Bright copper body with a wispy, white head. Looks great. Nose has good levels of clean orange that reflects the color. Light viscosity and alcohol are certainly present and forceful. The beer seems a little clean and bitter for a real Tripel. Yeast is not a big presence and it feels a little imperial pils like. A little noble bitterness. Increasing spice pushes through the bitterness. Some white pepper notes that are more authentic for actripel keep on keeping on. I like it, even if the yeast...
Notes on beers brewed by
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Dogfish Head
Piercing Pils
Review based on bottle #3 and #4 of the four pack. This is a bit of conundrum for me. I'm philosophically opposed to the use of such adjuncts in addition to the words 'Czech' and 'Pilsner' on the label, since for me, their addition atomically makes this not a 'Czech Pils' at all. In short, I'd much rather that they call this a fruit beer, be honest, and leave a classic style well alone in terms of declaring what it is (or isn't). Having said all of that, pears and tea are a couple of my...
Dogfish Head
Birra Etrusca Bronze
Pour is a, 'per the label' dark bronze color with some initially high head that fades pretty quickly. Retention is not great, and lace is essentially zero. Of course, the name is actually nothing to do with the color, rather a reference to using 'bronze' in the fermentation. I'm not at all sure what that means, but I suppose it refers to using bronze equipment rather than adding pieces of alloy to the fermentation vessels!!?? The label is ambiguous. Nose has some amber, toffee malts with a...
Saison Du BUFF
12 oz single from my Secret Santa 2010 - thanks to finewinemike. This is the third in the series for me, and I had pretty poor experiences with the Stone and Victory versions (the Victory was especially awful), so my hopes are low for this one. Having said that, this kind of things is something that DFH is likely to pull off better than the other two breweries involved so there is more hope. Nice golden pour, with some attractive cloudiness that is appropriate for the style. Impressive, fluffy...
Namaste
Many thanks go out to finewinemike for a chance to try this beer. Came as part of my Secret Santa for 2010. I guess that this is a somewhat atypical Dogfish Head beer in as much as it is somewhat typical for the style! Nothing really very outlandish here at all, all quite "normal". A honey body sits underneath a tight, fine, dense white head. Nice lace. The nose and tastes are very floral with the emphasis on the lemongrass rather than the orange peel or coriander. The body and mouthfeel are...
My Antonia
750 mL bottle, capped. From Total Wine in Jacksonville, FL, USA. Typical pour into the DFH signature glass. Great looking golden pour with a large head head which is fluffy, dense and produces a lot of sticky lace. Lovely, whipped topping effect from the lace. Very thick. Nose gives a little white pepper but also some bitter, herbal notes. Some hops in the nose. Some sinus clearing menthol. Tastes are very interesting. Lots of Pilsner malts, but also plenty of herbal bitterness from the...
Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew
750 mL bottle. The usual hoopla that is associated with DFH (relatively) limited releases that is beginning to leave me cold. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of DFH but the hysteria that has been building over a number of beers in the recent past is getting tedious. Ho hum. Pour reports nothing. It's jet black and there is not much head. Perhaps a few red highlights but so what. Good but standard. Not a particularly rich RIS, in fact rather average. Solid roast notes, a decent splash of...
Zwaanend’ale
Thanks go out to BA deepsouth for the trade. 750 mL capped bottle, yellow dot-matrix indicates a 04/14/06 bottling. 3.5 years old, DFH, THIS should be interesting! Uncapping leads to a hint of gunsmoke and a brief "pssst". Amber, hazed body with a nicely formed tight, white head and some cream like lace. Very solid looking in the glass. Nose gives off some honey, pineapple and lighter tropical fruits along with a dash of Madeira and some rum-like aromas. There is also a touch of that musty,...
Squall IPA
Thanks go out to mikey711 for the chance to try this one. 750 mL bottle, capped and bottled on 04/16/09 according to the yellow, dot-matrix style stamp on the neck. Impressive looking pour with a very high, bone-white, two finger head sitting atop a golden-orange, clear body. Head retention is super and the lace substantial and sticky. Nose is a combo of some resinous hops with some sinus clearing, sweet alcohol. Like the regular 90 min, this is a pretty sweet beer. To be honest it treads a...
