Horn Dog Barley Wine
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Fat Tuesday is upon us, which means it’s practically required that I indulge in a strong brew.
That fact was made clear to me by a good friend who moved to New Orleans a few years ago. This morning I awoke to an email in which he promised to hole up on Bourbon Street and attempt what he called the “Anti-Beer-A-Day Challenge” of drinking a full year’s worth of beer in one day.
At 10.2% ABV and bearing the logo of Flying Dog, the Horn Dog Barley Wine Style Ale is more than capable of living up to the occasion.
My bottle (“VINTAGE08″ according to the label) poured a smooth, reddish brown with a narrow but creamy head. And let me tell you, this dog smells pretty good. Malty. Strong. But complete with alcohol that crawls right up your nose and begs your eyes to water.
Good, smooth, and drinkable, the Horn Dog doesn’t bite. The flavor is sweet, tasting of brown sugar, caramel, and full of dark fruit. On the label you’ll find a reference to licorice and chocolate, and those flavors come out mostly at the tail, which continues to wag long after the sip has slipped away.
From the label:
Horn Dog is a big, malty monster of a beer. Fortunately, its wrath is moderately hopped and tastes like licorice and chocolate. Horn is such a robust beast that we have to keep it caged and contained at the brewery for a couple months before letting it integrate with the public.
The beer is actually aged for 3 months prior to being bottled, which I assume allows the flavors to mellow — think of it as a sort of obedience school.
Horn Dog went down quickly. Despite the high alcohol content and the strong taste of alcohol, this is still a very drinkable beer.
I’ve had great luck with the Canis Major series, including the Gonzo Imperial Porter and Kerberos Tripel. So if you see one of these Flying Dogs on the shelf, stop and scratch that stray behind the ear and show it some love.
And if it responds by humping your leg, odds are it’s this barley wine.
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