace about the glass. The cloudy robe beneath has an orange cast, and it looks a bit like marmalade with gleaming golden highlights.

The nose is candyish with notes of ripe fruits (orange, grapefruit, and even pomegranite) and soft pine mingling over a bit of sweetly doughy and lightly caramelish malt. A touch of soft yeastiness and some alcohol rounds it out.

The flavor follows the aroma with an added edge of sweetish vanilla upfront, and more softly piney, grassy, and resinous hops across the middle. There's even a bit of crusty bread to the malt. The flavors come and go as it's such a big beer, and the hops and alcohol take one step forward, or one step back depending, at certain points throughout... it's pretty rich and strong with lots of girth! A solid bitterness backs it against the almost syrupy malt, and in conjunction with the cutting alcohol, the bitterness allows it to finish dry with a lingering edge of bitter citrus rind and resinous hop.

Bold and rich, but not overdone, the Double Dog is an exercise in stepping to the ledge and leaning forward but never quite leaping off due to some odd sense, or crazy-in-the-head balance. I loved it, and it's quite entertaining, but I double dog dare ya to have more than one without getting a little cock-eyed ;) Nicely done!

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2007 00:47:20 | More by NeroFiddled

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bright crimson, well-cloaked, with a big, ebullient, staying head of creamy foam. Very nice.

Nose effuses booze and fruit. Barleywinish. grape and cherry burned into brandy. cognac with orange drippings. red wine with a slice of lemon.

juicy on the tongue, a blast of flavor, forceful, but delicious. Deep stuff, full bodied. Fat malt, and plenty of hops, rich and rewarding.
Doesn't taste like 10.5%, but we're not done yet.
bracing bitterness on the palate is just fine with this hophead, and mixes well with the pronounced malt bill. nice balance for such a huge brew.
I'm liking this...I'll have to try and find more!

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2007 01:17:27 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

4.05/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours a dark gold/amber color with a 1" offwhite head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is great. It has a warm pale and crystal malt scent along with a very bitter hop aroma. It has a wondeful caramel feel with a warm nose. The taste is good. It has a very bitter hop bite up front followed by a mild caramel malt taste and a warm finish. The alcohol really presents itself. The mouthfeel is decent. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a good drinking beer, but definately one to sip on. The hops really grab you as well as the powerful gravity.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2007 20:44:44 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

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

No date on bottle. Beer poured into a goblet. Beer is hazy and orange / dark amber. Forms a thin broken head of tiny off white bubbles that leaves some lacing on the glass. carbonation is low.

Aroma is malty sweet with a hint of pine hops.

Full bodied, really syrupy sweet. Lots of malt and very late hop bitterness. Its one of those strong malt IIPAs. Really too sweet. Its just way too much.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2010 03:46:43 | More by drabmuh

zeff80

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

10.5% ABV with 85 IBUs as stated on the label.

A - Poured out a cloudy, orange color with a tan, creamy, two-finger head. It left sticky white rings of lace.

S - Smelled of tons of grasses and hops. It really smelled like a hop-bomb.

T - It was bitter hoppy with a light caramel maltiness.

M - It was crisp and very sharp. A medium to heavy-bodied beer.

D - This is a fine beer. It is very hoppy but not overpowering. A pretty nice compliment of malt flavors make it very drinkable. One of Flying Dog's better brews.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2007 04:54:45 | More by zeff80

metter98

New York

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

A: The beer is relatively clear copper in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a frothy and dense beige head that has good retention properties and consistently left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and some lacing running down the sides of the glass..
S: There are moderately strong aromas of citrus hops in the nose.
T: The taste has flavors of citrusy hops with notes of caramel malts; alcohol is also quite noticeable in the finish. There’s only a moderate amount of bitterness.
M: It feels medium-bodied and a bit crisp on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. There is some warming from the alcohol in the finish.
O: This beer seems to be more like a hybrid between a double IPA and a barleywine. It’s rather drinkable (except for the alcoholic taste and burn in the finish) but is really something that needs to be sipped.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2012 23:01:21 | More by metter98

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.88/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light brown color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a spotty lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of hops, caramelized malts, brown sugar and a touch of citrus.

