Dogfish Head Aprihop

Brewery: Dogfish Head Brewing Company
Style: IPA
ABV: 7.0%
Country: USA, Delaware

Since the last Dogfish head turned out to be a massive disappointment, I had high hopes for this one to restore my opinion. This one poured a bright copper color with a big head and lingering lace. Aroma was similar to other Dogfish IPAs. Citrus was prevalent along with pine resins, apricot was present as well. The first sip was full of plenty of malt flavor. Apricot flavor was certainly noticeable and provided a nice sweetness that mixed with the hop flavors from the aroma. Finish was dry and crisp with the apricot living a linger taste. Bitterness wasn't as strong as I would have expected for an IPA, but it was certainly felt. The body was smooth and creamy making this an easy beer to sip down. It'll be easy to finish off the rest of the four-pack. B

Dogfish Head Shelter Pale Ale

Brewery: Dogfish Head Brewing Company
Style: Pale Ale
ABV: 5.0%
Country: USA, Delaware

Bright golden caramel color, clear and bubbly. Thin head dissipated quickly. Not much aroma, but what was there was malty and sweet. First sip revealed a rush of sweetness which was pretty good, unfortunately it was all downhill from there. A traffic jam of bad flavors followed the initial taste. The first bad taste was a buttery/soapy flavor. Second was a wheat flavor which typically isn't bad, but it was unexpected and caught me off guard. Finally, there was a burnt industrial solvent flavor that lingered a while with a slick and sticky sweet flavor that was awful. Not much bitterness and any hop flavors went unnoticed behind the unappealing flavors. I was really shocked that there was a Dogfish Head ale that I not only didn't care for, but actively disliked. My first thought was that I had gotten a bad bottle, but reading other reviews online gave me the impression that the flavors I didn't care for were not an abnormality. I don't usually pour out many beers and I never expected to pour out a Dogfish Head but that's what I did. :( F

Dogfish Head Namaste

Brewery: Dogfish Head Brewing Co
Style: Witbier
ABV: 5.0%
Country: USA, Delaware

Its not quite summer yet but today felt nice enough that it may have well been. That being said, I felt a nice summer beer was in order, hence the Witbier. Pour was bright and sunny yellow color with a nice head that dissipated quickly but left a nice and lingering lace. Body was slightly cloudy with some yeast and sediment visible. Aroma was faint and floral with definite signs of wheat. Flavor was incredibly crisp and refreshing. Lemongrass and coriander were both present in good quantities along with a hint of orange. The spice flavors lingered while the finish had the distinct wheat taste although it was more subdued than other wheat beers that I've had. As stated before, this was incredibly crisp and refreshing; Perfect for a hot summer day. B+

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout

Brewer: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 18%
Country: USA, Delaware

"A very dark beer brewed with a ridiculous amount of barley" proclaims this bottle. At 18% ABV, this is by far the most potent beer I've ever had. At 10$ for a 12 oz bottle, I wont be having this too often either.

Poured a dark black with some hints of caramel around the edges. No foam whatsoever with only a few bubbles around the edge of the glass. Smell had some chocolate to it along with some sweetness and plenty of alcohol.

The first sip was a kick in the mouth. Some chocolate and coffee present but those are quickly overpowered by a wave of alcohol. The first few sips were similar, but as I went on, the alcohol flavors subsided and more of the drinks character came out. This drank more like a port or a brandy than a beer; Small sips over a long period of time. There is a syrupy slickness to the mouth-feel. Great warming feeling going down. More roasted flavors as it reached room temperature. Typical stouts are servers at around 50 - 55 degrees. This one was better as it became warmer than that. This sort of beer is the kind that can be cellared for a number of years to improve the flavor. As it ages, some of the harsh notes from the alcohol mellow out and the drink becomes more smooth. Overall, as is, I thought it was a great sipper. Quite relaxing and perfect for a cold and dreary day. Still, at 18% ABV, one of these is about the same as 4-5 American light beers and enough to leave me feeling half in the bag. A

Dogfish Head Saison du Buff

Brewery: Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: Saison
ABV: 6.8%
Country: USA, Delaware

Saison du Buff is a collaborative brew among three brewers that have all been featured on this blog: Dogfish Head, Stone, and Victory. Each brewery has their own version of this beer that has their own unique twist to the concept. Saison is also known as a farmhouse ale which was originally brewed by farmers in Belgium to help them through the harvest season. This particular version, according to the bottle, is brewed with parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.

