Wild Goose IPA

Wild Goose IPAWild Goose IPA was in the PR package I received from Flying Dog; on the surface, this English-style India Pale Ale doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Flying Dog but as it turns out, FD owns the Wild Goose Brewery in Maryland.

Its inclusion in the package is due to the gold medal it received at this year’s World Beer Cup (in, you guessed it, the English IPA category). With that in mind, I had high hopes for this beer. At 6.1% alcohol by volume, it’s not too heavy but not a lightweight, either.

Appearance: Very clear orange like a raw honey. Bone-white head, about one finger’s worth.

Smell: Biscuit, caramel, a bit buttery. Floral, earthy and slightly spicy hop aroma. The hops grow in presence a bit as the beer open up.

Taste: Big hop character right up front—big and spicy and full of warm earthy notes. Malt is crisp and "coppery"—dry and malty enough to remind of a "red ale" but with a little more doughy bread character.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with a nice edgy presence.

Overall: Nice and hoppy, though it’s a pleasant change from the usual American hop-dominated offerings. Very tasty and by my reckoning a good example of the style.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores a grade of B-. On RateBeer, it scores 3.03 out of 5 and is in their 46th percentile.