Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA - Flying Dog Brewery

yamar68

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Another foul-mouthed beer name from Flying Dog. Poured from bottle to standard pint:

Pours a nice looking burnt gold with a finger of dense, creamy head. Pretty good lacing and a very active body.

Definitely some spicy yeast right off the bat. Citric hops and mild malt backbone. A bit dull, but nicely balanced.

I'm digging this one. The spicy yeast character goes great with the highly bitter hop profile. Very heavy stuff, in a good way.

Feel is good but the finish is exceedingly bitter - like straight up orange peel bitter going on up in here. It doesn't detract from the beer but it also doesn't have me thirsty for another one.

Overall, a unique beer. Give it a go.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2012 23:40:06 | More by yamar68

divineaudio

Michigan

3.73/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

tulip glass.

a - pours a deep amber color and gave me a pinky's worth of rocky, light tan colored foam. retention is excellent, slowly falling back to a thin cap. leaves some nice, leggy lacing in the glass.

s - bubblegum, grass, clove or cinnamon spice.

t - toffee malt character with a faint spiciness. faint grapefruit bitterness leads into big herbal bitterness before finishing dry with a pine resin snap. yeast flavors take a back seat to the hops in this one. faint alcohol taste on the back of the tongue.

m - medium in body lightened up with the right amount of carbonation. finer co2 profile. faint alcohol warming. very smooth.

o - a nice take on the style, more so than i was expecting. the mouthfeel is really what makes this so enjoyable for me as the belgian yeast is toned down and carbonation levels are just right. easily the best flying dog brew i have had yet.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2012 23:25:46 | More by divineaudio

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

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

A: Clear deep copper with a semi-creamy foam head.

S: Cloves, lemon, banana, caramel, and a faint balsamic quality as it warms. Very pleasing and dynamic aroma.

T: Toasted grains (cereal-like) and a sweet caramel-like malt is predominant with lesser of the fruit and spice qualities detected in aroma. Lemon zest and a slight balsamic quality are there with a bit of digging.

M: Medium bodied with a mild carbonation. Solid oily character.

D: Quite good with an interesting taste profile that leans towards a malty base with belgian qualities more subdued.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 04:13:42 | More by Digimaika2

aranheaney

New York

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

Poured out of a 12 oz bottle into a Red Solo Cup:

A-decent depth, hazy, some head

S-good IPA stuff here, citrus

T-good, alcohol on the backside

M-fair, not enough thickness for me

O-good, a slight departure from normal IPA's which is good sometimes

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 20:06:09 | More by aranheaney

TheSixthRing

California

3.53/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a clear golden amber with a white finger width head. Average retention, leaving behind a lace that's spotty but semi-sticky.

Smell - Citrus hops, backed behind a faint Belgian yeast aroma.

Taste - Starts off slightly citric, bitter orange peel, then some toasted biscuit malt kicks in. Finish is slightly sour; almost lemon-like in character.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied. Decently carbonated.

Overall - Their Wildeman Farmhouse Belgian IPA is far superior. The belgian yeast qualities in this are just too scaled back, giving it an average IPA feel with just a touch of sour, as if someone added a small squirt of lemon to the beer. Of the 4-5 Belgian IPA's I've had, this one is easily the least interesting.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2012 05:43:03 | More by TheSixthRing

NiceTaps

New Jersey

2.55/5  rDev -35.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz. bottle into a pint glass.

A nice looking golden amber color with a white one-finger head. Nice bubbles and lacing.
It all goes downhill from here.

S- offensively bitter and sour yet sweet and caramel malty. I tried to find the spices and citrus and grass that I read about but failed.

T- I love hops but this beer simply killed my tastebuds until the very last second of each sip, just then did I pick up it's Belgian IPA
dry wheat and grain flavors.

M- it's carbonated and oily, but it sucks the life out of my mouth, the same way a tart lemon does.

O- this beer is too over the top for me. Note to brewer- tone it down so the flavor has a chance.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 01:02:25 | More by NiceTaps

secondtooth

Indiana

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

Pours a clean amber, with a solid if unremarkable head of white bubbles. Attractive treeline lace.

Nose seems spicy and fruity, with a touch of floral hops. Intriguing!

