Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

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

Pours nearly stout black with a mocha head. Very wood like aroma. Tastes highly roasted with chocolate woody flavors blending with a thick alcohol taste. Aftertaste sits thick on the tongue. Very big beer. Reminds me more of smoked porter than American strong. Aging one to try later.

Bottle 12oz. - Poured dark brown with small tan head. Aroma - rich dark chocolate, what must be Palo Santo wood, raisins and booze....Very nice!!! Flavor - Dusty woodsy chocolate taste mixed with nice balance of alcohol. Definite sipper with high ABV., finishes with roasted almond taste and slight alcohol burn! Palate - medium/full bodied with velvety texture. Average carbonation, finish is smokey and lingers a bit. Overall - Kick Ass brew, Tastes more like a stout or brown ale but still a fantastic beer. One of DFH’s best brews!!

Aroma: Sweet and slightly alcoholic Appearance: Dark, deep brown Flavor: I was really expecting to get a very strong woody flavor, but was pleasantly surprised to get a nice chocolate creaminess. The alcohol wasn’t too present despite being 12% ABV. There’s also a subtle hop finish. Overall, it has a very similar flavor to New Holland’s Dragon’s Milk Ale. (A good thing in my book.) Mouthfeel: Medium thickness and viscosity. Coats the mouth nicely, but doesn’t leave your chest burning. Overall, it’s a surprisingly drinkable beer: creamy, hoppy, and packs a punch. Palo Santo ranks as one of my favorite Dogfish brews, though I wouldn’t quaff it often.

12 oz bottle, pours dark and opaque like a stout with brown head. Aroma is intensely alcoholic with prominent roastiness and maltiness. Taste is bitter and you notice easily the 12% ABV. Balanced out somewhat by the sweetness and maltiness toward the end of the drink. Body is very full and overall is a satisfying drink. Good strong ale.

This is a great one DFH. The pour is dark with an off white head...maybe a finger’s worth. The nose is booze, chocolate, nutty. The taste is sweet malt, wood, raisin. Great one DFH.

Quite unique. Pours thick black similar to a stout with a thick chocolate colored head. The aroma has hints of booze swimming in chocolate, coffee, and dark fruits. Tasty dark roasted malts, vanilla, dark fruits, and molasses stand out. The flavor changes as it warms with notes of coffee becoming more pronounced. Goes down very easy for 12%, I was amazed. Lots of complex good stuff going on here and I like it, a lot.

12oz 2/17/09 - Banana is the first thing I noticed at the crack of the cap. Dark black pour with a thin, tan head. Not much of a nose, licorice maybe. Vanilla and booze on palate with a burning astringency at the end. Good but it seemed really out of balance. I’m not interested in a retry.

Served from a bottle into a tulip. A: Little head, though it clings well to the glass. A soft brown head, almost cappuccino colored. Very dark in character with red and light brown hues around the edges. S: A musky smell is in the foreground with a lot of burnt malt scents accompanied by a caramel fragrance. Smells boozy as it warms. T: There is an initial balance of banana and caramel with a very robust smoky component. I’m also getting a sweeter pumpkin spice aftertaste with vanilla. M: Very thick for a brown ale (reasonably thick for a porter for that matter). Medium carbonation helps this brew attain a creamy quality. D: Considering the abv this is a highly drinkable brew. I think the mustiness of the beer detracts from this slightly, though the sweet aftertaste brings you back for more!