Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA - Flying Dog Brewery

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

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

Looks good. The nose is typical Belgian in character. The flavor is a bit too tangy, for the style. Certainly, there are some spicy hop tones on there, but there is a soapy sweet tone that is a bit too much. This is decent, but it's not quite there really. Especially with so many others of this style available. Nice beer, but not quite the Belgian IPA I'd hope for.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 21:13:34 | More by RblWthACoz

smcolw

Massachusetts

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

Moderate head that is slow to die; leaves a cratered surface as it recedes. Good lace. Clear, golden-amber color

Earthy, moldy, and very bitter are the first words that come to mind when I smell this beer. It's not particularly attractive and it's hard to describe. On the surface, it smells like a particularly strong yeast with a hot spiced hop. It's like nothing I've brought to my nose before.

Very harsh taste that cannot be complete attributed to the ample hop. It's almost as if there were some sort of hot sauce (tabasco-like) added to the beer, even though there is no "heat" per se on the tongue. Very astringent. Short aftertaste. I cannot detect the alcohol nor can I sense the yeast flavor. Moderate body and slightly spritzy carbonation.

This is completely unusual to me, but not necessary in a good way. Worth seeking out if only to try something new.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2010 20:49:10 | More by smcolw

rhoadsrage

Illinois

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

(Served in a tulip glass)
A- The clear full orange body has a sea of microbubbles with a creamy butter-cream head that last a good bit.
S- The juicy slightly spicy hops come through even during the pour. There is a more subtle yeasty aroma with hints of bubble gum followed by a floral hop aroma and a saison yeast quality. T- The juicy pine hops have a green cinnamon note to them and a yeasty sweetness underneath. There is a bitter spicy green hop finish that has a soft sugary sweetness as the beer opens up.
M- There is a light mouthfeel with a fizzy full finish that boost the hop flavor and aroma. There is no alcohol heat noticed.
D- This beer has a nice full spicy hops flavor with a great depth and it blends well with the saison style yeast. The fizz is a bit overpowering in the finish but it does enhance the hops character.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 12:53:43 | More by rhoadsrage

Wasatch

Utah

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

Thanks goes out to ybnorml for this one.

Pours a pretty nice dark golden orange color, nice carbonation, nice one-finger creamy off-white head, with some nice sticky lacing left behind. The nose is hoppy, with some malts, slight yeast, pepper, caramel. The taste is a pretty nice hop bomb, malty, a nice pepper note, slight corinander, and caramel. Medium body, the finish is bitter and dry. Very Drinkable, this brew surprised me, very nice, recommended. Thanks Wayne.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2010 02:21:01 | More by Wasatch

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.15/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Love many of the Flying Dog beers, and love most Belgian IPAs if done right, but if they're not done right they can be pretty bad. Hopefully this is a good combination of good brewery and good style.

A: Creamy 1 finger head covering a very clear golden orange pink hue color.

N: Nose has a very fresh spicy wet hop bite! I mean like it was freshly hopped yesterday with tons of fresh musty wet hop aromas. Some light Belgian malt aromas. Some pine and citrus as well. I think this might be too hopped for a Belgian IPA.

T: Much better, a strong Belgian malt and some Belgian sugar sweetness hits first this time. Then more bitter hops hit with more fresh musty wet hop flavors as well. It starts to build with more bitter hop flavors and pine and citrus lightly. Some spicy flavors as well. Hints of malty boozy taste, but lightly. The spicy and heavy hops just way overpower any of the actual Belgian aspects after the first .5 seconds of the first sip and no more Belgian.

M: Semi thick with quite a bit of carbonation.

F: Very bitter again, too bitter for a Belgian IPA. Dries off quite a bit as it bitters, way over the top bitter. Spicy flavors and some lingering malt flavors.

This beer would be a great AMERICAN IPA, but not Belgian. For a Belgian IPA it needs to be a lot more subtle on the hop bitterness and much less aggressive. I'm not sure why they even call this a Belgian IPA. This shows how Americans can take styles too far. Flying Dog I love most of your beers, but this is just too far!

