United Nations of Beer

Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale

by Lucia Novara
(Beer Delegate, CO, USA)

Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale

In the 12 Beers of Christmas spirit, I give you Colorado's present: Flying Dog's K-9 Cruiser winter seasonal ale.

I only wish I was giving a better present. While not vibrator-from-your-uncle bad, this beer is about the equivalent of a Cosby sweater on the Present-O-Meter.

I was prepared to be swept off my feet, carried away on the back of a magical flying dog to the Land of Sugarplum Fairies and brewski delights, as I usually am with anything from this brewery. Sadly, it was more like I took the public bus to Barely Buzzedville.

I was excited to pick up a sixer of this to bring to Friend Christmas, a gathering of five of my closest friends before we went our separate ways for the holidays.

Once everyone unpacked their boxes from the liquor store, we had two cases, a fifth of Baileys, a half-gallon of vodka, three bottles of wine, a bottle of champagne and my six pack.

So despite our valiant efforts at Beer Pong, Drinking for bad hair on the Beverly Hills 90210 DVD and Quarters, the six pack remained at the end of the festivities.

The next night a friend had a dinner party and we brought the six pack along once again. At this point, I had lugged the box over most of the Greater Denver area and was good and ready to pop one open and lighten the load. When I finally did, my faith in all that is Flying Dog was tested severely.

Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser isn't terrible, it's just average ale with some typical winter seasonal flavors. It's dark, malty, and has a little kick.

It's not a BAD beer, but with its pedigree it's a disappointment to the bitch that raised it.

It has chocolate, crystal and Munich malts, but still manages to have a weirdly bitter aftertaste.

I was saddened greatly that something with a Ralph Steadman graphic on the front could be so mundane. It was kind of like finding out the guy with the tattoos and genital piercing only gets off missionary style.

So, sigh, it was not the best winter seasonal ever. My underlying faith in the good people at Flying Dog assures me that the spring seasonal will bring the thunder back.

And in the meantime, save some dough and get sloppy with Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.