Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA - Flying Dog Brewery

Brad007

Vermont

4.38/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a decent copper color with a two-finger head that fades down to leave lacing on the sides of the glass.

Aroma is full of floral hops with a strong citrus finish to them. Not much else can be detected other than candi sugar from the malt. Seems pretty straightforward.

Taste is full of grassy hops followed by just a hint of sweet malt underneath. Seems more like an American DIPA than a Beligan IPA to me.

Mouthfeel is full of lingering grassy hops and mild malt. Pretty straightforward for what it is.

I'm not sure what part of this is beligan. Otherwise, a decent beer that seems more like an American DIPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2009 00:37:10 | More by Brad007

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

20th anniversary bottle picked up and reviewed during my trip to Jacksonville, Fl on 2/14/10.

Pours a clear golden orange color with 2 fingers of head and sticky lace that clings to the glass. Aroma is a strong burst of hops presenting themselves as scents of lemon-like citrus, orange and pine. Taste is very hop forward with citrus bitterness and a bit of the classic belgian style of spices. Light feel with moderate carbonation. Fairly warming beer as the alcohol is not hidden at all. For a belgian style IPA, it is very americanized with the major characteristics being the strong hop presence without much malt backbone. It seems quite unbalanced but a quick fix if you are looking for some hops.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2010 00:29:12 | More by stakem

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark golden with little head, and what head there is fades away to a swirl. Smells peppery, dry and herbal up-front, followed by a little Belgian yeast clove and sweetness. More pepperiness and herbalness in the taste, plus some heat from the alcohol. Almost spicy. A little too austere, and hot, but not bad. Slightly tangy in the mouth, dry, and herbal. Pretty decent effort here.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2010 02:37:01 | More by Georgiabeer

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into bells tulip.

Pours a fairly large amount of head, about 3 fingers of beige color. Fades down quite a bit. A decent amount of fizzy lace left. Color is a clear golden copper.

Aroma: A lot of spice notes right up front. Coriander and orange peel show the most. Some yeast shows with a bit of floral earthy hops. This beer is all around an earthy creation. Almost a hint of funkiness shows.

Taste: Wow, the hops show way more in the taste as compared to the nose. This thing is packing a ton of floral, earthy hops. Some orange peel shows again with more of a citrus kick packing. Lots of yeast flavors show with some Belgian traits. Spice notes as well. This beer surprisingly brings a lot of alcohol with it. The abv is high, but still shocking for the style.

Mouthfeel: Bitter, creamy, and smooth. Medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Ends dry and spiced with a hint of alcohol showing in the aftertaste.

Overall, the beer is pretty decent for its style. It is lacking a few things and the abv shows too much for me. I think it is a decent brew from flying dog, but nothing I would go crazy for to have again. Decent drinkability if I can get by the alcohol showing.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2010 03:41:36 | More by mothman

mactrail

California

3.2/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Sharp and startling bitter ale. The color is a classic amber color in the chalice. Nice foam and richly carbonated on the tongue. Quite bitter and hopped up. Hot with alcohol. A thin, almost harsh mouthfeel. So woody and astringent. Nose of honey, for some reason. Clear, clean, and like a bullet. Really sharp, it's beyond tangy. 60 IBU on a light body.

I'd call it an IPA with some Belgian flavors. But it's a wilder IPA than a lot of the pack. Apparently they jiggled a bottle enough for Ralph Steadman to notice and pontificate about it. 12 oz bottle from Best Damn beer store in San Diego.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2012 07:14:57 | More by mactrail

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.18/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Aroma is - WOO WEE STRONG, seriously hoppy with a strong citrus tone that is a mixture of good grapefruit and sweet orange. It pours a nice clear orange amber with an average pale tan head that leaves minimal lacing. Flavor is quite hoppy, with a good evergreen tone, minimal bitterness, and an undertone of grapefruit with just a whisper of sweetness. Texture is rough and edgy, leaving behind a fair tingle.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2010 02:34:30 | More by Cyberkedi

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.93/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer appears amber and clear. Atop the fermented beverage sits an inch of dense head that leaves copious residue about the pint glass. The aroma brings spice, pepper, yeast, hops, and alcohol. The flavors are a bit scattered and rough, with too much alcohol in both the nose and taste. That said, the beer offers some pleasant spice and yeast character, and is certainly drinkable and enjoyable. Perhaps this was inspired by Belgian IPAs, but Raging Bitch is not in the same echelon with Duvel Tripel Hop or Houblon Chouffe, a couple of my favorite beers of this ilk. Overall, a decent brew. I would try this again.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2011 04:12:38 | More by Huhzubendah

largadeer

California

2.65/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

The body is a burnished amber, clear and bright, filtered to death for a Belgian IPA. Smells like bubblegum, Pepto-Bismol, sweet pale malt, grandma's spice rack and perhaps a touch of fruity hops. The palate has a stronger hop presence, juicy and tropical with grapefruit undertones. Whatever yeast strain they're using for this beer is awful, it's heavy on the bubblegum and medicinal flavors, while finishing with a phenolic kick that almost overwhelms the bittering hops. This isn't outright awful, but it's not great; it's hard for me to get past the cloying yeast profile.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2010 03:14:00 | More by largadeer

