Flying Dog Tropical Bitch
For their 20th anniversary, Maryland’s Flying Dog released a Belgian-style IPA with one hell of a name. Raging Bitch met resistance in a couple of locales upon its initial release, but the feisty mutt eventually won out, becoming one of the company’s more popular offerings. Five years later, the brewery has decided to hop on the tropical-juice-infused-IPA trend with a modified version of that tasty brew to celebrate their 25 years in business.
Tropical Bitch sees the same base Belgian IPA in use, but also includes pineapple, mango and passion fruit. The result is a beer that is packed with piney hops, yeast and a swell of fruits to refresh and tease the palate. At 55 IBU, the beer won’t destroy your ability to enjoy more than one, though that 8% ABV puts this beer darn near, if not in, the imperial range.
I didn’t notice much pineapple at first, though it does arrive more as the beer has had a chance to warm in the glass a bit. The passion fruit adds a playful tartness while the mango and soft pineapple combine with a blend of hops (the varieties of which are different between the company’s website and the sample’s one sheet). If you enjoy the company’s “standard” Raging Bitch, then you’ll find this fruit-forward variation equally tasty and a great way to celebrate the brewery’s 25 years crafting “Good Beer, No Shit.”
This is a review of a promotional sample.