Flying Dog Brewery - Dead Rise summer ale

Summer is upon us, and we beer drinkers are inundated with a wide variety of summer seasonals. Flying Dog, made not too far from DC in Fredrick, MD, has just one such seasonal but with a unique twist. Today's sampling is a 5.6% summer ale made with Old Bay seasoning - a staple of Maryland crab bakes. The beer was made to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Old Bay seasoning, and also in partnership with True Blue, a new crabmeat labeling initiative to help support Maryland's seafood industry.

I first ran into Old Bay in college, when good friend Jonathan Roberts (a proud Baltimore native) explained to me that such seasoning was, on fries, as close to Jehovah as one could come on this mortal coil. And he doesn't seem to be the only one who enjoys it. It's sold in almost every store, sometimes even on the tables at restaurants, and even U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) has an Old Bay crabcake recipe on her official Senate website.

So a few weekends ago, I bring Rex (my growler jug) into D'Vines for a discounted fill up of DC Brau's "El Jefe Speaks" (oh yeah!) Well, apparently, they had just run out. I was pretty bummed. The guy tried to offer me a a kombucha IPA (nope) but I wasn't having it. I scanned their list of available growler pours and came across Flying Dog's Dead Rise, on fill. I didn't know much about it, and my experience with Flying Dog up to this point wasn't really anything to write home about. I ended up heading home empty-handed...but my curiosity was piqued. Fast forward a few days, I was doing my grocery shopping in Harris Teeter and saw a display featuring this beer. I had room in the basket (and the fridge) so - in the name of science - I gave it a shot.

As you can see, the beer pours a light yellow, almost translucent, and has a nice light amber color in the glass. This is pretty much par for the course for a summer ale. Apparently, this beer is brewed from a Belgian pale base. 

There wasn't too much of a nose on this beer, which is too bad. But that's made up for when you dive it. This beer is delicious. Sure, it's got that expected levity that comes with a summer ale, but there's a definite, recognizable taste of Old Bay in there, which works very well with the beer. The taste is straightforward and full, with lingering tastes of spices and wheat on the way down. The aftertaste is pleasant and spicy.

And as summer ales go, this is quickly becoming one of my favorite. The spice flavors are totally welcome in a beer like this and makes is a unique and fun beer to drink. It's not overwhelming and strikes just the right balance of wheat, spices, and alcohol content to make it a session ale I wouldn't mind drinking all day. And so I went back to D'Vines to grab some more on draft. Here's Rex the Growler getting a 64oz fill of Dead Rise:

In conclusion, you should try this beer if you can. It's well worth the $10 or whatever you spend on a six-pack (or $11 for a draft fill) and is perfect for a day out on the lawn or patio, or just hanging out inside after a rainstorm. I'm definitely going to buy it until they run out of stock. It's simply a delicious, locally-made session ale that wins where it counts. Plus, you know that when you buy it, you're helping to support local crab fisheries in Maryland. Don't miss out!