Dogfish Head World Wide Stout 2002 (23%)

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

Sampled June 2004: The difference between this and the 18% version is obvious. The alcohol is everywhere in this thing. That said its still a pretty good sipper. Intense aroma of raisins, alcohol, nutty, rummy. Black and oily appearance, minimum carbonation. Intense and heavy palate. Very strong alcoholic presence. Raisiny and acrid with strong burnt flavors. Alcoholic finish. Some chocolate or mild espresso, plummy, prunes or figs arise deeper into the glass.

Alcohol, candy, plums, mollasses, brown sugar, very sweet. Nose of port wine also. It couldn't really be any blacker, completely black with an initial head. absolute loads of hops up front, chocolate and alcohol continues light roast hidden in the sweet kick. Lots of a red wine flavor thats great.

Very, very dark brown appearance. Alcohol is first noticed in the nose, then meat and steak spice with some smokiness. Heavy on the malt and a touch of coffee. Body is incredibly smooth and quite roasted with surprising lack of alcohol bite. But boy do you feel this going down. Outstanding work for this ABV, complex and tasty, almost liqeurish.

I have been looking forward to this experience for a long long time. They actually have it in my liquor store in Chicago. I was dumbfounded. I poured it way too cold, and did not like the first sip...at all. I do not like port so much and that’s what this sent to my brain. Sickeningly sweet. I was ready to bash this stuff. Usually beer this sweet and barly rich has an intense cloy...but none here. Half a glass(12oz)down and the temp is more ap for stout. Once my plebian palette got used to it, it is quite good, much better than Belzibub(similar alc. heavy brew.) More like a beer flavoured port. Reason d’ Etra gone insane. I fear for the next few rating I am going to post.

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.

Black. Really black. Faint, fizzy, loud head dies quickly and we're left with still and oily-looking. Heady port-wine aroma, sweet, alcoholic, medicinal, cherry-licorice. Powerful and interesting, but maybe a bit much. Flavor, well, again the port and alcohol are dominant at the front; I really hesitate to describe this as "beer". Chemically, perhaps, but flavorwise? Vanilla is prominent later on, finishes very warming and deliciously smooth. I've had a fair amount of port and sherry, and I like this more than most examples of those wines; alcohol doesn't seem as strong as in a fortified wine either. Sweetness is really powerful at the end, nearly cloying, and that brings this down a bit from the 18%, but it is still damn fine stuff. I'm just glad I have a few more bottles of each for future occasions.

My first impression was that I didnt like it quite as much as the 18%. The alcohol was much more noticable, and it seemed like a barlywine/stout combination, rather than just a strong stout. Still, I was good, but like so many over the top beers, way overpriced.

This was the first giant beers I ever had and still one of my favorites. Poured black with a minimal tan head. Roasted chocolatey aroma, sweet and vinous. Flavor is sweet with chocolate, roasted malt, dark fruit, alcohol but not as much as you would think. That is what makes it so good that it is pretty damn drinkable and one beer and you are good to go. Full bodied mouthfeel.