The Fear - Flying Dog Brewery

tchaos

Florida

1.93/5  rDev -48.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

12 oz bottle poured into a Duvel tulip

A -- dark brown -- far darker than I anticipated. 2-finger tan head with moderate retention and sticky lacing

T -- bitter. ridiculously bitter, and not in a good way. To ape Patton Oswalt, a failure brew in a sadness bottle. I seriously hope that something had gone off, because no discernible flavor was evident beyond the overwhelming bitterness.

M -- moderate carbonation; relatively clean; reasonable balanced mouthfeel.

O -- rarely do I drain-pour something, but this met the bill. I let it rest and warm -- it didn't matter...I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin ales to begin with, but to date they have all been tolerable. This beer was definitely a Halloween trick...

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2011 00:29:19 | More by tchaos

challenja

Virginia

2.4/5  rDev -35.8%
look: 5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle poured into a Dogfish Head pint glass

A -- Blood red! Amazingly dark red, no head retention after a minute of warming. White froth that quickly dissipates.

T -- Nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and roasted pumpkin seed. This beer is too bitter and lacks real flavor depth except nutmeg and overly cloved spice. This is crap for an Imperial Pumpkin Ale. I am really let down. Well it's Flying Dog so, I take that back.. ohhh snap..

M -- moderate carbonation; relatively clean; reasonable mouthfeel, lacking a nice thickness of top tier Imperial Pumpkin Ale's. This is quick fast, racy,cloved and dirty. A lingering back palate spice bite.

O -- This is a the worst Imperial Pumpkin Ale I have had and this is number 5, maybe I was spoiled by having Southern Tier, Schlafly, Weyerbacher, and Heavy Sea's. But a crap beer is a crap beer. When your expecting something spectacular and you get this, you get pissed. I am so glad I didn't buy a 6'r of this.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2011 01:34:34 | More by challenja

russwbeck

Virginia

2.48/5  rDev -33.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Orange brown pour with a white head. The lacing and retention is great. Pumpkin, vanilla, spices, some roasted malty aroma. Sort of a weird smell. The taste is malty, roasted, sort of boozy. Really no hint of pumpkin or spiciness. Disjointed and like the smell is weird tasting. Light, carbonated well, just not balanced at all. The strange smell and flavor makes this difficult to drink. Disappointed in this.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 18:52:52 | More by russwbeck

mastodonj

Colorado

2.68/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A 16-oz draft at Adega in Silver Spring.

If you look at my reviews, I tend to be much higher than the
mean (i.e., a large positive rdev).
Normally, I probably would not take the time to write a review
for a beer that I had a mediocre experience with.
However, this beer, as a "special seasonal" ale, should get
some extra attention.

You can read below, but the bottom line is that this is a mediocre ale, at best. There is nothing at all exceptional here.

A - Dark reddish brown with a small head and a good lacing.
S - Slight cinnamon, gingerbread smell
T - The slight spiciness comes through on the back of the
tongue with a good bitterness. But really, there is no
complexity in the taste here.
M - Mouthfeel is unnoticeable.

Really, for a seasonal ale, the reviewer's bar should be
fairly high. This just has nothing worth talking about.

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2011 01:30:14 | More by mastodonj

oline73

Maryland

2.8/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a deep mahogany color with two fingers of off white head. The head fades to just a trace.

Smell: Pretty darn good. Malt and some spice, mainly some nutmeg. There are some dark fruit notes in there as well.

Taste: I really wish it was as good as the smell. Way too bitter. There is a pleasant malt sweetness with some spice that is getting run the f over by bitterness. Strong alcohol notes as well.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with smooth carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: Not sure if this is a bad bottle or just doesn't taste good, but I'm not a fan.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2011 00:37:29 | More by oline73

BB1313

Ohio

2.98/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass. This is a darker pumpkin ale. Pours a dark brown with some light brown hues. There's a huge fluffy dark off-white head which sticks around and leaves sticky lacing. Nice looking beer. The aromas are somewhat faint, but still enjoyable and basically what you would expect from the style. Lots of caramel malts blended with some cinnamon spices. The flavors are very bitter. The hop bitterness is very noticeable. The flavors are very spicy. Lots of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Once again, very bitter and not sweet at all. Mouthfeel is slick and syrupy. The carbonation is there, making it a smooth drink. The alcohol isn't really noticeable and there's no booziness, just a harsh bitterness.

This isn't really the best Imperial Pumpkin Ale I've come across. Too bitter for the style, in my opinion. I was hoping for more, considering Flying Dog really excels with their bigger beers.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 20:50:36 | More by BB1313

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass.

Appearance
Deep Cola colored brown with red highlights. Has a half finger of head that dissipates quickly. Excellent clarity and low carbonation.

Nose
Light notes of pumpkin meat, Cola, caramel and candy sugar.

