TLDR Beer Club

[MrWookie]

For my second beer, I picked Flying Dog's Horn Dog. I got turned on to this brewery due to RDH's endorsement of their pale ale, and due to my own impulse buy of their Imperial Porter. I loved the imperial porter, and the pale ale was solid, although I don't get my rocks off on pale ales. The Horn Dog is a Barleywine. I bought it because I was on a hop kick last time I was at BotW. IPAs are often a good way to get my fix, but American-style barelywines suit me better. I like their mix of malt and hops. I paid $2.95 for a 12 oz bottle. It packs a surprising 10.5% ABV.



The beer pours a nice dark brown with minimal head. The lack of head, though, makes me suspicious that this is an English barley wine, not an American.



When I took a whiff of this beer, I was instantly saddened. This was not an American hop bomb. This was a sweet English version. It smells of cherries, plums, and caramel on top of the malt. On the plus side, this is one of the better English-style barley wines I've tasted. The cherry flavor is good without falling into the cough syrup trap. It's still a little too sweet, though. The maltiness is nice, but all in all, I just don't think English-style barley wines are my kind of beer. Having tried a few here, they're often too sweet and taste too much of alcohol. This one does a better job, though. I'm going to give this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I like the Weyerbacher Insanity a little better, but I like this better than North Coast's Old Stock or Brooklyn's Monster. I should get more selective in my barley wine buying. Perhaps only get those that list their IBUs? Ah well. In summary, if you love English barley wines, buy this beer. If you're not sold on them, this is another one, and don't bother.