Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager

By on June 25, 2007 @ 9 PM (No Comments)

After enjoying Flying Dog’s In-Heat Wheat, I was anxious to try some of their other offerings. I found a variety at Total Wine, which I think has moved into first place on my list of places to buy beer in Charlotte. The next few reviews will probably be Flying Dog reviews.

The Old Scratch is said to be brewed in a steam style tradition, which is fermented at medium temperatures to develop both ale and lager characteristics. The initial pour is good – I don’t think I’ve ever written that a beer has a bad pour because this is the last time a beer holds infinite promise and potential – you’ve not smelled it, you’ve not tasted it, it’s a blank palette and all blank palettes look really good. I did a fairly aggressive pour into a pint glass – it resulted in a decent head that dissipated somewhat quickly but not all the way. It left a ring around the top of the beer for the duration and a little lacing on the glass as we went along.

The color is a nice amber – I was outside drinking it so I was able to hold it up to the sun to see the orange and brown blend. The aroma is inviting – mostly caramel and a little malty. The taste is really quite good – caramel with some other sweetness – maybe some brown sugar and toffee or honey, along with some sweet fruit tones that I can’t quite place. It’s not terribly complex but it is very flavorful. The finish is nice with a bit of hoppiness to it. The mouthfeel is good – some carbonation resulting in a bit of tongue fizz.

It’s a pretty well balanced beer between the malts and hops, I’m assuming as a result of the steam style brewing process. It really hit the spot and I’d rate it better than a change of pace beer – it’s got good repeatability, especially if you’ve been “lagered out” as Dad likes to say. So far Flying Dog is 2 for 2.

Note: We’ve taken a few weeks off here at The BeerFathers, but we’re back and ready to do some more reviews. Mind you we didn’t stop drinking (good heavens no), we just got a little burned out on writing about every beer we drank and just wanted a few weeks to drink without having to have a pen in hand. Sharpening the saw so to speak. But we’re ready to get back into it now. Thanks for waiting.

Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager Rating: 7 out of 10 (?)


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