Taste
A tad bit boozey. Cola and burnt sugars. Nutmeg, allspice and clove. Light notes of pumpkin meat. Bitter, earthy finish.

Mouthfeel
Medium bodied, crisp and creamy.

Overall
An rather poor attempt at a Pumpkin Stout/Porter. The booze is pretty apparent. The dark qualities are not rich enough. Meh.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 23:53:42 | More by justintcoons

claspada

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a dark brown color with reddish highlights and a thin off-white tightly formed bubbly head (thanks to the hand-pull tap) that recedes to leave some spotty lacing.

The aromas begin with sweet bready maltiness, some fleshy pumpkin with the usual pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice). As it warms there is some caramel and some emerging woody/smokey notes which seem out of place.

The tastes follow the nose but are not quite as in balance as I would have liked. Pumpkin spices, specifically nutmeg stand out, with the toasted bready malts, caramel and earthy/woody bitterness to the finish. The woody/smokey flavors come out as well but the base beer is lacking a pop which makes the spices overwhelm the flavor profile.

The mouthfeel is medium to light bodied which is odd considering the ABV with medium to light carbonation.

Overall this was a pretty big miss for me. It was drinkable when it was on the colder side but as it warmed the flavor profile got spice heavy and earthy/woody/roasty for some reason. The base beer is caught between an amber and a porter which just doesn't work. I was actually expecting there would be more pumpkin than I tasted based on the nose. Pass for me.

Serving type: cask

12-03-2012 17:16:33 | More by claspada

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.16/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

This beer was served from the tap at Rattle N’ Hum in New York, NY. It arrived in a generic goblet showing a deepened, rusty amber coloring. It held a one finger head of cakey tan foam, showing nice retention, and leaving splotchy lacing down the walls of the glass. There was a chill haze, with no sediment noted. Carbonation appeared robust. The aroma gave big metallic malts, roasty caramels, baker’s yeast, and strong phenolic spice of clove and black pepper. Booze came with warmth, as did a light nutty moss and herbal hop bitterness. Our first impression was that the spice and chemically backbone really drowned out a lot of the other flavoring. As we sipped, aromatic metallics, toasted pale malts, brown sugar caramel roast, and saltiness started things off. These were all decimated through the center of the sip by chemical and clove of phenol, black pepper spice, and fusel booziness. These persisted through the finish, where they were added to by a bittering herbal hop quality, raw licorice, nutmeg, and powdered pumpkin spice. The aftertaste breathed of that phenolic fire, booze, nutmeg, clove, pumpkin spice, and herbal cone hops. The body was medium, and the carbonation was medium. There was nice and soft slurp, smack, cream, and froth to the sip, with thick coating left all around the mouth. There was a slight pucker, with little dryness or astringent to be had. The abv was fine, and the beer drank okay.

Overall, what we liked best about this beer was the robustness of flavoring. While that central bite was certainly overpowering at times, at no point was the drinker bored. At first, things did feel one-dimensional, but with time and warmth the ending of the swallow flourished with a mix of bitters and spices. This made for an ultimately interesting drink. This beer does not land well within the stylistic guidelines, as much of anything pumpkin is lost, but it is definitely one of the more forward beers for Flying Dog.

Serving type: on-tap

02-20-2013 22:20:54 | More by TheBrewo

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a clean deep amber to brown-ish in color with a light tan head. In the aroma, sweet pumpkin, cinnamon, allspice, brown sugar, and a small alcohol presence. In the taste, somewhat boozy, small spices, but mostly allspice. A spice like bite and a medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a dry spice and lingering alcohol in the aftertaste. Somewhat boozy, big spices, and sweet to dry flavors.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 16:54:57 | More by OWSLEY069

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a dark copper color that's almost brown with dark burnt orange edges and a one finger light beige head that slowly settles into a thin ring. Sporadic streaks of lace left behind.

Sweet, yet spicy pumpkin pie aroma with a nice balance of caramel malt, autumnal spices and pumpkin puree. Some caramel malt and toffee followed by allspice, clove, ginger and cinnamon. The peppery spices are countered by pumpkin pie sweetness, vanilla and nutmeg. A bit more roast than expected for the style but still smells dessert like.