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2010 02:58:29 | More by jlindros

jdhilt

New Hampshire

3.33/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a three finger white head that fades slowly to a thin layer, leaving some lace. Crystal clear amber color. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied. Grapefruit nose. Flavor is grapefruit, some sweet orange. Dry finish. $1.75 for a 12oz bottle from Beverage Warehouse Winooski, VT.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2010 22:57:08 | More by jdhilt

mdfb79

New York

3.95/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

a - Appearance is an amber/gold, a lot of carbonation, almost no head.

s - Has a very fruity, citrus smell.

t - Taste a lot of spices and citrus, very hoppy.

m - Feels very carbonated, medium body.

d - Overall it was good IPA. Thought it hid the 8.3% ABV well, would definitely drink again.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2010 01:25:50 | More by mdfb79

Billolick

New York

4.08/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Growler pour, clear medium dull amber, has an olive oil sheen to it, sits under a luxurious and creamy light khaki head, that stays and stays forever. Leaves thick frothy sheeting on the glass and rings of thick lace. Heavy/pungent tropical fruit/hop nose. Hopped up ale, fresh pineapple notes predominate. Not really getting whats all that Belgian about this one, perhaps some phenolic yeasty notes in the back ground, but mostly what I'm experiencing is a tasty, fruity, hoppy ale. Tasty and enjoyable, hop lovers will love this one, actually a real nice looking and smelling brew, but I'm not sure if they hit the note they were going for.

Serving type: growler

10-22-2009 01:09:18 | More by Billolick

weeare138

Pennsylvania

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

Appears an orange toned amber with a small head of fluff. Scattered streaks of lacing are left around the glass.
Smell is pine, citrus, herbs, spices, orange peel, notes of rye, and obvious esters from Belgian yeast.
Taste is of the aromas with a juicy fruit gum and apricot explosion. I'm at odds as to the yeast they used here. Almost seems like a dry yeast.
Mouthfeel is medium full bodied, bitey, bitter, sweet, pungent, and sticky.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2010 23:58:19 | More by weeare138

Zorro

California

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

Brilliantly clear copper colored ale with a small tan colored head. This is the color of an old penny but not quite what I would call red.

Strong aroma of north western style hops. Very hoppy to the nose, in the Double IPA range and something like Dreadnaught. Strong pine, citrus and cedar scents. Coriander is in there but just about obliterated by the hop aromas. Finally there is a strong spruce aroma here that is distinct from the other evergreen aromas.

Starts out hoppy and earthy not unlike biting down on a cedar plank. Right off the bat you get some hop funk. There is a savory flavor here not unlike meat so I assume something here made glutamate possibly they threw some seaweed in the pot. There is a smoky flavor here I can't quite ID, something like a little scorched sugar. Not a very sweet beer there is sugar there after your tongue adapts to the hop attack. Lots of pine flavor here and eucalyptus the complexity of the smell doesn't translate to the taste. This isn't a bitter beer though, it is just funky.

Mouthfeel is good.

Quite a nice beer here. On the high side of the hop scale for the style but I love it.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2010 02:13:59 | More by Zorro

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on tap @ Kloby’s Smokehouse (Laurel, MD) on5/5/12. Served in a goblet.

Pours a clear copper, with a ½ finger of sudsy bright-white head. This maintains some frothy edging, leaving back foamy lacing that quickly slides down the sides of the glass. The Belgian qualities of the aroma jump right out, with spice and fruity esters that mix in with a fresh floral feel, bitter smelling grapefruit, and a light sticky mix of tropical fruit and malt across the back. There is also a soft underpinning of heat to this but it isn’t too bad.

The taste is fresh hop character throughout, with bitter grapefruit that is softened a bit on the edges by herbal and light tropical fruit flavors while a gentle biscuit feeling malt presence sits along the back of the profile. The Belgian influence is really felt more in the finish here though, with spice and an estery feel that lingers with some sharp bitter pith on the tongue. The mouthfeel is fuller bodied and a bit sharp on the tongue, with a firm creaminess along the back of the throat. There is a little warmth here to the body but it mostly just emboldens the hops and spice, as a slick oily undercurrent to the feel helps keep this smooth.

