Raging Bitch.  Not something I would normally title a post, but this is a special occasion…I have to be honest and say that I haven’t been all that interested in Flying Dog Brewery over the past couple years.  When I was first getting into beer their mixed 12 packs at $11.99 were a great price to experience a whole bunch of different styles, but these days I don’t really reach for it…until the other day…

klk went up to Brouwerij Lane and picked up a growler of Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch.  Raging Bitch is a Belgian IPA that weighs in at 8.3% abv.  While it claims to be a Belgian IPA there is very little that is Belgian about this beer when you first get it in your hands.  It caters to the IPA fan.  The scent and taste  are of deep resiney aggressive hops… a truly American take on the Belgian triple, and when I say American I mean that the hops are the star of the show, and the sweet malt profile and the fruity yeast are just a faint backbone.  Only after the beer warms a bit does the fruity aspects of the Belgian start to show.  The best beer I have had from Flying Dog in years…I guess that is why it is their 20th Anniversary Ale.

It’s hard to believe that Flying Dog Ales is 20 years old.  A brewery that started in Colorado that now has an equally large brewery in Maryland (where they contract brew for Highland, Terrapin, Blue Point and others).  A craft brewer that I don’t think about too often, but this beer just might bring them to mind all the time.

The Raging Bitch Belgian IPA was tapped at Brouwerij Lane just a day or two ago, and is $16 a growler (you can also get a pint in the store). Honestly I’m a sucker for this style, but if you are in the area I highly recommend trying it.

Brouwerij Lane is located at:
78 Greenpoint Avenue
(at the corner of Franklin Ave.)
Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Links:

• this is part of my series called What Ales You.
  • read more of these posts here.
• more on Brouwerij Lane here.
• more on Flying Dog here.

I’ve had sitting in my wallet for sometime a coupon for the Blue Point Brewing Company promising a “Free 1/2 Gallon Jug of Beer,” and this past Saturday I got to claim it.

We rented a car for the weekend, and on Saturday explored Queens (pictures and more on this to come) then headed out to the brewery for a quick taste and to claim my beer.

The Blue Point Brewing Company is a tiny little brewery in Patchogue, Long Island.  The brewery itself was in a little strip of businesses, and really easy to miss.  The Brewery consisted of a tiny bar that was packed with locals, and a small warehouse space where the brewing takes place.  I think that they only brew a number of the kegs at the Long Island location, and most if not all of the bottles are done down at Flying Dog in Maryland.

Despite the crowded bar we were able to get a little spot of counter, and since I showed my coupon we were not carded (unlike the 35-40 year olds behind us).  Blue Point has a nice little system.  You can buy pints of any of the beers, and they have 12 on tap(and a cask), but you can also get 5 oz tastes too.  These 5 oz tastes are free for the lower alcohol beers, $1 for the Hoptical Illusion, and $3 for the 9%abv and up.  I thought this was a really nice way to get to know their beers, and I thought it was kinda insane to be able to taste so many of the beers for free.

The brewery also showcases a one off brew designed by one of their brewers…I think these are only available at the brewery, and currently it was a Dunkle Weisse.

We bought tastes of the Old Howling Bastard Barleywine, Sour Cherry Imperial Stout, and the Hoptical…and I got a free taste of the Oatmeal Stout.  The OHB (which tasted surprisingly like blue cheese…extremely savory) and the Cherry Stout being the best of the four (althought the sour and cherry were not very noticeable)…I find that their higher alcohol beers are always a step above the rest.

I figured since I had the coupon for 1/2 Gallon jug that they would have half gallon jugs, but that was not the case.  I happily paid the difference for the growler of the Cherry Imperial Stout, a beer I have been trying to track down for over a year. 

The only thing that was disappointing was that they were out of the No Apollogies Double IPA…in my opinion the best beer that Blue Point makes.  Overall the Blue Point Brewery was a very pleaseant experience.  A nice stop if you are ever in the area on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday.

Edit:  I feel kind of stupid, but 64oz is a 1/2 gallon, and they did have 1/2 gallon jugs.  I’m not sure why I was asked to pay the difference…maybe because it was one of the high alcohol beers (although the coupon did not mention this), but either way that is lame.  I wish I would have realized this while I was there so I could have said something.