Happy Anniversary, happy anniversary. Happy, happy, happy, happy anniversary. Ahem. Pardon me. I was just singing anniversary wishes to Denver’s Flying Dog brewery. Did you know they’re ten years old this year? It’s true. It was way back in 1994 that Flying Dog began its brewing operations in the Mile High City.

What’s that you say? You didn’t get them anything? That’s OK, dear reader. Because when a brewery has a birthday, its usually the loyal beer drinkers who get the presents. Such is the case with Flying Dog, which is rewarding its loyal fans with a new lineup of seasonal brews.

The first of them to appear on store shelves is Heller Hound Bock. The play on words can be better appreciated when you realize that this is a Helles Bock, or light bock beer. Light in color I should say, because Helles bock is certainly not light on flavor. It’s simply paler in color than standard bocks, which are dark.

Helles bock is also known as Maibock, and it’s a popular spring brew in Germany. So its only fitting that Flying Dog should choose this as their spring seasonal to be sold from March to July. It’s a style I haven’t seen much from American micros. And it is also the first lager beer Flying Dog has produced.

So how did they do? Pretty well, I think. This is a fairly authentic Maibock, overall. It’s a bit stronger than your average beer, but not much more, at 5.9% alcohol by volume. That snuck right under Georgia’s 6% legal beer limit, though after July 1st that limit goes up to 14%. Governor Sonny Purdue signed the bill raising beer’s alcohol limit into law this past week, much to my delight.

Anyway, back to the beer, as Proxam loves to say. Flying Dog’s faunal fusion is part dog, part goat, as they say. Supposedly, it packs a kick, which is one of the little urban legends about how bock got its name (bock beers have a kick, and goats kick as you may well imagine). That’s what they say, here’s what I think.

Flying Dog Heller Hound Bock pours to a light golden color with an initially prodigious but rather short lived head formation and a soft, sweet malty nose. The mouthfeel is rich and may surprise you with its fullness. The light color of the beer is deceptive in this regard.

A moderate alcohol warmth crosses the palate as you sip, and notes of honey, creamy malt, and a touch of sweetness also pervade the brew. A wonderful toasty character is also present. In the finish, the alcohol warmth intensifies and blends with a grassy, gently bitter hop character.

This is one heller’ve a beer. Kudos to Flying Dog on ten years of brewing, and brewing great beers like this one. Yes, this dog does bite, but in a nice way. Why not try it today?