Medium bodied with more roast and hop bitterness than the atom suggests. Roasted malt presence Long with dry, earthy hops and toasted pumpkin seed. This dry roasted character takes away from the better qualities of the beer in my opinion. There is still a stron zesty autumnal spice profile but most of the pumpkin pie sweetness found in the aroma is overpowered. Some caramel malt sweetness along with cinnamon, brown sugar and clove with some nutmeg and pumpkin puree buried underneath. The high ABV is very well masked but I wish it was better balanced.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 22:47:34 | More by corby112

Pencible

Virginia

3.28/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: This poured a nearly opaque garnet with some off white head.
S: It smelled like pumpkin and clove and cinnamon, with some copper and cranberry and pie crust.
T: It tasted like clove and cranberries and copper, with some pumpkin. It had a dirty and bitter aftertaste.
M: It was slightly thick with moderate carbonation. Decent body.
D: This was not one of the better pumpkin ales. The scent and body were ok, but the taste wasn't ok. The finish was rough too, so it was not easy to drink. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 21:36:08 | More by Pencible

jtierney89

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is the darkest pumpkin beer i've seen that hasnt called itself a pumpkin stout. Deep 100 year old rusted brass hue with a big sticky off white head. Pumpkin, licorice, allspice,nutmeg, cinnamon an cocoa powder on the nose.

Surprisingly light for 9% abv but still on the heavy side of being medium bodied. Lots of spice with a big roasted malt profile and a nice pumpkin flavor to it. Unfortunately the spice really dominates this beer to the point of lingering in the mouth. The nice roastiness of the malt however compliments the pumpkin pretty well. A bit of a sloppy beer but a pretty good effort and i complement the brewery for using this years fresh pumpkins. Could use some work but drinkable and overall tasty enough.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 05:39:16 | More by jtierney89

marlinsfan4

Maryland

3.35/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Had on cask at Max's in Baltimore. Love me some pumpkin beers.. but this one was just about average beer. I think the lack of carbonation kind of killed the overall appeal for me, I would be curious to try a non-cask version of this. Mouthfeel and body are a little off, the usual nutmeg and allspice and cinnamon tastes, but the alcohol is very prominent and just doesn't seem well balanced. Worthy of a try, but just average in my book when compared to the elites (Greater Pumpkin, Punkin, et al).

Serving type: cask

10-05-2012 18:43:29 | More by marlinsfan4

metter98

New York

3.35/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer is very dark brownish amber in color but is so dark that you need to hold this up to a bright light to see some color near the edges of the glass. It poured with a half finger high dense beige head that died down, leaving a large patch of bubbles in the center of the glass and a thick collar around the edge.
S: There are aromas of pumpkin and pumpkin spices in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has a bit of sweetness—flavors of nutmeg seem to stand out in particular among the spices. There are lingering notes of alcohol through the finish.
M: It feels a bit more than medium-bodied and rather smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This could have been a good pumpkin ale if it wasn't hindered by flavors of alcohol in the taste.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 02:41:53 | More by metter98

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.43/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a clear very dark amber to dark brown in color with some reddish highlights when held up to the light and light amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall creamy light beige head that quickly reduces to a very thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Overall the smell is which more mild than other beers in this style with the pumpkin barely even noticeable. There are faint aromas of spices (nutmeg and allspice) along with some light hints of alcohol as well.

T: Upfront the beer has light flavors of pumpkin with stronger flavors of spices - nutmeg and allspice really stand out. Slight hints of nuts are also present. Moderate amounts of bitterness in the finish that fade after some time. There is a light amount of alcohol present in the taste as well.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly coats the inside of your mouth from the carbonation.

O: I really wish that there was just a hint more pumpkin flavor/aroma and that the alcohol was a little more well hidden - I like the fact that there is very little sweetness to this pumpkin. Not the easiest to drink and I will likely skip this one next year. I would describe this more as a fall/autumn beer than a pumpkin beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 00:37:41 | More by dbrauneis

oberon

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The perfect beer for the day I guess.Poured roasted chesnut color with a tinge of amber,almost no head to speak of.Pumpkin pie spice and big sweet alcohol in the nose,a booze bomb.Spiced with an undelying sweet alcohol element that is omni present,the flavors are not bad with the spice being dominant,the alcohol gets even bigger as the beer warms.There are better imperial pumpkin ales out there that are not as hot,it's not awful though.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2012 21:17:47 | More by oberon

droomyster

Virginia

3.48/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A spice bomb of a beer that doesn't taste bad but is in desperate need of depth and subtlety. Pours a very dark brown with a tan head with good retention. Aromas are equal parts roasty, spicy, and pumpkin-packed. The taste, however, beats you over the head with spices. How much cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves can your mouth stand in a single sip? If it weren't for the redemptive roastiness and burst of black licorice that lingers on the immediate finish, I'd consider its flavor to be "below average." Fifteen minutes later, my mouth still tastes like I just smoked a pack of Djarum Blacks (clove cigs). As a non-smoker, I don't consider this an endearing quality.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 04:37:07 | More by droomyster

ianjsullivan

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

ST: 12oz poured into a pint glass.

A: Dark brown with a half-a-finger brown fluffy head.

S: Lots of pumpkin, allspice, and cinnamon. Overall, the squash dominates.

T: This beer is a spice keg. The spices start early and finish late. The earth pumpkin is almost lost in the background of strong cinnamon and allspice. Instead of hoppy flavors, there is spice that lingers on the tip and back of the tongue along with strong alcohol warmth.