The pour on this was fantastic. Huge amount of bright white bubbles came billowing out and hung around as a fluffy head the entire time. The color was a bright, pale gold that was hazy. Quite inviting. I had to do a lot of waiting for the head to settle before I could dive into this one. Smell was sweet and earthy, I managed to pick out the thyme and rosemary that the bottle proclaimed. Taste was quite sweet up front that quickly transitioned into an herbal and earthy flavor. This transitioned into a finish that was quite dry. No bitterness was really found, but the earthiness continued into the finish. I couldn't distinctly pick out the herbs mentioned on the bottle in the taste as I could in the aroma. Plenty of carbonation was present which isn't surprising given the massive head that was present. Overall, while I thought this was a good beer, I didn't think there was anything too special that would make me want to have this again. My guess is that this has to do more with the style of beer than the beer itself. C+

Photos courtesy of ShutterMug

Palo Santo Maron

Brewer: Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: American Brown Ale
ABV: 12%!!!
Country: USA, Delaware

I do love me some Dogfish. This is one of their Brown Ales that has been aged in wooden barrels to impart lots of flavors.

Poured a dark, dark black. No hint of brown around the edges. Plenty of dark brown head lingered a long time.

Mild aroma, some alcohol and some woodiness to it.

Stout like in taste, lots of toasted malts, less coffee flavors than a standard stout. Caramel and chocolate. Plenty of wood in the finish. An ale sweetness is present as well. Puckeringly bitter, and finishes with a wave of alcohol. At 12%, I'm surprised that this isn't more prominent. Interesting mix. The thick body, light carbonation, and dark color all scream stout, but the stout flavors are more subdued with the sweet characteristics of a lighter ale mixed in. The wooden barrel aging certainly shines through giving this a nice smokiness throughout. Another unique entry from the guys at Dogfish Head. B+

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Brewer: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 9%
Country: USA, Delaware

Ah Dogfish Head, how I love thee! This had been in my fridge calling my name for so long, I could no longer resist. The 90 minutes in the name comes from the 90 minute long, hop boiling process. The longer hops are boiled, the more of the hop's alpha acids are isomerized. In layman's terms, more boil == more bitter. This beer is also dry-hopped which imparts less bitterness and more hop aroma.

Typically, this brew is meant to be enjoyed from a snifter or tulip, but seeing as I lack either (Christmas is coming), I turned to my pint glass. This poured a bright, golden amber color that was crystal clear. A big, white, foamy head lingered a long time before giving way to plenty of lace and lots of ringing going down the glass. Certainly a beautiful beer to behold.

The aroma is incredible. Plenty of hops are present and the smell runs the gamut from fruits to citrus. Plenty of peaches, nectarines, pineapple, and grapefruit are present. I'd be content with simply sniffing this all day long.

The big aroma leads to an even bigger taste. A sweet and smooth malt backbone carries a large load of hops with it. Plenty of the fruit I smelled makes an appearance in the initial tasting. Lots of citrus present. Mouth feel is great. The warm, medium body is creamy and smooth, not overpowered with excessive carbonation. The 9% ABV shows up as this began to go down. A warm spiciness imparted by the alcohol does a good job of balancing out the initial hop explosion. It then serves as a prelude to the smooth, bitter aftertaste that lingers, but not too long. The key to this beer is its amazing balance. The malts, hops, alcohol, and bitterness all complement each other perfectly with no single character overpowering the other. This is, simply put, my favorite beer. Amazing. A+

Burton Baton

Brewer: Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 10%
Country: USA, Delaware

Looks like this will be the first (of many) Dogfish Head beers consumed for blogging purposes. I'm a big fan of plenty of the brews they put out as well as their willingness to try different things. I hope their new show on Discovery Channel brings them some recognition and popularity.

The Burton Baton claims to be "a two-thread blend of young & wood-aged Imperial i.p.a" I'm a fan of big IPAs and Dogfish can pull off some incredible IPAs, my favorite being the 90 Minute IPA.

I poured this into my loyal pint glass. The color was a bright and coppery amber. Very clear. A one finger head finished with a thin lace. This essentially looked like a glass of whiskey with a head on it.

The aroma, starts big and hoppy with plenty of citrus, mostly oranges and pineapples. Alcohol is certainly powerful and finishes things out. As I worked my way down the glass the scent of alcohol increased and dominated.

It had a big hop taste with plenty of bitterness. Sweet honey malts and pineapple hops, though, are quickly overpowered by the bitterness and the strong taste of alcohol. Oak wood flavors show up along with the alcohol continuing to reminded me of a glass of Jack Daniels. The aftertaste is long and warm. The Burton doesn't make any attempts to hide the large amount of alcohol within.

The idea of an IPA whiskey hybrid is certainly interesting but overall the wood and alcohol flavors are too overpowering. I prefer my IPAs to do a better job of concealing the alcohol though and in the end this was a bit too much. I wanted to like this one but I can't see myself trying this again.

Grade: C+

Photos by: http://marleyphoto.oliad.com/