The Fear - Flying Dog Brewery

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

schoolboy

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

I'm not sure when this one came out, but I missed it, so this week I picked one up for tasting.

It is a lot darker that one would expect - like a deep dark reddish, almost opaque. The aroma is a bit weak for such a big beer, with spice (cloves?) overpowering hops and malt.

I was not in the mood for a really sweet drink and this was just barely OK. It is a little bitter, with some hoppiness and loads of spice, but better balanced than many. Underneath all this is a very big, strong beer, and the booze is totally covered by all the taste.

The aftertaste is bitter with spices. Overall these tastes seem to have settled into this beer nicely, and I think waiting a few months since it was brewed (I can't make out what any codes printed on it mean but I have to assume it was brewed in early fall or before) has probably improved it.

I would not go out of my way to buy this again at $2.50 bottle, but I also would not refuse one if offered.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 02:11:13 | More by schoolboy

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

SpeedwayJim

New York

3.63/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into a Lost Abbey teku. Shared with schen9303.

Pours a 1 finger light brown cream colored head with average retention. Beer is clear dark brown. Lacing is stringy, spotty and sparse with decent cling. Solid.

Nose is very mellow. Nutty with a hint of pumpkin, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Average.

Opens pumpkin spice, chocolate, roasted malt, and cocoa. Some cinnamon and nutmeg along with loads of brown sugar sweetness and spice at the middle. End is more brown sugar and holiday spice sweetness with a nutty aftertaste. Pretty tasty.

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth in the mouth and accented going down. Messy finish with a lingering, sticky aftertaste. Nice.

A solid beer overall. I tend to prefer the darker pumpkin beers and this one fits the bill pretty well. Worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 22:43:05 | More by SpeedwayJim

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

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

When I poured this beer into a pint glass, it has a very dark brown color body with a tan head that disappears quickly. The smell is all about the spices, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and brown sugar. The taste is up front strong of spices with a smokeyness to it. It has a little bit of pumpkin flavor, but finishes with a hop bitterness.
The mouth feel is kinda heavy but well carbonated and overall i would put this in the top 10 of pumpkin beers.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 03:38:46 | More by chefhatt

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

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

cjoc83

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours into a tulip glass a ruby-hued brown color with an initial fingers worth of eggshell-white head that fades quickly to a ring. Lacing is pretty good for the style and abv.

Pumpkin and allspice are the dominant notes in the nose, with a nice dose of brown sugar, some cinnamon and sweet, bready malt.

Some nice pumpkin flavor hits the palette at first, but competes with the spices (allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon) and notes of caramel, brown sugar and almost a little toffee flavor. Some underlying sweetness hits the middle of the tongue with some biscuity malt before this beer finishes off with a nice, and quite unexpected, hop bite on the back end. There are definitely beers that taste more like pumpkin than this, but this is a nice medley of flavors. There's a small amount of heat in the throat, but not much. The hops linger, along with a spicy pumpkin pie crust taste.

Mouthfeel is pretty standard for the style. Medium bodied with the carbonation of a typical brown ale (on the high side of low, or the low side of medium). Pretty easy drinking for the 9% abv.

Not my favorite pumpkin ale out there, but this just might earn a spot in the top 5. This brew doesn't knock you over the head with pumpkin flavor, but how well Flying Dog managed to execute all the other flavors (especially the nice hop bite in the finish) makes this definitely worth at least a try. It's like someone mixed a pumpkin ale with a harvest ale and then added some more hops. Which isn't a bad thing.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 02:28:24 | More by cjoc83

jwc215

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours brown, almost black, with deep, dark mahogany to dark garnet hues, with a thin, lasting creamy head. Trailing lacing sticks.

The smell is typical pumpkin spiciness - allspice, nutmeg, clove, etc. with some brown sugar. Pretty robust.

The taste is of pumpkin spicing with a touch of smoke. There is enough porter character so that it is not all just spicing. Alcohol comes through. There is a slight hop bitterness in the finish.

