 trevor211 (138), Seattle, Washington, USA
Apr 8, 2008
Pours reddish amber with a decent head that fades fairly quickly. Hops on the nose, hops on the tongue - you can certainly taste the 90 min IPA in there, though this offers something a little different - that touch of oak is a great addition. It’s immediately apparent that there are boatloads of malts and hops battling each other in this brew. The mouthfeel is syrupy, as I’ve come to expect from Dogfish Head, and after a few sips you start to wonder if you’ll like it as well toward the end of the bottle. When appreciated slowly, though (as it probably should be), it’s a nice deviation from what you’d normally expect from an IPA. I’d love to try a bourbon barrel aged version...
ceffalo (19), , Texas, USA
Nov 20, 2008 Poors a deep golden brown color with a thick, foamy head. Aroma is a lot like that of a Rochefort 10. Very pleasant. 10% abv.
Moderate vanilla over beer flavor with a slight bitterness kick back. Easily better than the Breckenridge Vanilla Porter, which is my closest comparison by flavor. Dogfish Head appears to specialize in subtle flavorings and they don’t disappoint with this beer.
DuffMan (2101), Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Nov 18, 2008 GABF 2008. An incredibly original take on the IIPA style-- rich heavy malts of burnt sugar, caramel, maple, vanilla (like a creme brulee) complimented by lushious tropical fruit hop flavours (lychee, passionfruit). Big, big flavours that, for me anyway, seemed in perfect balance.
Beardface (225), Eugene, Oregon, USA
Oct 30, 2008 Very oaky and floral in the smell and taste, with hints of vanilla and some alcohol on the back end. A little bitter but mighty tasty.
riversideAK (1699), Shoreline, Washington, USA
Oct 30, 2008 Nose is comprised of notes of woody oak, vanilla, and some floral. A touch of alcohol and some sweet malts. Pours copper with a decent fluffy head that lasted a long time. Flavor is pretty earthy with notes of pine and light citrus, and super sweet caramel malts all cut and subdued by oak and vanilla. Alcohol is somewhat hot, body is pretty malt heavy, and some dry bitterness lingers.
couchand (162), Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Oct 24, 2008 Burton, an almost clear copper, pours a good straw head. It has a light sweet aroma, somewhat herbal hoppy. There is also a significant caramel note and a little biscuit. I can also detect a bit of alcohol on the nose. Ethanol itself is not volatile, so you cannot smell it. A beer smelling boozy indicates the presence of fusel alcohols, a byproduct of warm, high alcohol fermentation. It is fusels that cause really painful hangovers.
Right at first you notice both a prominent bitterness and a strong sweetness. This beer is thick, and its sweetness is cloying, probably from the use of a large percentage of caramel malt. The oak certainly also adds sweetness and vanilla. The hop flavor is herbal and grassy.
I think perhaps the oak and the hops are competing too much in this beer. The hop flavor is too earthy. They would be better off using a lighter, more delicate flavor hop.
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