I had been hearing good things about this Flying Dog effort and found them to be mostly true! This has a nice balance to it between those bold American hop flavors and Belgian yeast notes that kept them quite complimentary to each other. This drank nicely for the bigger size here as well. I’ll be returning to this.

Serving type: on-tap

05-09-2012 19:31:54 | More by Kegatron

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle, thanks to grub for sharing.

Pours a clear dark amber/orange, nice and bright, medium sized white head forms and settles down to a thin ring around the glass, a few lace spots stick, looks alright.

Smell is neat, a little sweet, some caramel and candi sugar, banana, some spice, a bit of yeast, apricot, a bit of fruit, alcohol, light vanilla, citrus, orange peel, a bit of clove, pineapple, pretty interesting.

Taste is similar, lots of banana and grapefruit, sugary sweetness, a bit of biscuit, caramel and candi, vanilla, apricot, pineapple, orange peel, wafer, a bit of alcohol, some spices in the finish, clove and more vanilla, neat citrus bite.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with medium carbonation, a bit sweet, some light heat going down. Pretty good, has some cool flavours going on. Thanks Russ!

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2011 02:08:37 | More by Viggo

Bighuge

Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Orange copper body. Thin off white head. Lacing is minimal. Aroma is juicy hops and cakey belgian yeast. Flavor is balanced nicely with resinous and grassy hops blending in with the bready malts and estery belgian yeastiness. Solid flavor and a bit unique compared to other Belgian IPAs I've had.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2010 04:48:45 | More by Bighuge

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

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

What a great surprise, pours a light brown, not much head. Good carbonation. Aroma, sweet, and hops. Thanks.

Taste, more hops, leans to the American side, thankfully. Still has the warming alcohol presence and yeast fruitiness on the Belgian tip. Mouthfeel rocks, alcohol feel fades, more nuance of the spice come on. All the right points from both sides of the pond. $11 a 6er is actually pretty good for this high quality product, the best thing Flying Dog has ever made.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2010 17:41:56 | More by Beerandraiderfan

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Cask at Prohibition.

Pours a dark golden color with burnt orange hues when held to a light source and a two finger frothy, pillowy white head. Great retention, only slowly fading into a lasting cap. Sporadic chunks of lacing left behind.

Slightly earthy aroma with resinous oily hops, sweet citrus peel, Belgian yeast and estery fruit notes. Hints of apple, pear and strawberry with a subtle caramel malt backbone.

Medium bodied and creamy with a bit too strong of a malt backbone for my liking, killing off a lot of the hop flavor. Earthy hops up front with subtle pine and grapefruit flavor. Again, the malt backbone is too strong for it's own good with a prominent caramel and rye flavor.

I'm not sure if it was because of it being cask conditioned but this beer wasn't nearly hoppy enough. I would like to try this in bottle form to compare.

Serving type: cask

02-07-2011 07:46:52 | More by corby112

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.15/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very pleasant coppery colour, slightly hazed, although there's not sediment in the bottle. Head is fine, for the most part, but is filmy, and forms in large bubbles otherwise. Some patchy and very inconsistent lacing. Not that great, to be honest.

Nose is, indeed, that great. Big citrussy American hop character, with the blunting that comes from a pleasant round Belgian yeast character. Very crisp and very lovely. It brings together the best of both world in such a lovely fashion. Almost the classic BIPA nose.

Taste is also very nice, and really exemplified the wonderful blend of the two styles. Rather sweet cleansing Belgian body, with a lightness that improves the drinkability and a pleasing citric hop bite that gives crispness to the end and a lengthened bitterness. Feel is smoother than the average IPA, but very pleasantly leavened.

This is a lovely beer. It's pretty much a light American IPA that is spliced with the interest and roundness of Belgian yeast to give it something surprising. A very clear exemplar of the style, and one of the best of the style I've had.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 07:43:47 | More by lacqueredmouse

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

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

On tap at Max's the other day.