It has a firm, full body. Some alcohol warmth lingers.

This pumpkin ale has strong pumpkin spicing without leaving behind the beer aspect. It has a touch of smoke and a hop touch that add to the complexity. The alcohol is apparent, so be ready for the 9% abv, though it doesn't interfere in the beer's aspects. Not quite the pumpkin pie beer that others are, this one has the strong pumpkin spicing, but has a unique character to it, as well, that makes this one worth trying, and enjoyable. Well-done!

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 16:58:20 | More by jwc215

Brenden

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The Fear is darker than night, very close to black but allowing some red and brown to peek through at the edges. It develops a small tan head that has pretty good retention and leaves some craggy islands floating on top, which in turn leave firm patches of lacing in moderation.
I'm enjoying the pumpkin on the nose; it's sturdy and fleshy with a very good level of spicing, enough to add a nice aroma without overpowering the rest. There's also what I assume is an intentional buttery note that adds to the pleasantness.
The flavor differs just a little, but not in a bad way. The main difference is the stronger presence of herbal and floral hops bitterness. It does kind of come out over the pumpkin and spicing, though the spices make their way out a bit more than the pumpkin does. There's a peek of alcohol into a lingering finish.
The body is medium, and pretty full at that. Crispness is light and constant, balancing nicely with an equally constant smoothness. Dryness pulls into the finish.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 16:09:42 | More by Brenden

Roose13

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass

A: Was really shocked at how dark it was. A pretty deep brown.

S: Brown sugar, nutmeg, pumpkin spices.

T: A little bit roasted, almost like a burnt pumpkin pie. A little bitter and hoppy as well, a definite surprise.

M: Carbonated, medium body.

Overall: Great pumpkin beer! Was thoroughly surprised with this. Creative, bold and something I expected from Flying Dog.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 02:26:49 | More by Roose13

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz.

Pours a deep mahogany brown, tannish head, fine, about an inch, slow dissipation.

Smells of sweet to tangy pumpkin, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Tastes of mildly toasted pumpkin with some nutty hop bitterness. Brown sugar and nutmeg spice as well. Hint of smokiness.

Medium to full body with mild prickly carbonation on the tongue.

A different approach to a pumpkin ale, works pretty well. Sweet like some pumpkin ales, but the smokey and bitter notes take it somewhere else. I like this pretty good and would have it again.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 21:46:23 | More by Cylinsier

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

NoLeafClover44

Delaware

4.08/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into goblet.

A - Pours a very dark brown, nearly black. About a finger of almond head tops it off. Shows good lacing.

S - Roasted malts, nutmeg, and some pumpkin. It has molasses and toasted characters similar to a big stout with additional pumpkin pie spices.

T - Starts sweet, but mellow. Some toasted malts follow with a big cinnamon spice finish. Char on the aftertaste adds an interesting dynamic. Very nice. A nice change of pace from all of the cloyingly sweet pumpkin ales out there.

M - Very smooth carbonation with a medium-thick body. No alcohol presence. Velvety feel.

O - This dark pumpkin is hard to compare to most others in the style. The roasty char character pairs wonderfully with the pumpkin and spices. This is a great imperial pumpkin I will seek out again.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 03:52:37 | More by NoLeafClover44

thebrood1987

New Jersey

4.78/5  rDev +27.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Nice pumpkin pie smell with some pie crust , cinnamon, dark malts and some fruity alcohol fumes. I get spices right up front with some cinnamon, ginger, a tad of nutmeg. Very complex beer. It ends with a hoppy earthy bite. I also taste some alcohol and the dark fruity ester come out.

Its very spicy and the pumpkin takes a bit of the backseat but coming through with a vegetable bite that mixes in with the hops. You get a lot of tastes in this one. I also get a burnt malt porter taste as well. Its almost like a porter mixed pumpkin ale. The dark malts and earthy bitterness of a porter but not uite stout with the pumpkin pie spices and slight pumpkin taste.

