Dogfish Head World Wide Stout 2002 (23%)

Formerly brewed at Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
Milton, Delaware USA

Soooo much alcohol in the taste. What a rush. Nice floral and vanilla smell, so appealing. Taste sends alcohol up through your nose like a shot of rum. Not as complex or as good as the 18% version, but quite acceptable. You can tell a lot of work went into producing this fine stout. A classic.

didnt pour very dark..it actually showed some red..absolutely no head..aroma was port winish..the flavors were super heavy alcohol and port wine..some sweet plums...sweet banana liqour..its a big big thing here..its almost too big, and its sticky sweet..its a sipper..its not nearly as enjoyable as the 18% which actually was a stout..this is no stout..

Very similar to the 18% but slightly dryer. A little more vinous quality. Roasted flavors are not as evident as in the 18%. But I LIKE THIS BEER!

perfectly opaque beer with an extremely short-lived head. aroma is a big alcohol slap in the face! some coffee and chocolate in there, but the overall nose of this beer reminds me MUCH more of a wine than beer. with a little aeration, i picked up some apricot-like notes. the fruit aromas are there but are undermined by the alcohol, as soon as i think i have an aroma recognized, bam, the alcohol moves in. flavor is dominated by prunes and coffee initially, but oops, there it is again, the alcohol. i wouldnt have guessed this beer at 23% alcohol, but once you smell and taste it, you know it's high. i have one extra bottle and think it would be a waste to drink it anytime soon.

Chocolatey malty hints among ripe fruits and of course, ALCOHOL. Vinuous and spiced, with hints of plums, dates and guess what, alcohol! I can understand the phenomenal status of this beer as it still is a beer, and very much one at that. I know that if I can drink a brew that is 23% alcohol by volume and still taste BEER that in itself is amazing. There's not much else to put this up against as far as by style alone. Sure you've got that whiskey like quality, but who doesn't see an appropriate situation for a glass on the rocks at the right time either. A great, sweet, raisiny finish.

I’m rather torn on this one, so I end up in the middle. Strong alcohol aroma, sometimes warm and port-y, sometimes harsh and solventy. Flavor is sweet and then alcohol takes over. Not much in the flavor department. Carbonation is quite nice, low, but persistent, with a crater of bubbles in the center of my glass cascading to the top for the entirity of the glass, and the slow alcoholic burn on the tongue and lips is quite pleasant, (much like drinking whiskey) The warming effect of the alcohol on me was also quite pleasant. My main gripe is that there was very little in the flavor department. I expected (and hoped) for dark fruits and plums, but the flavor for me just went straight from sweet to alcoholic. I will give this another chance, (as I bought two) but am very curious whether or not it will develop flavor, and if there is any point to laying some down for a few years.

1st half of bottle : A fierce alcohol pendulum swings steady throughout as ashes, bananas and plums gravitate around...With belligerent oppression, it rules the day just like most clocks do with our lives...A thin, feeble simulacra of the 18%... 2nd half of bottle : A galvanic chocolate cream, emboldened by a now philanthropic alcohol, churns the palate to revival and, very soon, fondness...Prunes emerge, macerating in a sticky treacley bitterness, to offer sanative care and aphrodisiacal heat...A utopian world with no hierarchy...Rating is an average of both glasses...

Pours black with a small brown head that disappeared in a few minutes. Aroma is chocolatey and cookie at the beginning, but as you inhale deeper, the alcohol pops out and stings you. Flavor is ... wow. Brown sugar beginning, waning to red grape, and finally turning to sweet (not abrasive) alcohol. Finish is of burnt sugar and caramel. Not nearly as alcoholic tasting as I was expecting. A very fine dessert beer for those cold winter months.