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clean orange-ish color with an off white head. In the aroma, grapefuity hops and quite citrusy. In the taste, grapefruit to orange citrus hops and a nice dry Belgian like yeast presence. A small hop bite and medium bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry citrus in the aftertaste. More a double/ imperial IPA than Belgian, love it though.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2010 13:05:06 | More by OWSLEY069

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Raging Bitch pours a rich amber in color with a nice fluffy head and some lacing down the glass.

Aroma is of hops and a solid whiff of alcohol heat.

Has a nice belgian twang due to the yeast. Hop bitterness is there with all kinds of citrus notes (grapefruit). Sweetish malt character. Juicy and quenching. Pretty good balance of hop, belgian and malt flavors.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and semi-dry.

This is a nice experiment from Flying Dog. Worthy of the purchase.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2009 22:52:47 | More by Stinkypuss

scruffwhor

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very pretty and clear copper color with only one line of bubbles floating to the top. The head reaches a maximum of about one finger. This recedes to nothing after about five minutes.

The aroma is an oily hop resin of pine oil, earth, and grapefruit zest. There might be a few spices mixed in to the aroma as well. But I just can't seem to place them.

The taste starts with mild toasted mlats that give a toasted Wnderbread flavor. The hops jump in pretty fast, adding an oily bitter middle palate. Plus the taste citric zest a peels. The finish is bitter and resiny.

There might be a Belgian hint or two in there, but this beer is definetly more IPA than Belgian.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2010 23:33:39 | More by scruffwhor

jrallen34

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I drank this from a 12oz bottle into my Orval glass.

The beer pours a medium clear gold with a off white head that rises about a finger but fades quickly. Light lacing.

The aroma is pretty light giving off mostly an earthy yeasty light hop that isn't very bitter but lets you know the hops are there.

The taste is interesting as it starts off pretty light then explodes with ton of flavor. The hops are very earthy giving off a little bitter but just lots of grit.

Overall, this was a pretty good belgian ipa. I only wish it was balanced a little better with some sweet on the front.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2010 00:12:16 | More by jrallen34

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I picked this up at Brass Deli in Campbelltown -poured chilled into a 1/2 pint from the 12oz brown bottle.

A - a very light honey color like apple juice w/ a sturdy 2 1/2 finger smooth cap. The clarity is lightly hazed w/ slow moving bubbles indicating depth. The bead is average size w/ good lace

S - A floral hop scent w/ light green fruit like kiwi and pear w/ gentle lemony scent and light alcohol w/ slight yeast phenolics

M - A resinous feel that has spicy and bitter dominance w/ medium carbonation and mild sweetness from malt. The feel is slightly astringent and has a moderate alcohol effect in the finish

T - The taste has some herbal and citrus hop aspects w/ mild belgian yeast character and brief creamy sweet malt , but finishes bitter and smoewhat harsh with a piney bitter and acidic taste. The alcohol is somewhat high in the taste which comes off as lightly medicinal after half the bottle

D - A better than average Belgian IPA - not sure what that means since I have probably only had enough to count on 2 hands, but the ale seems more bitter than the listed 60 ibus and tastes exactly like 8.3% if not higher- watch out for this bitch!

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2010 19:53:45 | More by Slatetank

dirtylou

Washington

4.28/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz single, Woodman's - East.

appearance: standard flying dog label art - served in a delirium chalice, hazy orange-amber body, foamy white suds

smell: strong dose of belgian yeast - sugary and sweet, grapefruit zest, pungent citrus hops, floral, caramel malt

taste: def a nice belgian ipa - belgian sugar, zesty yeast, citrus zest, pungent citrus hops, lemon peel, bitter grapefruit.

mouthfeel: moderate bitterness, a touch oily

drinkability: good

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2010 00:38:46 | More by dirtylou

cokes

Wisconsin

4.65/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I'll never see the supposed genius of Steadman, and he's outdone himself here, with the bitch on the label and all her flagrantly bared anatomy. Though it coheres with the name in the feathers that they are certain to ruffle -and I understand it to an extent- it just seems cheap and desperate, as gimmickry is not needed here.