Sah’tea
750 mL capped bottle from Arbor Place Beverage, Douglasville, GA, USA. $11.99. "BOTTLED IN 2009" dot-matrixed on the side of the bottle in yellow ink. Based upon reviews, I went for the Tucher Weizen glass - it seems appropriate, and that particular glass shows off virtually any beer very nicely. The body is a slighly hazed, rich golden one with a white head that fades quickly. I guess the lack of head can be at least partly attributed to the ABV. Nice stream of carbonation comes from the...
Theobroma
Well, more interesting stuff from the boys at DFH. Glad to try just about everything that they put out. Picked this one up at Arbor Place Beverage, Douglasville, GA, USA. Capped, 750 mL bottle. The label says 9% not 10% ABV as in the BA database at the time of writing. This one goes into the DFH palm glass. Pour is a chill-hazed lightly sparkling orange with a small head and very little lace. Looks nice. Aroma is a pretty nondescript, vegetal corn. Not much there at all. A few peppery notes in...
Palo Santo Marron
12 oz bottle from the 4-pack with the DVD attached! Thanks to ATLbeerdog for alerting me to the DVD! I nearly missed it! $12.99 from Jax in Sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA, USA. Essentially this pours like a RIS. Jet black body, small mocha head and some lace, but not much - in line with the ABV. Looks luxurious. Yeast and malt dominate the nose. Taste? ASTONISHING!!! Alcohol is nowhwere to be seen and it's as smooth as HELL! Wave after wave of sweet, malty, alcohol. I have a feeling that DFH have...
Festina Pêche
12oz bottle, from a 4-pack. OK. Had a few Berliner Weissbiers in the past, but almost always with the added syrup. I think this style NEEDS the added syrup so I was a bit concerned about the fact that apparently the syrup had been replaced by fruit in the form of peaches. I wasn't sure it would work, but in matters such as these I tend to trust DFH. Obviously light and cloudy looking, pretty much exactly as I was expecting. Some peach in the nose, but not much. To be honest I think the ABV is...
Black & Blue
750, capped. Classy label. $10.99 from Jax, Sandy Springs, Atlanta, GA, USA. Poured into an over-sized wine glass. Definite light reddish hue, and looks fine (thin). Classy color as the light catches this on an early summer evening on a deck in South Carolina. Not much head or lace (even with an aggressive pour) but some spotty lace left on the surface. Definite vinous quality. Mild and tempting alcohol in the nose. Fruit based. A little more fruit in the nose, but I don't necessarily get any...
Red & White
Additional notes: 09/18/2020 (pictured) Purchased this bottle last month in Indianapolis. I know it's old, the question is how old? Opening produces a little pop, and some carbonation is left although everything associated with fades quickly. Some oxidation and lots of oak character, the beer is a shadow of its former self. As expected, I bought it for fun, and becasuse I loved it so much way back when. Happy to gamble on it, basically as expected. Alcohol I still there, but it's tinged with a...
120 Minute IPA
Nearly two years since I tried this on-tap for the first time, this is a 12 oz bottle sampling, bottled on 03/30/06. Part of my haul from my recent trip to Lexington, KY, USA, I seem to remember it was around $8 for the 12 oz single from Liquor Barn. First of all this seems infinitely different to my original, on-tap serving from a couple of years ago. While that beer was really just like a strong DIPA, this beer drinks much higher in the alcohol stakes, and seems much less like an DIPA and...
Chateau Jiahu
750 mL bottle, approx. $11.99 at Shopper's Village, High St, Lexington, KY, USA. Pictured bottle is an oxidized, undrinkable one from 2023 purchased in 2022. Well, here we go with another Sam Calagione/DFH inspired "concept" (for want of a better term) beer. Frankly I'm not really *that* interested in the thinking behind such beers, only if they taste good now! The history and context is nice, but without a quality, highly drinakble product at the end of the process there is not much in it for...
Punkin Ale
Additional notes: 10/01/2022 (Pictured) Still presenting itself as a malty, slightly alternative tasting Vinnea or O'fest. It's a little odd, I'll grant you that, but one bottle a year is a welcome change of pace, and I'll likely keep drinking it in approx. that volume in the future. Not what I'll call a favorite, but 12oz per year is something that I enjoy. Original notes: 10/15/2006 Thanks go out to SilentSabre for generously thinking of me on one of his recent trades - I am absolutely...
