Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

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

Deep brown black with mild chocolate head. Sensational aroma of malts, light woodiness, caramel, toffee, and a strong presence of vanilla. Complex flavors of toffee, caramel and vanilla roll over the palate. Stunning symphony of tastes. Moderate roast malt. Dangerously drinkable as I would hardly reckon the ABV is more than 6.5% though it is stated at 12%. Superlative craftmanship.

12 oz. bottle, gift of Nate. Pours a lovely Mocha colored head, short duration, minimal lacing....over a totally opaque black body....nose of vanilla, coffee, molasses, caramel.....taste is initially sweet malting, then coffee, chocolate with a bitter hop finish....wonderful chewy, sticky sweet mouth feel....complex and well balanced...an utterly gargantuan brew.

Pours very dark, almost black impenetrable brown with about 5mm dark tan head. Aroma is full of alcohol and roasted, biscuity malts The flavor is much better than the super high ABV Dogfish beers I have had lately - it is still sweet, but there is plenty of roastiness going on too. The flavor goes through four distinct phases - sweet malt, roasted malts, that meadlike component that is in all the DFH beers I have tasted lately, and finishes with very nice roasted bitterness at the back of the tongue. Mouthfeel of this one is mildly thick and warming. This is a good roasty beer, but I’m not sure the Palo Santo wood was worth the effort.

12 ounce bottle purchased at Big C Liquors Orlando, FL for $4.00 Very good!

wine and alcohol taste suspended in a heavy barley flavor like soy sauce. good body dark with small head this brew is like wine it is strong in character with a hint of cherry and it is at all not sweet.

Bottle at Oliver Twist, Stockholm. Lot of roasted aromas. Tastes of wood, hopps and roasted malts. It has a dry/tart feel to it and the alcohol is well hidden.

Looks like ink - actually very, very dark brown with barely any wisp of head. Actually a very light tannish head around edges of snifter. Aroma of sweet wood, molasses, perhaps dark plum and cherry, vanilla, roast and some alcohol. Mouthfeel smooth, almost silky. Very, very lightly carbonated. A touch sticky as it warms. Lacing consists of very fine light tan bubbles and a fine syrupy film that both melt away quickly. Flavor is initially quite chocolatey with some roast. As it warms each sip is a little different. Flavors of molasses, vanilla, wood - but not oak, chocolate, coffee roast and dark plum all make appearances at different times. Ventures a slight bit into Imp Stout territory but a little less harsh than many of those can be but at the same time probably not as complex. Some sips were marred by a light grassy finish, others were not. A little hot in finish. Might be interesting to see this with more age. Bottled on 2/11/08 and cellared for 8 mos.

This is one strong ass brown ale. This will knock you down and step on your face. Just like the 120 minute IPA does. Almost no bitterness. The sweet roasty maltness is there. Drink it on Xmas eve when you dont have to work tommorow.