Clear brassy gold with a whipped pale, sandy cream. The lacing is excellent and the retention isn't half bad.
A phenolic bomb on the nose. Bubblegum, allspice, cinnamon, clove. Laid on top of round, sweet, bready maltiness...an analog of warm, sugar glazed donuts. Hopping adds electric notions of wintergreen, pineapple, wildflowers, and grapefruit, but is the third most prominent trait, aroma-wise.
It carries into the mouth that donut-esque, sweetly, chewy, sugary, bready maltiness from the nose. Phenols are a bit calmer, but clove and allspice and pepper still shine through. Hopping ups the ante with full bitter grapefruit pith, resins from pine and prairie grass, a whole bouquet of florality, and a lilting, fuzzy, sweet/sour peach ride-out. Alcohol is an absolute non-factor.
Pushing towards full bodied, but stunted a bit with its plush, moderate, lasting carbonation. There is a muscularity here, yet it flows down the throat like so much fluffed silk.
This is cripplingly drinkable. Flying Dog's finest moment by far, and one of the best bargains in beerdom...while it lasts.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2010 08:22:22 | More by cokes

Tone

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear, amber color. One inch head of an off-white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of earthy malt, floral hops, dark citrus, slight alcohol, yeast, and sweet malt. Fits the style of a Belgian IPA. Mouth feel is smooth and crisp with an average carbonation level. The mouth feel is also slightly watery. Tastes of sweet malt, floral hops, dark citrus, slight yeast, hint of alcohol, and a hint of wood. Overall, an alright Belgian IPA; good appearance, aroma, and blend.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2010 01:00:29 | More by Tone

beertunes

Washington

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

Thanks to Stanzi for grabbing this on her recent trip to Frisco. This is a style I find to be a bit of a bastard child in the beer world, so my expectations are on the low side. Bottle is printed with the code 236FX10. Poured into tulip. Poured a semi-cloudy orangeish-amber color with a bit over a half-inch of slightly off-white head that had moderate retention and lacing.

The aroma was solidly hoppy, with some yeast spicyness in the background. The taste was very hop forward and hoppy at the back in the middle was some of the yeast, spice and fruit that I love about Belgian-styles. The brew had a nicely dry finish.

The body was very good, much fuller than I had expected. Drinkability was good, even for an 8% brew, I'd be willing to have a couple.

Overall, one of the better examples of a style that I'm not in love with. Worth a shot when you see it.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2010 20:57:30 | More by beertunes

kylehay2004

Florida

3.58/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: single finger off white head with poor retention on a amber gold body. nice lacing.

S: floral, orange citrus, black pepper and lots of herbal notes.

T: resiny hops, light citrus, caramel and lightly toasted malts, peppercorn and woody/oak notes.

M: medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: flavorful but not really memorable. pretty drinkable but the odor turns you off a bit. Just not quite belgian enough for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 02:20:43 | More by kylehay2004

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I picked up a six-pack for somewhere south of $9 in Oconomowoc WI. Opening my first couple tonight, I see it's a visually clear version of the Belgian IPA style, light copper colored with a thin head and no lacing.

The aroma definitely places this as a Belgian IPA, with the characteristically Belgian approach to hopping, more spicy than floral, maybe a little citrusy too. The taste is likewise spicy and fruity, referencing relatively old-school examples such as Urthel Hop-It. Nice lingering bitterness, almost chalky but in a somewhat pleasing way.

I gotta say, this is better than I expected as I haven't been too pleased by most offerings from Flying Dog. This was a good stab at the style, resulting in a beer that satisfies and displays some similarities with the style leaders, but finally is influenced by its American roots as well.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2010 03:41:08 | More by TurdFurgison

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.7/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A few people have had said positive things about this, and for $2, I couldn't pass on it. Thanks for the recommendation, Mike!

The pour is a brilliant golden-amber with excellent clarity when carefully decanted. There's a thin off-white head that is present, leaving some lace.

The nose is pretty solid for the style. Bright hops with pungent grapefruit and some pine, there's a ton of bittering hops. The Belgian character is also fairly assertive, yeasty and spicy. There's also quite a grassy, pine needle character. Solid, though not to my particular liking.

Opening with a fairly potent bitterness with a lot of pine needles and grapefruit and citrus rind, this is quite the palate-bruiser. The hop bitterness is really strong, quite dominating the Belgian yeast character that's relegated to the background with a yeasty, spicy, estery character. There is a definite malt presence, mildly sweet and honey like. Resiny on the finish with more hop bitterness, this is EXACTLY what I'd imagine an East Coast Belgian IPA to taste like. Medium-light in body with a fairly high level of carbonation, this beer is solid. Great for the style, but unfortunately, the style just doesn't do it for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2010 02:26:41 | More by DefenCorps

nickfl

Florida

3.93/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours with two fingers of white head on top of an copper-amber body with excellent clarity. The foam settles slowly and leaves nice lace.

S - Spicy, pine hop notes are backed by some pineapple. Peppery yeast augments the hop character and is balanced by lightly toasty malt.

