“The Fog” and “Franken’bier” – A Nauti Dog Double Feature

When visiting the taproom for our recent tasting of these two beers, we were able to talk with Chuck and John, co-owners of Nauti Dog. They revealed to us that these two beers were an experiment using the second runnings of a mash for their hazy IPA. They were able to split the wort of the batch and use the first runnings to create the monster hazy that is “The Fog” and then using the lower gravity second runnings, to create the sessionable brew that is “Franken’bier.” 

“The Fog”

Style: New England IPA
ABV: 11%

Part I: There is something in “The Fog”

When one of our favorite local breweries released two new IPAs, Joe and I had every intention of trying them both (though, admittedly, we were expecting to make a visit for their newest sour – a very welcome surprise to have brand new IPAs as well!). However, as mentioned, we did not know that these two IPAs were related until chatting up a couple of the owners. “The Fog” is the heavier (and hazier – wait, you don’t think that’s why it’s called “The Fog” do you?) of the two, and has a distinct appearance. It strongly resembles orange juice, but not quite as opaque. The head was not very pronounced but I managed to get a quick photo before it fleeted. It looked very juicy and made me eager to get into my tasting.

The hop-forward aroma profile was giving me notes of citrus, a little dank, and some vegetal or spice hops. I was definitely a little surprised that I picked up some strong malt aromas as well. When I drink NEIPAs I don’t often notice much presence of malts in the aroma, but “The Fog” had some sweet smells of bread and caramel that really helped balance out the hop character and made for a delicious smelling beer.

I took a couple small sips of “The Fog” and noticed how bright and crisp it was on my palate. Despite this carbonation, I really didn’t notice much of a drying element on the finish. Instead, there were some subtle pangs of sharpness from the hops. It was medium-bodied and also what I might call “fluffy” for mouthfeel. Really enjoyable for a beer with such a powerful ABV.

Speaking of ABV, are we sure “The Fog” is 11% AVB? There was almost no presence of alcohol in my tasting – though one of the owners, Chuck, assured us that when this beer’s temperature rises after sitting in the glass awhile, you definitely notice it more. So, I’ve basically just admitted to consuming this NEIPA rather quickly. It’s not a surprise, because it was very delicious and palatable. It was juicy and had great flavors of citrus, pine, caramel malt, and a touch of bread. For an IPA with ABV in the double digits, “The Fog” went down very easily, with not much bitterness to speak of.

For drinkability, this is as good as you can get for a high gravity beer. I could’ve enjoyed several of these but would’ve certainly felt it later. You definitely need to be careful with an 11% ABV! “The Fog” was great and I enjoyed comparing it to “Franken’bier” while we sat at the bar and enjoyed some delicious bites from Prevail Food Truck. If you are in Winterville or can make the drive, stop by and get both brews. Let us know what you think!

“Franken’bier”

Style: Session Ale
ABV: 5%

Part II: “Franken’bier” emerges from “The Fog” 

The story of this beer is interesting and fitting of the name, “Franken’bier”, as it was brought to life using the same mash as its higher ABV brother but fermented with different yeast to make a whole new beer. This isn’t too far off from the creation of Frankenstein’s monster in the classic novel (plus it is now officially spooky season).

Unlike the monster, “Franken’bier” was brought to life with the pull of a tap handle and served to me in a curvy pint glass that is ubiquitous at Nauti Dog. The beer was very appealing, with a smooth butterscotch appearance and pale golden color. The beer was initially served with a creamy white head that left plenty of lace (pictured above) around the edge of the glass.

The aroma of the session ale revealed its malty backbone as it featured notes of caramel-like sweetness, a light touch of dark fruit, and a nutty character. Hop aromas were present, but mild. Overall, this beer had a light and smooth aroma profile and piqued my curiosity as to what flavors this beer would feature.

Mouthfeel was smooth and drinkable. The beer had a nice level of carbonation and was not too bright or dull. The body of the beer was balanced and not too thin. Sometimes session ales can be very light in body, detracting from the drinking experience. However, this retained a mouthfeel that gave the notion of drinking something with a higher gravity.

“Franken’bier” again was unlike other sessions I have had as instead of a flavor profile that is all hop, this beer was malt forward. Although I do enjoy a good session ale, just like in the mouthfeel, their flavor profile can seem a bit “thin” and only singing out one clear note (usually hops). This beer, however, focuses more on the malt flavors and this lends itself to being more complex with a more pronounced depth of flavor. I enjoyed the caramel, nutty, and bread crust flavors. These were balanced out by a subdued hop profile. Although Zappa and Zamba hops were used (noted for tropical, spicy, and juicy flavors), these played more of a supporting role in the beer’s flavor profile.

Drinkability of “Franken’bier” was excellent, and I almost finished it before I could even finish making my tasting notes. Nick and I joked that the drinkability of this beer was “about 3 – 5 minutes” as that’s all it seemed it could last in our glasses. The smooth flavor profile and lower ABV (5%) made it an enjoyable brew that you could easily bring home in a crowler to finish yourself.

As both of these beers were so different but spawning from the same grain bill, I recommend you get out and give them both a try as they each offer a unique experience.