Flying Dog Fig & Fennel Stout and Oatmeal Cookie Pairing
And here we have the last beer and cookie pairing from Flying Dog Brewing and Otterbein’s Bakery — and the combination that I have been salivating over since the package first arrived. The first three offerings were decent in their own right, either as individual flavors or when enjoyed together, but this is the first pair that has worked successfully on their own or as a combo. The stout is solid as is, but is over the top when consumed with a little oatmeal cookie.
The stout weights in at 8.3% ABV and is brewed with, you guessed it, fig and fennel — along with a blend of malts (Roasted, Chocolate, Flaked, Honey, Caramel, Biscuit and White Wheat) and Perle hops. The brew pours a near-opaque dark, dark brown in color with a dense, cream cap of beige foam. A light roast char, coffee, grain and dark fruits in the background fill the nose, but there’s not much of a fennel presence.
The fennel makes more of an appearance on the tongue though it still has a little stage fright and lingers in the background. Fig, a light jammy sweetness, roast coffee and cocoa take up most of the attention. There’s a bit of a late forming peppery tingle as the beer finishes clean and lightly warming.
As for the cookie, the majority of them actually showed up almost whole with one actually fully intact — woohoo! Crunchy and crisp, the cookie delivers little bites of chewy raisin and spices. They are definitely my favorite of the bunch.
As good as both elements of this pairing are on their own, together, they help accentuate individual aspects of the other. The raisin from the cookies bring out more of the fig, though the cookie spices tend to overpower the light fennel character of the stout. This was by far and away my favorite pairing — as I had expected and much like last years stout pairing.
As always this is seasonal release from the brewery and bakery is both unique and one that I will hopefully be able to look forward to sampling in future years. It’s not only tasty, but just adds a bit of fun to this otherwise dark and cold period of the year.
Rating: 4/5
This is a review of a promotional sample.