T - Strong spicy hops up front with lots of pine character. Peppery yeast flavors compliment the hops in the middle along with toasty malt. Finishes with more pine hop character as well as a bit of pithy grapefruit and caramel malt that is balanced by moderate bitterness. Lingering bready malt and spicy yeast as well as tobacco like hops.

M - Smooth, medium-thick body, moderate carbonation, and a relatively dry finish.

D - Quite drinkable, it has a nice hop character and crisp dryness. There is some belgian yeast character here, but not a whole lot. Just a bit of peppery character that compliments the pine hops. The dryness is the most Belgian aspect of the beer, which leaves it feeling like a dry IPA with a strong malt flavor. This makes for an enjoyable beer, but the dry toasted malt becomes cloying after a while and I really prefer the bright, tropical character that I get in some other examples of the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2010 06:46:55 | More by nickfl

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a Duvel tulip. 8.3% ABV, 60 IBUs, 257FX10 on the label.

A - Despite the name, this beer seems pretty tame so far. A tall pour created about two fingers of off-white head above a totally clear, highly carbonated, golden-orange beer. No effervescence is completely in contrast to the looks of it. The head wasn't retained that well; it played dead after leaving a few collars of thick lace.

S - Mild citrus-filled hops impart a slight lemonly zing to the Belgian-smelling beer. Lots of Belgian yeast imparts earthy clay, a small level of spice, and a sliver of banana. Light candi sugar and honey sweeten the aroma up while caramel and pale malts fall to the back. As this Bitch grows in heat, pine resin from American-smelling hops comes out.

T - This dog's bite is much stronger than it's bark. Sharp citrus grapefruit and lemon tartness appear right away, unchained, with a resiny pine flavor running up close behind. The Belgian aspect doesn't present itself in the same way it does in the nose. Much less powerful, the yeasty components hold a subdued place in this beer offering a classic spiciness as the main Belgian aspect. Some honey and candi sugar add sweetness to the light caramel malt backing.

M - The attack of sharp carbonation is fast and brutal while the hoppy, dry bitterness follows up with a second snap. Medium-light in weight, this Raging Bitch finishes dry and bitter with a spritzy throat tingle. Clean and crisp to the finish.

D - The alcohol is no where to be found in this beer. Raging Bitch contradicts itself (in a good way) once again with a back that's worse than bite in the ABV regard. Despite the nuances of this brew, it's got a nice clean, crisp feel and east of drinkability. A good beer, one of the better ones in fact, from Flying Dog.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2010 03:36:56 | More by BeerFMAndy

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle pours a clear, caramel color with a moderate off-white head. Retention is decent, as is the lacing.

Smells like candi-coated hop cones...piney, citric and sweet. Pineapple and grapefruit intermingle with green apple and strawberry-bread yeastiness. Interesting to say the least.

This one trends more into the Belgian realm than many of these newfangled American brewed belgio-IPAs. Yeast first, hops second...I like that. Both are assertive though and are draped with a caramel, toffee malt backdrop that I could probably do without. Almost too much going on here with the beastly malt, does not seem to have a focal point. Throw alcohol up in there and you got a four-headed bitch on your hands...Kerberos, watch out! Rough around the edges, but this dog is ultimately petable when all is said and done.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2010 22:32:34 | More by twiggamortis420

bark

Sweden

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The firm large warm beige head is compact. It sinks slowly leaving some lacing. The liquid is gold-orange and clear.

The smell is Belgian with soapy-yeasty flavours. Hints of plastic. Citric hops, but not much of bitterness.

The taste starts off with a grand bitterness, almost like a DIPA. Some phenolic yeasty flavours and a tart hint of wheat. Clean flavours, medium to full body. Fruit candy and a sweetness that is powerful without being sharp. Alcohol and hops in the aftertaste; it is smooth and balanced. Ripe exotic fruits (banana, lemon, peach, pineapple). Sweetness and alcohol in the finish.
The carbonation is light, the small bubbles smooth. The liquid is medium smooth.

A very Belgian brew. Pleasant.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 20:53:53 | More by bark

FosterJM

California

3.88/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

64th review on BA
bottle to pint

On the suggestion from my brother in law to have this one.

App- Its a nice mixture of ambers in the glass, between a dark and light from a light honey to a dark caramel amber. Head wasnt very prevalant but was still there.

Smell- I am picking up quite a few citrus notes on this with a few being tropical. The belgian yeast is up-front. I like the smell. Very decent.

Taste- It's quite new to me the marriages of beglian yeast and the hoppy american IPA. The jury is still out for me on these brews. This however was very tasty.

Mouth- Not too bitter and nicely balanced with a lively carbonation level.

Drink- A good marriage here and I am sure that over time I will come to appreciate the mixture and blending of styles. Until then, I am sure my rating is fair based upon that.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2010 18:27:25 | More by FosterJM