The beer pours a golden honey color with good head retention and lacing. The nose on this beer is very floral, with some very perfumy hops backing the light fruity sweetness. Flavors replicate the nose, and I have to say this is one of the hoppier, bitter, domestic Belgain style IPA's I've tried. There is some underlying sweet white peach and honey, but the hops really come on strong in this beer, giving if a long, bitter finish. Mouthfeel is fairly light and drinkability is OK. The alcohol is a bit more noticeable then I would like, and I can't see myself having more then a single glass at a sitting. Still, this was a nice effort by Flying Dog; one of the more interesting beers I've had from them of late.

Serving type: on-tap

10-26-2009 13:08:57 | More by johnmichaelsen

DoubleJ

California

4.5/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Much has been made about the controversal name, but I care more about the contents inside. Time to drink with a burrito bought at Chipotle. On to the beer:

Deep orange color, it shines beautifully in the tulip glass. The head forms over a finger's thick, and is showing some great head retention. Very nicely hopped is the aroma. Fresh, juicy, floral, hops. With the twist of horse blanket. I like a lot.

Of all the Begian IPA's I've had, this is definately the one with the most "American tasting hops". Fresh hops again. They provide a squirt of juice and fresh floral notes. A little bready plus honey, some crackery malt, then add that funky blanket which dries out your palate. Lemon peel is noted. Alcohol...that's nowhere. Wait, it's 8.3%? Crisp and refreshing, and very drinkable.

When I think of Flying Dog beers, I think of ugly labels with middle-of-the-road craft beer. Raging Bitch has the ugly label, but is easily the best of the Flying Dog brand I've had to date. Highly recommended.

Oh, and it's a decent pair with my burrito from Chipotle.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2010 05:19:04 | More by DoubleJ

glid02

Georgia

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

Bottle purchased from Five Points Bottle west in Athens, GA.

Pours a clear golden color with a 1.5-finger white head. The head recedes into a patchy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of light malts with large amounts of herbal and floral hop notes. Also present are hints of medium fruits and pine hops.

Tastes very similar to how it smells, though not quite as well balanced. Crisp light malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by loads of herbal and light pine hops. Midway through the sip the pine notes fade and hints of bready flavors work their way into things along with moderate amounts of ripe pears. The breadiness subsides and a strong bitterness comes into play near the end of the sip, carrying through to a crisp and solidly bitter ending.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with smooth carbonation.

Drinkability is very good. I finished my glass without a problem and could easily have a few more.

Overall this beer skewed slightly too far toward the IPA side for a Belgian IPA as the bitterness was a bit too strong. Still, it's a very good beer that's worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2011 19:08:46 | More by glid02

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Hey, if the Bitch is Raging, then she simply needs to be set free. I began with one of the most aggressive pours of my life, nearly inverting the bottle as it growled at me. Down, girl! That pour resulted in a finger-and-a-half of eggshell white foam that was as dense as some of Kotter's Sweathogs. Even the remaining foam poured like soft-serve ice cream! The color was a deep, coppery-amber with NE-quality clarity. Nose was definitely Belgian yeast with esters of banana and must. Speaking of bananas, the taste was initially that of banana bread, then suddenly, the pine hops kicked in for a riot of flavor. It was like a King Cake, except that instead of a baby, somebody baked a pine cone into the middle of a loaf of banana bread. Zoinks! Mouthfeel was kind of abrasive, lots of CO2 scrubbing the nooks and crannies of my tongue. The finish was all hops, leaving me gasping for breath. Almost forgot the beautiful lacing throughout. Phew, "pure GONZO!" is putting it mildly. I have no words.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2010 21:03:52 | More by woodychandler

beerthulhu

New Jersey

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

A: A bright orange pour with a brilliant clarity reveals a light, micro-bubbly effervesce that was loosely spaced. A spongey modest capping, light beige in color, displays modest retention all the while leaving a minimal lacing on the way down.

S: A beautiful nose of oranges, fresh juicy pears, and sweet apricots appear upfront. A few swirls later brings out a lemony tart nature and some sour fruitiness that works well in balancing the initial fruity sweetness. Overall modest in strength and aromatic.

T: Spicy hops meets fresh wet citrus and toasty grains (perhaps munich) with a warmth of alcohol. Toasted grains compose the malting, that was complimented by some warm grapefruit and pine juice bring a spicy warmth. The hops and alcohol really come into play late in the game after the swallow providing a nice bite from the bitch.

