Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA
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Tasting Notes
Snake Dog leads with a resinous, pine-forward aroma alongside citrus peel and a faint earthiness underneath. On the palate it delivers firm bitterness upfront — assertive but not brutal — with grapefruit and tropical fruit notes layered through the middle. The body is medium, with enough malt backbone to keep things from feeling thin but not so much that it crowds the hops. The finish is dry and lingering, with the bitterness hanging around a beat longer than a lot of its peers.
About the Brewery
Flying Dog is based in Frederick, Maryland, having relocated from Denver in the mid-2000s. They've been producing beer since the early 1990s and built a reputation on irreverent branding — artist Ralph Steadman's artwork covers every label — and a lineup anchored by hop-forward and malt-forward American styles. They're a mid-Atlantic staple with solid regional distribution and a long track record in the craft IPA space.
Food Pairings
The resinous bitterness here cuts well through the fat in a sharp cheddar or aged gouda, where the hop oils mirror the cheese's pungency. Grilled or charred meats — a burger with caramelized onions, say — hold up to the assertive hop character without being overwhelmed. Spicy dishes like buffalo wings or Thai green curry work because the bitterness acts as a counterweight to heat rather than amplifying it. A simple pepperoni pizza is a reliable match too, where the fat and salt give the hops something to push against.
Style Guide
The American IPA took the British India Pale Ale tradition and remade it around New World hops — particularly varieties from the Pacific Northwest — producing a style defined by pronounced bitterness, pine and citrus aromatics, and a drier finish than its English counterpart. ABVs typically land between 6% and 7.5%, putting Snake Dog squarely in the middle of the range. What separates American IPA from Double or Imperial IPA is restraint: the malt is present enough to provide structure but is clearly subordinate to the hops, keeping the beer drinkable rather than intensely boozy.