60 Minute IPA
I've had 60 minute on tap before, but this was my first venture with the bottle - thanks to Silentsabre (and his mom!) for the opportunity. The first feature is the glaring clear golden yellow pour - pretty much as you would expect any old macro lager to look like. Head is small and gone quickly, and there isn't much lacing to speak of. Frankly this looks mighty average. The taste of course is quite a different matter. Subtle simplicity sum this up. Hops and malt in near perfect balance...
Fort
$15.99, Brawleys, Charlotte, NC, USA. 750 mL bottle, bought in Jan 2006, consumed September 2006. Dark orange pour with an initial small head but obviously this fades really quickly. Aroma has the advertised raspberries which are certainly evident in the taste too, but even the strong fruit presence is overwhelmed by the alcohol. Not a lot else, just plenty of waming alcohol. Nice combination of sweet and tart. Not much here other than the alcohol. It drinks below its 18%, but at the same time...
Immort Ale
Bottled 04/05/06 (stamp on neck). 12 oz bottle. Crystal clear, copper colored pour with a small amount of carbonation at first, but this, like the small head, fades very quickly. As others have noted, a certain brandy like aroma. Definite smokiness in the taste (the oak?), along with plenty of alcohol, but it drinks suprisingly smoothly. I think the smoothness is due to the vanilla and maple advertised on the label, but it doesn't really manifest itself as a taste, more of a "feeling"....
Golden Shower/Golden Era
Updated Notes (Golden Era): Sept. 2007 If there was any doubt about this not being the same beer as Shower, just take a look at that distinctive Golden Color! Really deep. Now in four packs of 12 oz bottles. Got mine for $7.49 at Mac's, I suspect this was priced incorrectly (should be closer to $11.49). Original Notes (Golden Shower): 05/06/06 More excellent stuff from DFH. 750 mL bottled on 03/21/06. Cheers to Tom (warriorsoul) for another great trade. Great looking pour with a darker than...
ApriHop
Simple pour, great clarity with a pale amber/orange color. Small, bone-white head with a tiny bit of lacing. Sweet, ester based aroma with fruit in there, but not distinguishable as anything specific. Metallic bitterness and a sharp finish - all a bit odd. Comes together in a sort of spiced hoppiness. Warming on the way down. A tiny bit of apricot in the aftertsate, but very little. I don't think I'd want to drink more than one of these at a sitting, it's a little off the beaten path. Worth a...
Pangaea
Bottled 11/14/05 Poured into the St. Bernardus chalice from the capped 750 mL bottle, it is absolutely crystal clear with an orange/golden hue. For those with British connections the body is a Lucozade color. Fine bubbles of carbonation form on the surface, but produces no head or lacing to speak of. There is a slight (and I mean slight) ginger aroma in the nose and a sweet lemony smell. This is a thirst quencher alright, and if you are English this tastes almost identical to a basic bitter...
Indian Brown Ale
Notes added 3/22/07: (bottle) This is certainly a much hoppier version of the original (English) style and I think the beer suffers as a result. In Brown Ales I am looking for a sweet, malty smooth beer but the hop presence here gives it an edge that is not very welcome in the (original) style for me. Original notes 1/22/06: (bottle) Nice looking beer with good clarity and nice deep brown color - classic brown ale look. A small head and a little bit of lacing. The classic looks are followed by...
Raison D’extra
Poured into the St. Bernardus chalice, I wanted to give this a full chance to breathe and release those deep aromas. Burned orange color, obviously zero head and zero lacing. Slightly viscous, liquor like appearance, again as expected. Aroma is all fruity alcohol. The alcohol is the main component (not exactly a surprise), but this is coupled with some deep, soft fruits like plums and prunes. The taste is basically sherry like. The alcohol is surprisingly muted compared to the aroma. Obviously...
Raison D’etre
Poured into the Chimay goblet, there was a distinct lack of life to the beer with little or no carbonation, and as a result vitually no head or lacing. Murky orange/brown hue reminiscent of cold tea, I'm afraid this did not score high on the appearance scale at all. Aroma is of sweet fruits and deep seated sugar, but the fruits are not really very distinguishable - some candied pineapple perhaps, maybe some orange? Mixed fruits are upfront in the taste too, then there is an alcoholic and...
