Dogfish Head Festina Lente

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

Rating #800. decaturstevo’s Febmergency Tasting. Sample from a bottle thanks to SpringsLicker. 2004 Bottle, and huge thanks to Jay bringing this along, one of my most wanted beers. The pour is a hazy orange with a quick white head. The aroma is a big sweetness, but the peach seems to have faded, lots of acidity, oaky, funk. Taste is incredible, like an imperial Festina Peche. Lots of acidity, funk, lemons, a subdued peach fruitiness and wheat malt sweetness underneath.

Bottle @ Monk’s: This one was for the Brett Pack Dinner during PBW. This was a beer before its time. At the dinner, Sam told us he made this beer sent it out and no one could get rid of it. The places started sending it back to the brewery, where he has kept them ever since. After this dinner, there was only 4 cases left of this beer. And let me tell you, it is awesome. It poured a hazy golden with not much head. The aroma was oak, funk, hint of peach and some acidity. The flavor was slight peach, heavy funk, lemons, and a nice smooth finish. This beer rocked. And to think it only needed 5 years to age. I hope someday, they bring this one back cause I doubt there would be anyone sending this one back to the brewery this day and age.

2002 Vintage sampled at the DFH Ale House in Gaithersburg, MD. Pours to a murky deep golden, to orange color, with no head, and a very soft carbonation. The nose on this beer is very sour and vinous, with aromas of oak and peach. The palate is lean, but very refreshing ,with some more vinous notes, flavors of oak, and ripe fruit. Festina Lente finishes with more oak and vinious notes, and ends sour and refreshing. A very well done "neo-lambic". This beer does not enjoy a spontaneous fermentation, but it did have that characteristic "wild" taste of an authentic, very traditional lambic. Impressive domestic example of the style, and a beer that would be quite at home in Belgium. Worked well with a rich and creamy bowl of crab soup, and a crab cake sandwich.

Hazy yellow colour with some orange. Apple scent, lovely tart flavour. I quite approve.

Aroma: rose petals/hips, honey, hibiscus flowers
Appearance: murky/golden yellow, very small white head
Flavor: honey, roses, hibiscus flowers, vinegar, earthiness, limes, mint, very floral
Palate: sweet with tart bite, smooth, fills the mouth, fruit and milk aftertaste
Yummy!

Virtually no carbonation. Not that it seemed to matter much to me as what was left after that left me shaking my head in woder at what they were attempting. Not too peachy if’n you know what I mean. _________________________________ GABF 2005. Most often don’t rate GABF beers, but I sat there drinking sample after sample of this. Aged three years and some mention by rep that originally it was seen as unfit for sale (or some words to that affect, sorry for mangling what was really said). But this was awesome if you happen to like sour beers. Acidic, but after having so much La Folie the previous day can say this was no way near that. Can’t say that I could list the flavor-fest that was going on, but it was just a delight.

"Really Old Beers and Really Stinky Cheeses" tasting session at ACBF 2008. From the 2004(03?) bottling. This was a truly unique experience. If you tried this beer when it was first released and get another chance to have a bottle, don’t let that original experience color your opinion. Apparently when it was originally bottled, it took this beer over a year and a half to bottle condition because of the acidity which is why lots of the early ratings are so low. When I had it it had a nice touch of peach with nearly perfectly-balanced sour character. A real treat.

750 ml bottle. Golden cloudy beer. Very sour smelling, with lots of malic and citric acid over a massive fresh peachy aroma. The peach is pronounced and very fresh smelling (considering the age of this now). Strong acidic tartness, fresh peach, honey and light vanilla. Crisp and refreshing with lots of late juiciness. Awesome stuff… why they can’t make stuff like this anymore is beyond me. Bottle shared with beastiefan2k, gotmos, notalush and apoptosis. Golden slightly hazy beer. Beautiful fruity aroma with peach/apricot of honeyed sweetness as well. Some other melon, cherry, and strawberry fruit notes. The flavour is a wonderful combination of sweet and tart, fruity berries along with creamy tapioca/melon sweetness. Soft tartness and sweet spicy wildness. Faintly lactic with a hint of barnyardy character. More full-bodied than any other lambic I’ve ever had, but it’s still very nice. 8 3 7 3 14