Raging Bitch is the beer that put the Belgian-style IPA on the map in America. Our notes listed it at 50 IBU; the verified beer is 8.3% ABV and 60 IBU. It was brewed in 2009 to mark Flying Dog’s 20th anniversary, became one of the hottest craft beers of 2010, and joined the regular lineup in 2011. It was the first commercially successful Belgian IPA, and it is often imitated but never quite duplicated. The name comes from the yeast: a Belgian strain Flying Dog calls El Diablo, the most aggressively active yeast its brewers had ever worked with, fermenting so violently it earned the beer its polarizing name. The hops are American, Warrior, Columbus, and Amarillo, with more Amarillo for dry hopping.

The basics

• Brewery: Flying Dog Brewery (Frederick, MD)
• Style: Belgian-Style IPA
• ABV: 8.3%
• IBU: 60

What to expect

Raging Bitch pours a deep copper with a healthy white head. The aroma is a collision of two worlds: sharp West Coast hops, grapefruit and woodsy pine, layered over fruity, slightly musty Belgian yeast character with hints of banana, clove, and spice. On the palate it is bold and aromatic, with crisp grapefruit, exotic mango, and piney hops up front, caramel malt underneath, and a dry, lightly spicy finish from the yeast. The 8.3% is well masked by all that flavor, which makes it a sneaky beer: it drinks far easier than its strength suggests. It is best in a tulip glass, where the aromatics can gather, and it is a beer that rewards a slow pour and a little patience.

Our rating

7.0/10

Rated by Alex (7). Alex gave it a 7, and we think that is a fair score for a beer that is still fun and distinctive more than fifteen years after it helped invent its own style. Raging Bitch is loud, fruity, and unapologetic, and the Belgian yeast twist keeps it interesting long after the first sip. It is not the most refined IPA on the shelf, and the yeast character will divide drinkers, but as a piece of craft beer history that still drinks well, it earns its 7.

Sources: BeerAdvocate, Raging Bitch, Flying Dog Brewery, 8.3% ABV, fermented with a volcano-like Belgian yeast strain called El Diablo, IBU: 60, Beer added Sep 23, 2009, https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/69472/52855/ ; PorchDrinking, Flying Dog Brewery – Raging Bitch Belgian Style IPA, ABV 8.3%, 60 IBU, fruity and sort of musty smell, https://porchdrinking.com/articles/2013/01/18/raging-bitch-belgian-style-ipa/ ; The Ferm, Crawford’s Imbibe This! Vol 3 – Flying Dog Raging Bitch, Belgian-style India Pale Ale, Warrior, Columbus, Amarillo hops, 60 IBU, 8.3% ABV, http://www.theferm.org/2011/01/crawfords-imbibe-this-vol-3-flying-dog.html