Taste is spicy, with definite notes of citrus hoppiness. Nary a hint of the relatively high ABV (8.3%). This is a well-done spicy, hoppy Belgian-style IPA that's worth revisiting.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2012 06:08:27 | More by secondtooth

BigPlay1824

New York

2.73/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Enjoyed in a tulip glass

A: pours a medium golden color which is nicely clear with a slight amber hue and an ample amount of carbonation bubbles working their way up to the head which is two fingers thick and pure white with a slight yellow note and lingers beautifully, the character of the head is very light and fluffy, leaves
S: very nice grassy hop notes, like wet grass after a summer storm, also has a nice bready character from the belgian background which i would compare to a sort of sweet bread or the french baguette from paneras
T: quite nice, dont find much of the belgian characteristics in the taste that i has seen in the nose, im definitely picking up a bit of an artificial sour note like green apples, there is a nice hop character but its not citrusy or even grassy as i had seen in the nose, im not really sure how to describe it other than as a bitter hop note
M: medium carbonation tingle, leaves the mouth feeling noticably dry, stings a bit on the underside of the tongue,
O: i was impressed by everything up until the taste, the sour note i described above just doesnt fit with the style or really help to make it a drinkable beer at all, i know this beer gets much praise in the community but im not seeing it here, i plan on trying it again soon to figure out if i found a bad bottle or if im just not aclimated to the taste notes

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2012 01:40:27 | More by BigPlay1824

jtingue

New York

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

Poured into a snifter.

Appearance. Very clear orange hued straw in color. Pours with 2 fingers of head with quickly dissipates to a nice frothy layer on top of the beer. Some tiny bubbles rise form the bottom of the glass.

Smell. Mostly dominated by hops, with some pineyness as well as some citrus. A yeasty sweetness forms the background to all of the hop aromas, however.

Taste. Starts with a restrained clove and slight banana like yeast character. This is quickly cut by a moderate and slightly resinous bitterness. This quickly takes on a bitter tangerine quality. The malt makes an appearance with a substantial breadyness, and is accompanied and eventually overtaken by another round of a more piny and herbal resinous bitterness. The finish is semi dry, but with a lingering bready and clove-y sweetness.

Mouthfeel. Moderate body and pretty dense carbonation, giving a cappuccino like mouthfeel.

One of my personal go to beers whenever I cant find anything else appealing. Insanely drinkable for how alcoholic it is.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 20:33:20 | More by jtingue

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

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

Reviewed from session notes.

A. Hazy deep amber with golden highlights in color with a single finger of creamy head with decent retention but only spotty lacing.

S. Citrus pith, fruity yeast esters, very herbal overall aroma, almost hidden breadiness of the malt waaaay in the background.

T. Spicy with cloves / pale malt combo at first transitions into a mixture of belgian funk / twang and very strong grapefruit pith finish. Actually has enough belgian-style funk to hold up to the onslaught of hopping that exists within the brew.

M. Thicker side of medium body but has enough carbonation to mitigate this. Gets a chalky sort of mineral accent during the extended finish that goes on and on and on..

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2012 21:48:49 | More by WastingFreetime

Number967

New York

3.95/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

poured from bottle into pint glass. light coppery color with 1 finger of off white head that stayed. When looking through the glass the beer is not hazy like a normal belgian. Smell is great. Flowers right away and dominating. a little hops and banana in there too.
Ive never been a fan of belgians and was a little hesitant to pick this one up. Im happy with it tho. The high alcohol balances out the fruity banana taste a normnal belgian would have. It does call itself an IPA and I can taste some hops but not overpowering, maybe a little on the back end. A very good beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2012 01:39:10 | More by Number967

GetMeAnIPA

California

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

A - dark orange, copper color. Nice 2 inches of head, with a 1 inch head retention. Leaves a nice lacing throughout the glass.

S - I tried the first one straight out of the bottle and the second one I poured into a glass. Out of the bottle the first note that hits the nose is the wheat, banana Belgian smell, then quickly gives way to the strong hoppy smell with a little malt background that rounds it out. When I poured the bottle into the glass I get very little yeast, banana smell and get mostly a hop smell. Without knowing you would probably think it was just a straight double IPA.

T - the beer is more of a double IPA and less of a Belgian style IPA. There are so many flavors that it seemed like the first few beers I had I got a different taste. One with strong yeast flavoring, one Hoppy, and yet another with a more malty caramel taste. The first one had more of a strong Belgian flavor and the more you drink the more the hops take over and over power the yeast banana flavoring. About 3 beers deep I thought I was just drinking a double IPA. There is a nice malt backend that balances the beer out and almost has no bitter after taste. There is almost no alcohol burn from the high abv.

M - light carbonation, medium body that allows for multiple beer sessions. Considering everything that is in this beer the mouthfeel and drinkability is pretty amazing.

O - overall I really like this beer. I am a huge IPA guy and Belgians are my second favorite style. My only knock the beer is more of a 70% IPA and 30% Belgian. The Belgian style takes a backseat the the aggressive hoppy flavor. The first beer has a better balance of yeast and banana flavor but with all the hops, alcohol and malts the Belgian style gets lost. With all that being said I would drink this a any day, and any time. If you like aggressive IPAs then I would recommend this fo sho!