T: The taste is pretty well-balanced with a strong hops bitterness and a caramel & citrus sweetness both hitting hard up front, but the two balance each other out quite nicely. The malt character is hearty and there's a significant alcohol sting. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, slightly sticky finish.

D: Tasty, goes down ok, not too filling, strong kick, good representation of style, this is a good stronger beer with some complexity that is good to drink a few of, but there are other 2IPA's that I would pick first.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2008 02:21:10 | More by TheManiacalOne

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.28/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured caramel with 2 fingers of tan colored head. Super sticky lacing & great head retention

S: Some herbal hops & doughy notes

T: Rich malt, brown sugar & earthy hops up front. Piney & herbal hops come to the fore as this warms, along with some breadyness Finishes a little too dry, with resiny hops, cakeyness, a little smokeyness & grapefruitty hops

MF: Rich & oily with low carbonation

Drinks easy for the ABV, a nice DIPA, this needs to be part of the yearly rotation

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2007 22:08:49 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

3.05/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours amber with a solid white head with really good head retention, light lacing.

S: Grapefruit, lots of citrus, strong ethanol, copper.

T: Bitter white grapefruit and melon pith, cantaloupe, and mint form the main hop flavours. Malt is light, but has a nice toasted biscuit flavour. Solid hoppy flavour, but to me not particularly tasty, really boozy, it is 10.5%, but the alcohol is really evident.

M: Phenolic, solvent character, resiny with a long hoppy aftertaste, has a definite thinness in the overall profile though.

D: An OK Double IPA, but as I drank it, I seemed to be enjoying it less and less. Relatively inexpensive for the style, but certainly has some flaws.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2008 03:28:14 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: clear orange in color with a thick and fluffy 3"+ head that sticks around a while. Some nice lacing develops.

Smell: pine and caramel are most dominant tones picked up by the nose.

Taste: caramel, pine, grapefruits, pears, honey, and a bit of alcohol are nicely balanced. The malt and strong bitterness levels play well together. Dry and warming throughout.

Mouthfeel: light crisp and dry at the start, smoother and dry at the finish. Super long aftertaste as bitterness and alcohol stick to the tastebuds. Medium to heavy in body.

Drinkability: the alcohol levels really knock this down a notch. Otherwise this a slow sippin' brew that is quite enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2007 17:53:26 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

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

Pours a hazed amber with a one-finger white head - Good retention for the abv - Some lacing sticks to glass.

The smell is of tropical fruitiness. Sweet grainy/caramelish background. A touch of pepper.

The taste is of bitter hops upfront - citric and pine, almost resiny. Alcohol comes out, but not overwhelmingly so, giving it a warming peppery kick. There is plenty of sweet malt that struggles a bit to keep up with the hops and alcohol. But it manages to stay in there. Dry, bitter finish.

It's full-bodied, creamy - almost syrupy. Rather hot.

Surely a slow-sipper. There is a touch of raw astringency, even for abv level of 10.5%. Almost reminds me of a hoppy barleywine in some ways.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2007 03:02:10 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

4.03/5  rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours a clear medium reddish amber hue, with two fingers of thin creamy white head, which renders a bit of random lace around the glass as it recedes. It smells strongly of caramel and toffee malt, and soapy grapefruit citrus hops. The taste is tangy citrus hops up front, following shortly by a big dollup of sweet caramel malt, surrounded, but not outnumbered, by warming alcohol. The carbonation is fairly soft, the body full, weighty with sugar, smooth, and unctuous, and it finishes a grand ol' mess of booze, caramel, and zingy hops.

Whew! This is certainly a DIPA, in a nice, single serving, that still manages to dull the senses, while at the same time, flooding them with a happy twin assault of malt and hop.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2010 22:59:31 | More by biboergosum

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A 12 oz bottle purchased at Chips in KDH, NC.

