Belt’s Beer Garden: Into the Flog

Nearly smack dab in the middle of Minnesota is the town of Wadena - about 160 miles northwest of Minneapolis. There may only be 4,000 people in the small town but it’s home to a brewery that makes some *big time* beers -Drastic Measures Brewing.

Drastic Measures began in early 2019 and has since garnered some nice success. The brewery touts a4.1 overall scoreon Untappd, while onBeerAdvocatethey received a 4.41 for their brewery overall and their beers combined for a 4.05 rating.

Today I have their third most popular beer - Floggy - a hazy Double IPA that has been reviewed nearly 1,400 times on Untappd to the tune of a 4.2 rating. Floggy was brewed with Citra, Galaxy, and Nelson Sauvin hops and has a very solid 8% ABV to just 55 IBU. At the brewery it’ll cost you $7 per pint of it and that’s exactly how much my individual can of it cost as well.

This Northeast-style DIPA poured a muddled straw color with some nice, murky haze to it. However, there was really no head to this brew, as no more than half a finger of off-white foam ever appeared. And, what little there was, quickly dissipated down into a razor thin ring around the edge of the glass in mere moments. The lacing was minimal but there were some stringy lines of bubbles traveling down the side of the glass.

The aromas were soft and subtle but featured a nice pillowy base of flaked wheat and oats. There were a plethora of fruity notes that could also be picked out - pineapple, peach, melon, white wine, gooseberry, passion fruit, and loads of citrus - but no one flavor really stood out. Instead it was like getting whiff after whiff of a tropical fruit cup.

My first sip began as expected; with that super creamy and soft mouthfeel that slowly gives way to the flavors. Up first was a bubbly tingle of white wine grapes and just a bit of grapefruit resin, the Nelson hops making themselves known early on.

然而,他们很快就消失,允许更多的those juicy fruit qualities to shine. Berries and peaches rose to the top next while being followed closely behind by some passion fruit and tangerine. A bit of honeydew melon appeared later on and some acidic pineapple characteristics were the last to show up and the first to leave. The tangy pineapple just saying a quick hello before dipping out and letting the berry and citrus flavors continue to lead the beer.

The first handful of sips end insanely clean, with no lingering aftertaste or dryness. However, after about half the pint, there is a point when the hops start adding a slightly bitter twinge at the end and some pithy grapefruit notes begin to stick around a bit longer.

Even with that late addition of citrus peel and bitterness, Floggy still finishes on the easier and juicier side of things…there’s just more of a reminder that it was made with a ton of hops. And that 8% ABV is hidden really well in the taste but you’ll sure feel it towards the end of the can.

It’s a very easy drinking Double IPA. It has a lot of great flavors that blend together nicely, a soft and creamy feel to it, and is rather crushable for the higher ABV and thicker body. Floggy is just a well made hazy DIPA.