An amazing take on the style very unique in comparison to most. With that being said its not the best but very complex and still an amazing beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2012 02:42:00 | More by thebrood1987

larryi86

Delaware

3.8/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- Black with a two finger off-white head.

S- Brown sugar, pumpkin, cloves, nutmeg, lots of spices.

T- Pumpkin, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, burnt sugar, alcohol, some bitter earthy hops in the finish.

M- Medium body, fairly smooth.

O- A tasty pumpkin beer but the burnt flavor brings it down some. Worth trying and I will pick this up again.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 23:55:09 | More by larryi86

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

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

Really excited to try this since I didn't catch it last year. Poured into a pub glass.

A - Kind of looks like a pumpkin porter just not as dark. Cola like in color with a mild red haze at the base. Head is an opaque color that seems to stick around for a bit with great lacing.

S - Well burnt sugars and alcohol heat are notable here. Not the best way to open up a brew but it does have mild spices and a sort of bittering vegital smell that is remnant of pumpkin.

T - Kind of all over the place I am getting burnt sugars, nutmeg and cinnamon, a decent hop bite and a sort of vegital taste that fades out sweet in the finish, which also houses some alcohol heat which is masked by mild hops. Not completely though but it's not terrible.

M - Well I have tasted beers with more heat around 9% so I gave it a bit of a break. After all it's called the fear and it's sort of a winter warmer so it supposed to have some burn.

Overall can't say it's the worst pumpkin beer I had but it kind of makes me regret buying two since I could have had another "Devious".

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 00:36:13 | More by DrDemento456

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

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

jslice99

New York

4.1/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle poured into a pint glass.

A- Very dark brown with about a half finger of white head.

S- Excellent smell. Smells strongly of pumpkin. I also pick up some cinnamon and nutmeg spices.

T- Cinnamon and nutmeg are the dominent flavors but i do get a taste of pumpkin towards the end.

M- Light to medium with some carbonation.

O- Overall this is a solid pumpkin ale, one of the best i've had. I would highly reccomend this.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 04:24:26 | More by jslice99

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

MrOzNthePumpKings

3.93/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I wanted to give this one an overall of 3.8, but I rounded it up to 4.0 by default of the rating options. This one is real fun, I LOVE the description on the label about fear and Halloween, really makes for an exciting journey into my stomach. The main thing that stands out in, or maybe I should say Jumps out, of this Pumpkin Ale for me is the extreme spice received when washing it down. I personally enjoy it, and the slightly higher alcohol content helps make it something more special and provides a pre-winter warming bite to it. It has delightful mouth feel, very frothy and sort of thick, coats the inside of your mouth with all that autumn spice. I drank this with a Pumpkin whoopie Pie from Whole Foods and I tell you, the combination of the pumpkin dessert washed down by the Fear was so delightful I almost keeled over with joy! I think this is one of the BEST pumpkin beers to drink with pumpkin related desserts (cookies, pound cakes, pumpkin butter battered croissants)seriously, drink this one with your favorite pumpkin sweets!

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2012 02:28:26 | More by MrOzNthePumpKings

Billolick

New York

3.83/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle, w/o freshness info

Flying Dog's beers seem to get better and better with each new one I try, so I was happy to find this new seasonal at Yorktown, Beverage, in my home town of Yorktown, NY.

Pours dark mahogany, moderate height on the medium tan head, leaves a trail of fine lacing here and there.

On the nose I pick up some cinnamon, some vanilla and a hint of some dark bread.

On the palate it’s more of the same, again, cinnamon, again vanilla, darker malts, some of the 9% rearing its head, yeah a wee bit boozy, but I tend to like boozy, and hey it is 9%. Tastes sort of like Double Bastard, infused with a hint and a half of fall spices and with less hops and less body. Not really getting much actual pumpkin flavor or character.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 23:34:32 | More by Billolick