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 02:59:37 | More by GetMeAnIPA

NightINgale

Quebec (Canada)

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

A - Dark orange/Medium copper body with a white frothy head. Pretty decent head retention and minimal lacing.

S - Flowers, citrus, yeast, and caramel.

T - Starts out with a very solid hop bite, with grapefruit, orange, and mango notes, then transferring the palate into the more flowery hop department. Some biscuit notes, some caramel, some pine, and a some nice clove spiciness.

M - Medium-to-full body; feels more like a Double IPA. Medium carbonation. The alcohol is pretty well masked, save for a little bit of heat at the back.

O - This has definitely surpassed my expectations and turned out to be a very nice Belgian-style IPA that packs a huge hop bite yet has enough room for the yeast and the malts to shine. Recommended!

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 00:06:58 | More by NightINgale

hmbrewer336

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

A golden amber. 1/2 in head leaving heavy lacing down the glass.

S: Hoppy and hoarsy. cloves and bananas.

T: sour in the front of the drink, green apples and spicy alcohol

M: medium in the mouth and leaves a coat after it leaves.

O: Great beer, love the belgian yeast and the sour notes. European hops are great here.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 21:46:49 | More by hmbrewer336

Maximusmaximus

Massachusetts

3.93/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Everything about this bitchin' IPA is aggressive. Buy the ticket. Take the ride. You look at the bottle and think, "what kind of post-apocalyptic nightmare have I found myself in today?" As you pour, you inleash the fury of the raging hounds of hell. They first assault your senses with a subtle and spicey smell, luring you into thinking this clear, perfectly carbonated drink might not be the violent ride thought it was. When you take your first sip, all doubt is put to rest. You are being attacked by an animal of a beverage. It's already got you in it's jaws. It's going for the kill. Violent hops, stinging spices, strong yet masked alcohol...this beer is a killer. When it's over, the only thing you are left wondering is "what the hell just happened?" and "what's a Belgian-style IPA doing being so American"? Then you do what Hunter would do and have another.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2012 21:39:44 | More by Maximusmaximus

illegal-seed

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

Giving this a solid 4 in everything. I have not had another "Belgian style" IPA to compare it with yet. But this is a good beer. Aftertaste to me is rather spicy. Not in a bad way though. Tons of flavors each sip with this beer that you tend to notice till the last bit. At $48 a case and $14 a six pack i dont get much of it. One of them beers you want to drink at home with some friends. It will get you nice and toasty lol.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 17:26:38 | More by illegal-seed

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

beerman1

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

Pours a hazy orange color with a decent sized white head that dissipates and leaves a nice lacing throughout the glass. Aroma of peaches, plums, pear and belgian yeast. Tastes of same fruits, belgian yeast and a slight bittnerness that follows in the aftertaste but doesn't stick around. Medium bodied.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2012 17:54:49 | More by beerman1

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.95/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

We pour an orange autumn color brew. It holds a one finger head of white bubbles, but this shows mediocre retention. Spotted lacing and thick aggregates of bubbles are left around the glass as it goes. There is an even haze throughout, but no sediment is noted. Carbonation appears medium. The nose has big notes of Belgian yeast that borders on Brett. The funk is significant, giving a moldy vibe, along with a barnyard grassiness. Hops add an additional grass and earth, with mineral and musk. Chalk and dried cherries clean up the back, drying the nose along with some boozy notes. Our first impression is that the malts and yeast are very Belgian. As we sip, soft metallics, bready malts, biting phenolic clove, and bittering grassy hop hit the palate hard. These blend together on a bed of funk and sweeter malts. The peak of the swallow delivers more bitterness, of toasty grain, more clove, and earthy hops. Yeast and Belgian flour works their way in too, adding a souring crunch to the very middle. The finish shows a sweeter toast to the paler malts, with a deepness of caramel and toffee sweetness. The hops continue, drying and bittering in all their grassy glory. The final drops of flavor are of clove and warm spice, peppery booze, and straight Bretty bitterness. The aftertaste breathes of earthy hops, metallics, bitter barley, and stony minerals. The body is medium, and the carbonation is higher. There is great slurp and smack, with an even creamy coating. The mouth is ultimately left dried, with puckering astringency. With warmth the feel becomes a bit watery, but this is noted infrequently. The abv is appropriate, and the beer drinks easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the robustness of the hops and the funk through both the nose and the flavoring. The aroma sets up the tasting beautifully, with all the bittering Belgian activity that one might hope for, while leaving plenty of room for balance from equally as bittering hops, and a sweeter malt base. One criticism is that the booze, particularly at the end of the flavoring, could be a bit overwhelming at times, taking away some of the balance previously lauded.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2012 04:23:37 | More by TheBrewo