M: A nice tingle of carbonation and medium consistency with warm and bitter pine juice and alcohol. Slick textured slides nicely around the tongue.

D: The alcohol seems a bit more then its advertised 8.3%abv as well the hops of 60ibu which were quite dominant. Spicy, hoppy Belgian take that will leave you with a good impression and wanting more.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2010 23:01:07 | More by beerthulhu

plaid75

New York

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

On draft at The Belgian Room, NYC.

Poured a pale copper hue with a one finger foamy white head. There was good retention and lacing.

The smell featured a full peppery hop and moderate esters.

The taste was extremely spicy due to the abundantly peppery hop and estery yeast. Earthy malts rounded out the experience.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style.

Overall a superior example of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

08-02-2010 13:15:39 | More by plaid75

DrJay

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear orange/amber colour with a thin layer of white bubbles coating the surface of the beer. Short-lived, streaky lacing and decent head retention. Caramel and toasted bread in the aroma, fruity and powdery, a bit yeasty. The flavour was surprisingly mild and balanced - I was expecting something more bombastic. Malty and fruity up front, a bit of alcohol, some citrus and spice towards the end along with sugary sweetness, followed by a slightly bitter and somewhat quick finish. Pretty easy drinking for the abv. Light peppery warmth, a bit dry, medium to full bodied with lowish, nearly creamy carbonation. I liked this and enjoyed it. I'm glad I have another bottle in the fridge.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2010 02:07:49 | More by DrJay

HopHead84

California

2.05/5  rDev -48.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

3/4/11

On tap at URGE.

A: Transparent golden orange. Creamy cap. Looks inviting.

S: Coriander, clove, and orange, with bready malt. Very spicy. Some light grapefruit. A little alcohol. Perhaps some pepper. Smells like a generic Belgian beer. Average at best.

T: Moderately bitter grapefruit rind up front with prominent spicy phenols, reminiscent of clove and white pepper. There's a lot astringency in there. Far too spicy for my taste, and not enough of the IPA showing through. Alcohol is noticeable in the bitter astringent finish. There's a definite clash of spice and bitterness in the end that reminds me of aspirin. That's terrible.

M: Lower medium body with moderate carbonation. Mouthfeel is creamy and sticky.

Overall: Not recommended at all. Avoid. Looks deceived me.

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2011 04:42:31 | More by HopHead84

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

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

Raging Bitch has a scalded orange colour, inflamed glow and frenzied complexion - I feel as though it's staring daggers at me. Do I have to defend myself before taking a drink? Will it hit me? I'll tell you what does hit me: the fiery, well stoked highlights that bleed through its frost bitten clarity. Its head isn't so raging but is erratically sticky.

The aroma is a sure distraction: the combination of American hops and Belgian yeast is damn near mystical. A profuse, hemorrhaging fruity bitterness occults all sorts of esters, vapors and phenols and the distant sweetness of a generous maltiness. Like a dog trying to catch a fly buzzing around its head, I'm chomping at the air around the glass...

Until I remembered I could actually take a sip. Impressive. The hops are so fruity and piny and bitter that they seemed to have blown a gasket; charred grapefruit, dried orange peel, herbal grasses and tree bark are on the warpath. But they meet a formidable foe in the less aggressive, but more tactile, esters and peppery phenols of the yeast.

The alcohol is just about at its boiling point but, curiously, feels only lukewarm, and is nowhere so hot so as to cause burns. The bitterness is incredibly raspy, and leaves your throat feeling that way too. The malts, meanwhile, despite that hoarse, gravelly hop presence, is not the least bent out of shape; it is firm and so thick so as to feel crunchy.

Raging Bitch is an appropriate name for a beer that is comprised of a rabid yeast, seething alcohol and merciless hops. And doubly so because I'm now enraged by the fact that the brewery doesn't sell it in bombers! The fact that I had to settle for a 12 ounce bottle has me seeing red! And also definitely seeing a full six pack in my future purchases.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 16:40:07 | More by biegaman