Dogfish Head World Wide Stout 2002 (23%)

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

Very black. Very complex aroma of dark fruits, sherry, vanilla, chocolate and coffee. The flavour is extremely complex and powerful as well. It really fills your mouth well. The alcohol is very well hidden. If I didn't know, I would guess it was 12 or 13%ABV. After tasting all three World Wide Stouts side by side I think this one is the best.

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 dark brown ad flat. Smells and tastes roasty and chocolatey with lots of booziness and some dark fruity hints on the finish. Didn’t notice any difference between this and the 21% version.

Black. Brown head. Very potent aroma of wine, bourbon, cherries and wood. Rich flavors, very thick drink. Alcohol is covered suprisingly well, but this one is just too rich to drink the whole 12oz bottle in one sitting. RE-RATE: I must up the flavor and overall points. I "aged" this one quickly... basically let it sit out on my desk for 2 months... and holy crap did the flavors improve... rich, chocolatey coffee flavor and amazingly smooth.

Thank you, Torrence Liquors, for having a couple of bottles on hand! This thing pours out so black that it absorbs light. There’s no head or noticeable carbonation, just the occasional rumbling from the netherworld. The aroma is sweet dark malts, black coffee, burnt chocolate, raisins, prunes, dates.... The taste is an unsettling mixtures of the aforementioned flavors. They roil in the gut, settle down hesitantly, then quietly warm the body. The finish is a sticky, fruity, alcoholic affair. Great drink!

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*&^*%&$#@&*!!! Opaque with a touch of garnet on the edges. Minimal head as expected. Brandy, port, Dark fruit sear the nose. High octane with flavor. Alcohol is everywhere from aroma to finish. I do prefer the 18% a touch better, but this one bring high gravity to a different level.

Pours opaque black, very dark brown edges. No head whatsoever. Smells like port wine, but detectable hops with sweet malt and yeast. Very detectable alcohol aroma. Flavor is very sweet, warming when it goes down similar to wine. Alcohol is very present in every aspect. Every drink reminds you of how strong it is. This seems like a novelty drink, not something that would be bought more than a few times. Very zesty on the palate, lots and lots of alcohol. If served cold, the alcohol is not as strong, but the beer flavors in this (coffee, chocolate, all the main stout qualities) are very subtle. Better when warmed to around 55ºF, but the alcohol bites harder. This doesn't taste like an Imperial Stout, more like a Barleywine. Not for the faint of heart! I didn't care for it.

Pours very black and syrupy. Huge aromas of port, molasses, cognac, prunes. Tastes thick, malty, super complex, and alcoholic. Finishes with a heavy complexity that involves licorice, cognac, port, coffee, prunes, and molasses. A very nice beer, but at small quantities.