Dogfish Head World Wide Stout 2002 (23%)

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

This reminds me of the first times I tried vodka as an eighth grader. The alcohol dominates every aspect of this ’beer’. From the second I popped the top to the first taste I could smell/taste the alcohol. Maybe my palate needs refining, but seriously this was a closer to Kahlua than a stout. It was sweet enough. Maybe the 18% I have coming in the mail will be better, I really hope so. Furthermore, I have loved everything Dogfish Head has come out with, but this is really not beer. I know I only have like a hundred ratings (as of 12.31.02)but even some of the other high alcohol content beers I’ve had at least had like 90% beer character. This is like beer flavored liquor. Why do people rate this so high? Are people afraid to rate this poorly? However, despite my ranting I still love Dogfish Head and this still helped me get loaded. Happy New Years!!!

Thanks to mojuck for this whopper of a beer! Pour is thick and pitch black...no head at all. Im tackling this myself, and at this point I am considering if this is a good idea. Aroma is of booze, caramel, chocolate and a bit winey. Flavor is nice...better than expected. Very hot, but nice roastiness balances. This reminds me of a rum ball. Body is thick and creamy. Very nice after dinner drink.

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.

SLightly sweet alcohol aroma. Sweet taste to balance the alcohol, but no where near a comparison with the 18%. More of a fortified wine, but still quite tasty from an incredible brewery.

On tap at tht Moan and Dove for their big Dogfish Head fest night. Very dark with light tan head. Flavor has elemets of coffee, wine, berry, cherry, alcohol. Palate is difficult, the alcohol begins to burn the tongue after a while. Yet this beer is still drinkable and somewhat smooth, if it is even still a beer at this point. Wow.

An (obviously) potent beast. The Jagermeister comparison is valid in many ways (color, flat head, density). The combination of sweetness and spice is oh so nice. It is impressive that Dogfish Head can make their huge beers (like this and 120 min IPA) much more than a novelty. The flavor and complexity here is truly astounding. No one element stands out. Unfortunately my body can’t handle too many sips to try to extract the individual goodies in here.

It’s a six pack in a bottle! Reminds me very much of Samichlaus, perhaps a bit thinner. Alcohol is well hidden, although seems to bring forth a warmth in your stomach. Hints of wood, chestnut, milk chocolate, molasses, roasted coffee beans and caramel. I noticed that my eyes stung with an alcoholic burn when I exhaled through my nose taking a sip....I thought it was funny. I think beers like this are sort of gimmicky and a $9 bottle of beer is a little extravagant, but it’s fun to try, and share with a friend.

(21% UK Import version) At last I have got my hands on this beer! Has a deep dark hue with a small brown head. Smooth chocolate malt nose with roasted coffee, toffee and hints of date and prune. Rich full bodied feel with most of the flavours following from the nose. Coffee, chocolate and a long lingering roasted malt finish. Slighly sweet. This is a fabulous beer that smells, tastes and looks great. The best thing is that despite its great alcoholic strength the flavour does not really suffer for it and it could just as well be a very normal 5-9% imperial stout. These guys truely know how to make a great beer and I hope to sample more like this. The only down point is the price, £6.99 for the 35.5cl bottle. I have bought a couple to age and will report my findings from these in a couple of years time.