Dogfish Head World Wide Stout 2001/2003-Present (18%)

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Milton, Delaware USA

12 oz bottle: 2007 version: Aroma is big on roasted malt, caramel, plum, somewhat of a grainy bready note, and some nice hop backing to it. Appearance is pitch black with a thin tan head that lingers around for quite a while. Taste is really big on the roasted malt, then the alcohol burn going down the pile. Other flavors include chocolate cake, caramel malt, and almost has a chewy texture to the actual brew. Mouthfeel and palate are vibrant when in your mouth then simmers down to a nice malty aftertaste. It’s got some hops in there as well. Overall, It’s warming to say the least on this frigid Michigan night. Good stuff, a little overpowering with the alcohol but definitely worth the 6.99 price tag.

Really wonderful experience. Drank at about 65, and it pours with a 3 quarter inch head and is quite dark, but not fully opaque. Great body and quite sweet. The alcohol is very masked and is very smooth. The only thing that disappoints me is that I have a homebrew that is quite comparable minus the abv.

Very similar to their 2002 version, pours a three finger light tan head that fades soon leaving some lace. Black color. Heavy bodied and medium carbonation. Nose is molasses and alcohol. Flavor is sweet molasses with some alcohol, more intense as it warms, finish smooth not cloying. If there is an imperial barley wine this is it. Expensive, $7.99 for a 12 oz bottle from Tullys Beer and Wine Wells, Me.

[Bottle] Pours a deep hazy brown/black with a medium tan head that slowly dissipates. Aroma is a little bit of soy sauce, malty sweetness, some roasted barley, and a touch of dark and bittersweet chocolate. Flavor hits mostly with the soy-saucy flavor, which is a bit of a bummer. The mouthfeel is extremely smooth and rich, and the 18% feels closer to 10%. Overall, the soy sauce character detracts too much from the beer.

Very unique brew. Pitch black pour with virtually no head, though you can tease one up if you swirl enough. Aroma of raisins, chocolate, alcohol, smoke. Flavor is very sweet, with vanilla, chocolate, raisins, some small hop signature, maple syrup, smoke. The alcohol is present in warmth only, though it is probably responsible for the sweetness. Smooth as can be, with plenty of legs. Definitely one of a kind.

certainly packs a punch with the alcohol. Has a black licorice base with solid stout elements layered on top. Great brew for how strong it is.

2007 Bottling. Thick opaque black with a dark caramel-colored rim. A thin, fine, quickly-dissipating dark tan head. Very viscous--leaves a thick coating on the sides of the glass when swirled. Sweet aroma of dark caramel, molasses, and bittersweet chocolate with syrupy alcohol draped around everything. Candied dark berry fruits follow with a burnt sugar and roasted grain edge along with a hint of the Indonesian sweet soy sauce kecap manis in the background. Finally, French roast coffee wafts through with alcohol aspects that are somewhat mediated by a subtle creaminess. Flavorwise, this beer is sweet. That’s its thing. This is definitely a dessert beer--as the port wine comparison in the description alludes to. The sweetness is balanced out by a significant alcohol characteristic that onlya beer with this substantial structure could keep in check. Lots of smooth bitterness in play here as well from both hops and roasted malt. This drinks like a brown sugar cordial. The body is giant with thick, mouth-coating sweetness that is superbly cut by the suberbly balanced (for its strength) alcohol along with the bitterness. This is rich, decadent, immensely flavorful--the quitessential dessert in a glass.

Draft @ GABF. Pours pitch black with thin dark tan head. Aroma of sweet dark fruits and faint coffee. Very complex flavors with molasses, coffee, soy and chocolate. One of the best Imp Stouts I’ve had.