Flying Dog Harvest Ale

I received this bottle of Flying Dog Secret Stash Harvest Ale from the brewery a while ago, but it was lost in the beer fridge and temporarily forgotten. I came across it the other evening and decided it would make a great beer with which to kick off my Thanksgiving vacation.

The beer is a very translucent amber color. The pour creates a thin white head and releases a bready aroma with caramel notes. The flavor begins slightly sweet with some grassiness. The crisp grain notes are balanced with citrus hops.

Flying Dog adapts the Secret Stash recipe based on the year's harvest of local ingredients. I reviewed the 2011 version of this beer last fall. While I'm comparing from memory, I am more impressed by this year's version. I recall last year's batch being more of a Saison style featuring more yeast than wheat. The 2012 version is crisper, reminiscent of a crisp German Kölsch.  I found it to be a light bodied, refreshing drink.

FTC Notice: This beer was an unsolicited sample from the brewery, I drank and reviewed it of my own free will. No compensation was received for the review.