The Four Horsemen of the Hangover
Brunch Pack - Flying Dog, Frederick, MD
What a special week it is! I am going to cover four new releases from Flying Dog all loaded up into this variety pack. The original plan for the weekend was to go to Flying Dog with my father and catch up there, but as I was scrolling through my Instagram feed I saw that they had just released a “brunch pack” with four different brunch themed beers. I love brunch. It really brings life to the phrase “the hair of the dog that bit you”. I imagine we have all been in that situation before - having a mimosa or dropping a shot of vodka into some tomato juice can really tie a hangover meal together nicely. Luckily, my father and I were not hungover on this day, so we were able to enjoy them without relying on them. I asked him if he’d prefer to grill out in the backyard and have a little tasting of our own at the house…maybe even start up a fire. He obliged, so I drove out, got the pack, drove to his house, and we proceeded with the day. We spent the next several hours talking, drinking, eating, and sitting by the fire having a great Saturday afternoon. We spent about four of the five hours we had together feeding the fire in the backyard just talking. He’s always been easy to talk to and the hours seem to fly too fast when we’re out there trying to stay warm. We honestly didn’t talk too much about the beer. The event was about us and the beer was just an added benefit. We gave our first impressions to each other and that’s about it - it wasn’t like we were recording a podcast on the pack. That being said, I made sure to intentionally write out my first sip thoughts so that they wouldn’t be lost in the depths of the day.
Like I said, this pack contains four different brunch themed beers. We have Toast-Bob Crunch Pants, a blonde ale brewed with cinnamon and vanilla beans (think Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal); Bloody Mary Ale, an ale brewed with George’s Bloody Mary mix, habanero peppers, and lime; Mimosa Beer, an ale brewed with orange peel and champagne natural flavor; and finally, Kujo cold brew coffee porter brewed with Vigilante Coffee coffee beans. This was also the order in which I tried them, and my first sip impressions are as follows:
Toast-Bob Crunch Pants: Sweet but not overpowering, good blend of all the flavors, and nice and light. Pulled it off more so than the Cookies ‘n Cream milk stout (not in this pack - review on that later).
The idea here was to put Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal into a beer and it was exactly that but without as much sugar. The lack of extreme sweetness was noted and absolutely appreciated. I think of blonde ales as beers that are easier to sip, almost like they’re a bit gentler and this cinnamon vanilla blonde ale was that to a T. Easy to drink, tasty, just the right amount of sweet...highly recommend to anyone who likes blonde ales, or someone looking for a fresh new adult-version of a favorite childhood cereal. Also the name of this beer is hella clever. I chuckled for a bit too long when I saw it.
Bloody Mary Ale: Nice bit of spice, old bay, tomatoes, definitely like a Bloody Mary.
This kinda reminded me of another beer that Flying Dog makes called Fever Dream, a mango habanero IPA. Fever Dream is one of my favorites and though this Bloody Mary ale reminded me of it, it didn’t taste the same at all. The habanero was certainly apparent but swap out the sweetness of a mango with the richness of tomato juice, sourness of a lime, and throw a punch of old bay in there, and that’s what we have here. Now, this wasn’t brewed with old bay, but I still got a taste of it for some reason, and I wasn’t disappointed by this at all. If you’re looking for something with a bit of a kick, I say give this a shot. If you like bloody marys, definitely give this a shot because I assure you that you will not be disappointed.
Mimosa Beer: Sour, citrus, orange juice, pleasantly tingly like a mimosa.
I enjoyed this, but I don’t have too much to say about it. It’s like a beer and a mimosa were mixed together so it’s perfectly labeled. The sourness faded a bit as I kept drinking it (probably just acclimation) and the sweetness of the orange became more evident. Not my favorite of the four, but I’d drink it again, and I’d probably pick it over an actual mimosa if given the opportunity. I suggest that you do the same if you’re feeling adventurous.
Kujo Cold Brew Coffee Porter: Excellent coffee stout - tastes exactly like a nice cold brew first thing in the morning. F*cking breathtaking.
I tried this one last because I was most excited for it, and it absolutely lived up to the hype I personally built for it. I kept interrupting my father to say “Damn this is good” because I couldn’t get over how tasty it was. There were no other flavors than coffee beans, which I preferred because there was one singular focus. There was one flavor that came in strong, stayed smooth, and was consistent with each consecutive sip. If they had put vanilla or chocolate or some other often mixed porter flavor, I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed it as much. For a second I had to remind myself that it was 5:00pm and not 9:00am when I had my usual Saturday morning breakfast of blueberry pancakes and two cups of coffee. If you like porters and you like coffee, don’t hesitate to try this if you have the chance. It will not disappoint, and I guarantee it will exceed the hype I’m building for it.
Each one of these tasted true to their name and had delicious redeeming qualities. If I were to rank them, I’d put Kujo first, Bloody Mary second, Toast-Bob third, and Mimosa fourth. Loved the coffee in Kujo, the spice was pleasant in Bloody Mary, cinnamon and vanilla weren’t too sweet in Toast-Bob, and the Mimosa was well balanced. These four are excellent examples as to why Flying Dog has been so successful. They’re daring, and though not every beer they’ve ever made has been good (brace yourself for the Cookies ‘n Cream milk stout review), they don’t let that stop them from exploring.
As the fire burned down and the evening came to a close, we both took a moment to appreciate how beautiful it was outside and how we were able to spend the day together drinking beers from our favorite brewery. Knowing it would happen again in the near future, we parted ways with a quick hug and a “see ya soon”. What an awesome way to spend an afternoon. If you ever have the chance to share any kind of variety pack (I personally highly suggest this one) with a close friend or family member, take it. After all, sitting down to have a beer, a nice meal, and a fire can be one of life’s greatest and simplest pleasures. Cheers!