uwmgdman

Wisconsin

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

Poured into a snifter this beer pours brilliantly clear copper color with a moderate white head that diminished to a skim but leaves some bits of lacing. The aroma is a tango of spicy yeast character, fruity esters and citrus--lemony hops, nice. The initial flavor is largely spicy phenols, immediately replaced by moderate citrus hop flavor. The beer finishes with a dry hop bitterness that lingers and welcomes the reemergence of the yeast character. The body is moderate and carbonation medium-high. Overall a good looking, good smelling and tasty brew. Definitely worth trying, though some tweaking with hop flavor/bitterness and carbonation would be interesting to see if this beer could be elevated further.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2012 02:49:03 | More by uwmgdman

Sunnanek

Sweden

4.55/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours lovely hazy orange with a rather large white head that leaves pretty darn nice lacings.

S: Dried hops, just like they do it in Belgium. Yeast and spices. Semi-sour. Citric freshness.

T: Citrus galore, but also an almost hard-candy-like sweetness. Bitter and malty. But in the back the Belgian yeast and spices lingers. Some sourness. Red berries, NICE!

M: Sour and bitter aftertaste, lingers for a longer time than most in this style. Body is smooth and creamy, on the fuller side. Carbonation is surprisingly rich, but still smooth.

O: This one kicks ass. The fellows at Flying Dog sure know what they are doing. I've had so many Belgian IPAs from Belgium - this one is better than most of the ones I've tried.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2012 18:34:03 | More by Sunnanek

BuxMontBeerLover

Pennsylvania

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

Purchased a 6pk at Wegmans in Warrington, PA

Purchase price: $11.99

Poured and enjoyed in a DFH Pint Glass

A - Pours a semi-transparent, golden/honey color. A two finger head on the initial pour. Lazy bubbles rising from the bottom. Lots of blotchy lacing left on the glass.

S - A nice combination of hops, a slight fruitiness and the banana aroma associated with Belgians.

T - A different type of taste. You get the hoppiness and pine-like taste of an IPA but it finishes with the familar yeasty, banana-flavor that I taste in most Belgians. A bitter ending to the sip. The alcohol is there but it doesn't overpower the beer or ruin its taste.

M - A medium consistency, light to moderate carbonation. A lingering bitterness is left after drinking. Slightly dry.

O - I like the comination of flavors that the Raging Bitch offers. It's a different combination for sure but the overall taste is enjoyable. Give it a try if your a fan of IPA's and you're looking for a twist on the style.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 21:54:34 | More by BuxMontBeerLover

CowsCanBark

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into Samuel Adams pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a clear amber with a three-finger off-white head. Nice lacing is left on the glass.

Smell: It's definitely a hoppy smell but there is more of a floral smell to it, and perhaps a hint of citrus or fruit. I also smell coriander.

Taste: The hops are definitely noticeable, but not overbearingly so. Also, there is a flowery backend with a slight coriander taste to it and a slight yeast-like flavor. Mild bitterness throughout. This is good.

Mouthfeel: Moderate bodied with moderate to high carbonation.

Overall: A really good IPA that's different than your average one. It's more flowery and has a bit more sweet/fruity notes to it. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2012 20:52:30 | More by CowsCanBark

omokoro

New York

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

Coming from a brew so named, I didn't expect such a balanced beer. Pours a light amber with a white one inch head, dissipating into nice lacing. Lots of visible carbonation. On the nose, I notice the aroma of Belgian style yeast, and some pine. Also some sweet malt. I am also getting some citrus, orange peel. This beer begins bitter, then you get the familiar Belgian beer flavor, then you get the hops again. I am picking up notes of pine and citrus, some grapefruit. Although this beer has a relatively high alcohol content, though it does not taste hot. i would say that is of medium body, though the alcohol does catch up to you. I am quite pleased with this beer. It is everything that I would expect from the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2012 02:30:48 | More by omokoro

ThePortlander

New York

4.53/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Had this one at Bierkraft earlier today on a whim, and was impressed. This is the first Flying Dog I've had, because I tend to find their schtick annoying, but coming out of the cask, this one was a winner. It has a nice, cloudy gold and amber hue with lots of fruity hop aromas. The body and taste work well together, as the malt is present, but soft, which works well with the lower carbonation of the cask, and the mild diacetyl.

Serving type: cask

04-05-2012 02:13:13 | More by ThePortlander