A: The DIPA has orange color, bright with a few hues of brown to darken things up. The head was thick and fluffy on pour and has left abundant lace throughout the glass.

S: The nose is thick and resiny, there is no way to confuse this for anything other than a DIPA. The aroma is full of citrusy fruits and sticky sweet pine.

T: Don't let the label fool you, this is a triple IPA on par with a barleywine. The malt bill is over the top, strong and grainy to the point that it is tartly sweet. A big hop presence stands up to, and exceeds, the maltiness with a thick bitterness that could easily could your whole mouth with pine and citrus notes. Both elements build off of each other, creating a large mouthfeel that easily overwhelms.

M: The mouthfeel is intense, fearlessly throwing big malts and big hops at you without letting up. The is on par with Weyerbacher Eleven and Founders Devil Dancer.

D: I'm probably not gonna finish this glass, the flavors are too intense for a post-brewfest drink.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2007 01:36:05 | More by akorsak

tempest

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer really makes the most of its 85 IBU's. I don't if I've had such a satisfying big hoppy beer under 100 IBU's before. The hops profile is a bit fruity with punch and pineapple as the main flavor that's rounded out by harsher (but nice) citrus rind hops. There's a decent caramel and fruit malt profile backing up the hops that gives hints of an American barleywine. Whatever the style, it's a pretty cool beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2007 02:08:01 | More by tempest

WVbeergeek

Ohio

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

First things first this is one of the best beers from Flying Dog, but it really pushes the envelope on bordering a barleywine with the 10.5 abv if you sampled this blindly you would swear it was a barleywine. Appears a deep caramel rusty amber hue with mild cloudiness head forms thick incredibly creamy tan head dwindles slow even speckled lacing very inviting visuals here. Aromatics contain a huge piney grapefruit edged hop bouqet, malty caramel flow with overly ripened fruit qualites like I said very barleywine esque mild tart raisin and plum brandy flow going on with brutally abrasive hops. Flavor definitely sugary swet caramel malts deep ripened fruit more of that plum and tart raisin combo mild tree bark piney herbaceous hop flow with some citrus peel bitterness working as well definitely a hoppy brew. Mouthfeel is full bodied creamy carbonation brings the mouthfeel together and the oily hop resins really make a mark on the palate one intense brew. Drinkability pretty hard to manage in number between the alcoholic hammer pounding it could bring to your dome and the intensity of the flavors I definitely enjoyed a couple but realized it was time to move on so I downgraded to the Green Flash DIPA at a mere 9 percent alcohol.

Serving type: on-tap

07-17-2007 19:54:25 | More by WVbeergeek

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a slightly clouded amber. Nose is very hop forward…surprise, surprise…but is not a complete kick in the nose. There is that noticeable citric hop presence with a syrupy sugary back tone. But I don’t feel like it is so overdone that it is pushing it. Hence the higher mark. Flavor is a little different than all the others of the similar style I have tried. This one seems a bit tamer in comparison. There is a meaty hop presence, but it seems more well rounded. If this were held up to the kiddies of the DIPA, this might well be the uncle. Subdued and relaxed, yet still strong enough to make an impression. Feel is good. Seems like the appropriate level of bubble on the tongue and a thick character on the liquid, but not so thick that it approaches syrupy. I have to say that this one is highly drinkable, even though the alcohol hits you - even though it is very well hidden on the flavor.

Overall. Man. What a surprise. Not that I had extremely low expectations, but I was just not expecting what I got. To me it seems to be a slightly different type of DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2007 23:25:06 | More by RblWthACoz

barleywinefiend

Washington

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

Poured burnt orange with a decent head that was diminishing and left no lacing on the glass. The aroma was dominated by earthy piney hops. The taste was also dominated by piney slightly grassy hops, there was a slight burnt caramel malt backbone, but it was dominated by the hops. The 10% ABV reallly grabs you up front and going down.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2008 14:12:09 | More by barleywinefiend