Ten Ninety Angry Dragon 4Pk

Ten Ninety Angry Dragon 4Pk is a 6.1% ABV American Pale Ale from Glenview, Illinois, sold as a four-pack of cans. Brewed with a culinary-inspired approach and a notably high original gravity of 1.090, Angry Dragon delivers a fuller, more complex pale ale experience than most beers in its class.

Quick Facts: ABV: 6.1%  |  Origin: Glenview, Illinois, USA  |  Style: American Pale Ale  |  Brewery: Ten Ninety Brewing Company

Production & Heritage

Ten Ninety Brewing Company operates out of Glenview, Illinois, taking its name from the 1.090 original gravity measurement that defines its flagship beers. That figure reflects a significantly higher proportion of fermentable sugars than most standard ales, achieved by loading the mash with more grain alongside adjunct fermentables like honey and jaggery sugar. The brewery describes its philosophy as culinary-driven, drawing recipe inspiration from food flavor profiles rather than strictly traditional brewing templates. For Angry Dragon, the team selects newer, juicier hop varieties that emphasize tropical and citrus character over old-school bitterness, placing this pale ale squarely in the modern, approachable camp.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The nose opens with a pronounced fruit bouquet — red grapefruit and orange peel lead into softer layers of stone fruit and mango. Behind the hops, a granola-like warmth of caramel, honey, and bread crust rounds out the aromatics.

Taste: The entry is bright with citrus and tropical fruit, giving way to a mid-palate richness of caramel and candied nuttiness supported by that elevated malt backbone. As it develops, herbal and resinous pine notes emerge, balancing the fruit-forward character with enough bitterness to keep things structured without veering into harshness.

Finish: The finish is notably long for a pale ale, drying out with grapefruit pith and a subtle spruce-like herbaceousness. Lingering honey sweetness and a hint of hemp add complexity as the beer fades.

How to Drink Angry Dragon

Pour into a tulip glass or shaker pint at around 45°F to let the hop aromatics bloom fully; drinking straight from the can mutes much of the fruit complexity. Angry Dragon works well in a Pale Ale Shandy, where its citrus intensity pairs naturally with fresh lemonade. It also holds its own in a Michelada, where the malt sweetness and hop bitterness complement the savory, spicy framework. For a simple warm-weather drink, try a Beer Spritz — Angry Dragon topped with a splash of grapefruit soda and a sprig of rosemary plays directly into its tropical-citrus strengths.

Best For

• Backyard cookouts where a hop-forward but approachable beer is needed
• Introducing friends to fuller-bodied craft pale ales beyond macro lagers
• Pairing alongside spicy grilled food that can stand up to bold citrus and pine
• Building a tasting flight of Illinois craft beers for local beer exploration

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Angry Dragon taste like? Angry Dragon leads with bright grapefruit and tropical mango, balanced by a rich caramel malt body and a long, dry finish accented by pine resin and herbal hop notes. The elevated original gravity gives it more body and sweetness than a typical pale ale.

How does Angry Dragon compare to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale? Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a benchmark West Coast-style pale ale built on Cascade hops with a more traditional bitter, piney profile, while Angry Dragon uses newer hop varieties that push juicier tropical and citrus character. Angry Dragon also has a higher original gravity and ABV (6.1% vs. Sierra Nevada's 5.6%), resulting in a fuller, sweeter malt backbone.

Is Angry Dragon good for beginners? Yes — its fruit-forward hop profile and residual malt sweetness make it more approachable than aggressively bitter pale ales, while still delivering enough complexity to satisfy experienced craft beer drinkers.

Where is Angry Dragon made? Angry Dragon is brewed by Ten Ninety Brewing Company in Glenview, Illinois, a suburb on Chicago's North Shore. The brewery focuses on higher-gravity recipes inspired by culinary flavor combinations.

What foods pair well with Angry Dragon? Grilled chicken with citrus marinade mirrors the beer's tropical hop notes; spicy Thai dishes benefit from the malt sweetness cutting through the heat; sharp cheddar cheese contrasts the citrus bitterness; fish tacos with mango salsa echo the fruity aromatics; and smoked pulled pork finds a complement in the caramel malt and dry, resinous finish.

What sizes does Angry Dragon come in? Angry Dragon is available in a four-pack of cans, which is the standard retail format from Ten Ninety Brewing.

Is Angry Dragon worth the price? Angry Dragon positions in the craft pale ale tier, and its higher original gravity and distinctive culinary-inspired brewing approach deliver more complexity than many competitors at a similar price point, making it a solid value for hop-forward beer fans.

Why Angry Dragon?

What separates Angry Dragon from the sea of American pale ales is Ten Ninety's commitment to a 1.090 original gravity — a measurement that most breweries reserve for imperial-strength beers, deployed here to build a richer, more layered foundation at a sessionable 6.1% ABV. The result is a pale ale with genuine malt depth beneath its modern hop profile, avoiding the thin, one-dimensional citrus blast that plagues many contemporary interpretations of the style. The culinary philosophy behind Ten Ninety's recipes shows in the beer's layered complexity, moving from tropical fruit to caramel to herbal resin in a coherent progression. For drinkers looking for an Illinois-brewed pale ale that punches above its weight class, Angry Dragon makes a compelling case.