Flying Dog Wildeman Farmhouse IPA
Flying Dog has always made good, craft beer, but it seems that the past couple of years has seen the brewery up the ante on their craftsmanship and quality — not to mention willingness to expand outside of their safety zone. The brewery’s latest year-round release, Wildeman, was first brewed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Amsterdam’s In de Wildeman. Now, they’ve unleashed it’s hoppy, funky madness on U.S. soil.
Building on the success of the surge in popularity of their Raging Bitch Belgian IPA, Flying Dog is continuing the experimentation with hop forward beers that are brewed with unique Belgian yeast strains. Wildeman’s Saison yeast brings a light barnyard funkiness to a brew that is packed with citrusy hop flavor and a solid helping of bitterness. It’s a wonderful marriage of flavors and styles.
Appearance
Wildeman pours a slightly hazy golden in color (it’s unfiltered so this is expected) with a large cap of white foam that settles slowly.
Aroma
This brew certainly has a hoppy aroma complete with citrus notes, spices, hay, yeasty funk and a light hint of pine. It’s smells great!
Taste
Wow. An assertive hop profile and a solid funkiness greet the palate almost immediately. Hints of hay and barnyard hit first before smoothly and quickly transitioning to a sizable hop bite that also carries with it grapefruit and pine. The hoppiness of the beer is only amplified by a crisp mouthfeel and seems to linger forever in the slightly dry finish. The 7.5% ABV is mashed quite well, making for a brew that — for fans of hoppy and/or Belgian style beers — is dangerously quaffable.
Overall
I’ve had some Belgian IPAs in my time. I’ve also had some fairly hoppy Saisons, as well, but this is by far the most hop-forward Belgian-style anything that I’ve had the opportunity to drink. That said, this is not simply just a case of all hops and nothing else. Wildeman is a near perfect blend of Saison and IPA characteristics. It’s got plenty of funkiness, hoppiness and more to keep you on your toes, all the while remaining grounded enough to stay quite drinkable. I’ll take another please.
Rating: 4/5
This is a review of a promotional sample received from the brewery.