Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Milton, Delaware USA

12oz Bottle. Thanks Sylvia and Fran! Interesting musky vinous nose that carries a far amount of sugar cane char, a deeper edge of chocolate and some light notes of almond and fig. Dark and spicy. There are distinctly new and enjoyable flavors here, but they’re a bit hard to pull out. Pours a dark purple-brown, with a froth in tan. Flavor is sweet, but not cloying. There’s a lot of vinous tannins, some wheaty malt sugars, and a nip of fig pudding. Dark. I really pick up a brisk, bitter edge of hard roasted chocolate. The alcohols don’t kill, but they give a good punch. Then come the peculiar aspects of the wood. Earth, plants, humidity, and some blood. Vibrant. An interesting thoughtpiece that’s quite flavorful.

A very warm, stoutlike beer, with hints of chocolate, licorice, molasses, toffee, hazelnut and vanilla. This has big barrel written all over it. Portlike, slightly sweet, with a dry finish.

12 oz brown bottle with no bottled on date. Appearance: Opaque and black/brown. Almost no head and a slight lace of tan foam around the edge. Nose: Soy, dark-roasted coffee beans, a whisper of smoke or heavy fresh cream. Smells almost stout-like. Palate: Very little carbonation. Candy sugar is immediately noticeable, licorice, bitter coffee, umami (soy sauce), moss, herbal notes as if I was in an herb shop like lavender and dried teas. There’s also notes of cola and dried wheat stalks. A slight fruitiness is on the finish and fights with the coffee and soy and moist wood notes. I also think of this "Alternative smoking blend" that I bought at an herb store that may have contained mint, sagebrush and mugwort. Notes: This beer is uber-complex on the palate, and it feels like it’s harmonious although somewhat random. All of the flavors are competing for center-stage, but it’s not disjointed. It’s like they all share the limelight and take their proper turns. This is perhaps the most complex beer I’ve ever tasted and I’m Wow-ed by it. Two pints way up!

Bottle. Finally got my hands on one after reading one of Sam’s many articles. Aroma was sweet dark fruity, almost portish. Poured a nice dark brown almost stout like in profile. Flavor was sweet, port like malts and coccoa. Palate was smooth and warming. Overall I liked it very much.

Draft @ Capone’s Dec ’08: Poured a dark brown color with a tan head. The aroma was sweet malts, chocolate and alcohol. The flavor was tasty, with chocolate, caramel, dark fruits, roasted malts, and toffee. Overall, one of my favorites from DFH.

12oz bottle. Almost black with a small tan head. Sweet and boozy aroma with chocolate, berries, and vanilla. Smooth and woody flavor with a light roast, sweet caramel and vinous fruity accents. Full and smooth, with a bit of warmth in the finish, but overall very well concealed alcohol. This was great stuff.

Color is a near black brown with light carbonation and a tight dark brown head. Aroma is a sweet malty scent with a roasted back tone. Taste is rich and sweet. Starting with a bold medium body it goes down with a heavy rich feel. Finish comes in sweet and toasted with caramel and vanilla then a raw oak like taste comes in. After taste is a little sharp as the wood taste comes out more and the alcohol show. Overall this is a good brew, its big and bold.

Pours with very little head. Good carbonation. Very rich with great complexity. A surprising amount of flavor and very enjoyable with no hint of its gravity.