World Wide Stout
=== Updated Review 01/08 === 2005 Vintage Got a chance to revisit this at The Brick Store - thanks to Simon for the sample. Rumor has it that this vintage topped out at around 24%! Great legs in the glass, silky smooth and chocked FULL of flavor. About one-third of a 12oz bottle is enough for me. Remains very wine/port like with immense presence. === Updated Review (not dated) === 2004 Vintage As part of a trade a few months ago, apologies I forget who was kind enough to get this to me. Still...
Olde School Barleywine
Hazy orange, slightly oily looking body (from the alcohol presumably) a nice, small sustained head and some better than average lacing. Smooth sweet caramel in the nose. Full in the mouth, lovely satisfying oils and a warm kick in the finish. Very, very well disguised alcohol, much lighter drinking than the style would suggest. Sweet, tasty and rich. Although this is obviously a serious brew, it is amazingly drinkable and light. I'm giving it a 5 for drinkability in relation to the "usually...
Midas Touch Golden Elixir
Leave it to a progressive brewery like DFH to produce this kind of product. A golden pour, but with zero lacing and a scant head. If I had to summarize this I would describe it as a malt liquor with honey added. As unattractive as that may sound this is delicious. Layered fruits and honey sweetness, this is a really rich beer and one that is guaranteed to wow! Lots and lots of repeated sweet, smooth layers break over the tongue to give a feeling of intense well-being. Nice. Mouthfeel is...
90 Minute IPA
Golden hazed pour with orange highlights, slightly lighter than I was expecting with a small head and some, but not a great deal, of lacing. What lacing is produced is sticky. Aroma is not the huge hop bomb that you may think, in fact it's quite sweet. A lot of bitterness in the large hop profile, but it's perfectly balanced in the beer. One of the few examples of a very large beer that is wonderfully crafted with grace and skill. A little bit of pine, a little bit of citrus, a little bit of...
Burton Baton
03/08 === Paid $13.49 for a four pack at Smyrna World of Beverage - this is getting pricey. Great clarity as usual and the classic, sweet alcoholic experience. Not to be trifled with! 03/07 === Had to come back with some additional notes on this great beer now it has reached GA. It remains VERY sweet and that's really why I love it. Drinks well below 10% ABV, but at the same time you're unlikely to be drinking more than one or two in a session. Deliciously smooth with a little alcohol kick in...
120 Minute IPA
This is a truly super beer - and I don't relish lots of hops. Great looking "orangey" colored pour with a small, but perfectly formed, bubbly head. The look is good, but this brew isn't about looks. Firstly the aromas are hops, more hops and then some more hops. A rounded, wonderful citrus, floral variety that just seems to hit the perfect balance. Tastes are mainly grapefruit, but these are tempered citrus tones. Obviously it's more potent than the 60 or 90, but it has the same characteristic...
60 Minute IPA
A super smooth, and much more enjoyable experience than I was expecting. Not being a hophead, I was not expecting to enjoy this a great deal, but I was pleasantly suprised. Excellent, typically hoppy, pale orange color, with some nice (but not extensive) lacing. A lot of sweetness in the aroma. Some lovely, light citrus hops, a refreshing bite, but comes with extra smooth drinkability. I enjoyed the simplicity of this beer. It was certainly hop based, but it managed to balance out the brew...
Au Courant
A lot of sweetness is the abiding memory imparted by this brew. Pours a lovely, attractive golden color with a decent head, but one that disappears very quickly. The slickness in the mouthfeel is not unpleasant but really is true to form for beer that has a much higher ABV. This has the mouthfeel of a Barleywine, but lacks the kick. In some respects that's not at all bad, since you get the sweetness and the feel without the "kick in the ass" alcohol. Currants? Au Courant? I have no idea about...
Chicory Stout
Very nice experience. I was a bit dubious about the Chicory part of the name as I thought that this could lead to some interesting taste clashes, but the beer pulled it through. Black, but with some reddish brown hints, a small creamy head that didn't last long. There is a distinct burned coffee aroma to this one, and a lot of dark chocolate tastes. Not chocolate that is smooth and creamy, but more like bitter chocolate. Nice balance of malt and hops, with a pleasing bitterness for me - not...
Shelter Pale Ale
Given what I had heard about Dogfish in general, I have to say that this was a let down. A very thin experience with very little out of the ordinary to recommend it. The pour, appearance and aroma were all disappointing to me, I was expecting a far more exciting "look" to the beer. Yellow, cloudy color with a fast disappearing head, it was flat and seemed to have the hop character slightly out of balance. It also seemed a little too sweet and sticky.