M: Medium and dry.

O: The Fear is aptly named. Strong, dark, spicey, it chases you along the whole drink. The alcohol and pumpkin work well together on the finish.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2012 17:07:50 | More by ianjsullivan

drabmuh

Maryland

3.53/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer is black with a thin tan head of small bubbles, some lacing, moderate to low carbonation.

Aroma is sweet with a mild roast and some pumpkin / spice to it.

Beer is medium in body and mildly bitter at the back but the pumpkin flavor comes through well and clear. I enjoy the beer overall and for a pumpkin porter or whatever this is it is quite good. I enjoyed it and would have it again if I were thirsty and the only thing on tap. I'd prefer this to water in a pinch is what I'm saying.

Serving type: on-tap

10-29-2011 01:16:55 | More by drabmuh

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Pours a deep clear ruby (but you really have to hold it up to the light), topped with a finger of light tan head. This settles into a smooth ½ finger of creamy froth, leaving back a rich cascade that descends into thick swathes of lace. The pumpkin jumps right out in the aroma, with a ripe fresh fleshiness that mingles with the festive airiness of the spices. Vanilla flavor adds some sweetness to this, while a touch of roast adds a little darkness to the nose. The alcohol has some tight warmth across the back and offers up a bit of extra sweetness and spice to the proceedings.

The taste is burnt sugars, green vegetal pumpkin, a flush of vanilla sweetness, and then some roast across the back, giving this a charred feel that hangs on the tongue. This is fairly spicy to start but things mellow a bit as this warms and the sweetness starts to rise some more. The finish is dry and warm with some lingering notes of roast and light spice. The mouthfeel is fuller bodied, with some sharpness up front that then expands out into the mouth with a firm palate filling creaminess. This is maybe feeling a little too carbonated in spots but does get softer underneath. This does have some beef to it and while it doesn’t completely handicap the feel, there is definitely some sharp warmth here that eventually emerges and is really felt in that already harsh finish.

This was a bit of a mixed bag. I liked the attempt at the complexity and size here but the more aggressive aspects of this (mainly the roast and alcohol) just got to be a bit wearing after a while. It’s not horrible by any means but definitely needs to be toned down a bit to ultimately be more enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2011 18:44:25 | More by Kegatron

mcallister

Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

A lovely shade of chestnut with a large tight wound tan head that holds long retention.

Aromas of basil, pumpkin pie, all spice, cinnamon, hints of corriander, black pepper, anise, earthy hops, nutmeg and maybe more. Very dry smelling.

Light in body and full of alcohol flavors. Very dry on the finish and earthy with that same anise that was in the aroma. Pumpkin, all spice, nutmeg, and some other herbal flavors. I like where they are trying to go but just too boozy. More viscosity could have helped.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 21:34:17 | More by mcallister

Hopdaemon39

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on tap in a tulip- clear, dark ruby mahogany color with less than a finger of head that took a long time to form. Leaves stunning silky sheets of lacing.

Smell is unimpressive- boozy more than anything, also a little pumpkin and clove.

Taste is not particularly interesting- pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, booze. It's all right but nothing spectacular.

Mouthfeel is nice- velvety full bodied, light soft carbonation, a little chewy. Good but nothing amazing.

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2012 02:28:21 | More by Hopdaemon39

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Flying Dog
The Fear

Appears very dark brown with ruby highlights . Aroma of cinnamon, allspice, brown sugar, bourbon and a bit sweet on the nose. Faint pumpkin and dry dusty pie spices round out the bouquet.

In the taste, caramelized brown sugar and rather malty. A good dose of nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice complimenting the pumpkin flavors. Alcohol is well defined but does not interfere withe the pumpkin, spice, and slight roasted qualities of the malt. A bit of muted ale yeast fruitiness is also on the palate. This drinks like an old ale or American strong ale with a pumpkin theme.

Full bodied feel, spot on carbonation at a medium level. Slightly drying with spice and malt notes lingering into the finish. Overall, this is a nice take on a dark pumpkin ale. Big and tasty, worthy of provoking the fear.

Serving type: on-tap

10-28-2012 21:49:17 | More by Stinkypuss

jayhawk73

Maryland

3.58/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On draft at Churchkey:

Pours a dark brown color with a nice one finger head. Decent carbonation and lacing. Very dark for a Pumpkin ale. Nose is a lot of spice- pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice. Lacking in complexity and depth for me. Taste is the same- it's decent, just not great- too heavy on the spices, and a little dry and thin as well. There's way too much allspice in this for me- I just couldn't get past that. Feel was better- medium body, but a little too dry and earthy for me. Overall, this was decent, but I wasn't knocked out by it. Glad I got to try it though.

Serving type: on-tap

10-19-2011 21:50:57 | More by jayhawk73