Dogfish Head Au Courant

Formerly brewed at Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: Fruit Beer
Milton, Delaware USA

This $2.59 bottled brew from Traverse City, MI poured a head of foamy pink hued fine to medium sized bubbles that left behind a hazy dark red brown colored body and a poor lacing. The aroma was strange given that I do not know what currants are. It had malty and fruity notes to it as best as I can describe it. The mouth feel was tingly at the start with a sour tart tingly finish. The flavor was just like the aroma only more dry and sour tasting.

Pours cloudy yellow with fluffy white head. Nose is fruity with berry/cherry-like character, I guess a bit of currant. Flavor has a subtle tartness with medium body. Almost a bit musty. Sweet then tart, citrusy and spicy. Finishes with a slight bitterness.

12 oz bottle (2005), thanks to EDA! Poured a deep red hue with a 1/4" cap of pinkish-beige head... just a few floaties in there. Nose was a fruity bouquet.. with vinous notes, cherries, and raspberries... rather sour. Sour and tart cherries leave the first impression on the tip of the tongue... fuller across the middle where the currants and grapes come to play... overtones of sweetened, yet tart raspberries become a bit thick and overbearing. Almost syrupy and quite sour on the palate... but rather well-executed. Solid brew that I’d drink again.

12 oz bottle. Deep red copper in color with a nice light pink head. Sour fruity aroma. Cherry and grape aroma. Fruity and sour flavor. Acidic. Grape notes. Medium bodied. Crisp and refreshing. Finish is tart. Well balanced. Very nice beer. Enjoyable.

12oz bottle. Pours a blood red color with a light pink head. Nose is fruity and sour, some cherries and light biscuit. Taste is more fruity and sour but need to be more of either one. Light cherry notes and some grape skins.

Poured a dark purple color. Aroma was fruity. Taste is fruit and more than a little tart. Quite a bit of carbination on the tongue. I like it.

2004 Bottling, Sampled January 2006
This beer is a lightly hazy, purple-tinged amber color that is most definitely colored by the currants. The head is quite thin and only manages to form a pale, wispy ring of foam around the edges of my glass. The aroma is fruity and sweet and smells a bit like concord grape jelly and a sweet red, sparkling wine I once had. Even though the carbonation is slight, the beer smells carbonated to me. The deeper one smells of this beer the more it smells like currants and the less malt one can detect. Initially the malt is subtle, but is evident with notes of caramel and a hint of toasted malt character.

The taste is not nearly as sweet as the nose suggested. The finish seems to be where the currants are most in evidence (though they are found throughout); here an acidity develops as well as a white-wine-grape fruitiness. The beer is only lightly carbonated, but it does help to cut through some of the sweetness. The beer has certainly seems to have thinned out over time, the malt is perhaps less in evidence. This beer is definitely close to tasting like a lightly carbonated/ sparkling wine; the currant notes dominate this beer with only a touch of malt character here, playing only a supporting role. This is definitely an interesting beer. I like the acidity that is found here (which seems to be all fruit derived); it adds a much needed balance to the sweet fruit character.

Pours a reddish amber with a sweet pink to purple head that fizzles out pretty quick. Nose is a little musty and wine like, maybe a little more than I like but forgivable. Taste is outstanding, clean crisp with just enough acidity for balance. leave it to dogfish to put out a beer like this. Carbonated current juice with alcohol Mmmmmm drool.