Filed under: Dogfish Head | Tags: death by chocolate, hazy, jumping, knocks you over, long finish, overwhelming, rich, sipper, syrup, Syrupy, whack, wispy
Originally published on Published on: Sep 6, 2008 @ 2:55
ABV: 21 %
Calories: estimated at 300 C
Volume: 12 fl oz
Glass: Trappist
Purchased at: Circle Liquors Super Saver, Pennington, NJ
Price: $8.99
Consumed at: home
Former Impression: Wow. Knocks you over. 0-60 in 3 sips. The aroma fills the room with flowery hops. The malt is jumping. The bottle conditioning is a nice touch. I like a little haze in my 21% ABV ale (!). It’s syrupy with sweetness. It seems like a barleywine style, except for the IPA overtones. You are absolutely forced to sip and recover. The aftertaste is long, palate damaging, and delicious. I would find it hard to pair this with anything but the richest foods. This is the death by chocolate of hoppy beers. Thick yellowish head reduces to a wispy white foam with nice lacing. The reputation of this beer precedes it and it does not disappoint, though I thought I would enjoy it a bit more than I am, it simply whacks you over the head. It’s like trying to drink coke syrup. It’s exactly what I asked for, but as they say, be careful of what you ask for, they might serve it to you in a 12 oz bottle for 9 bucks.
Current Impression: It is the essential full bodied beer. There is no other like it, save for some Avery brews. It is overwhelming, delicious in very small quantities, and a force to be reckoned with. There is very little to compare to this collection of peach, cherry, chocolate syrup, hops bitterness, and mint leaves. Superb.
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I just tasted the same bevy a couple of weeks ago and was a tad more harsh on the overall assessment. I actually choked on the first draw. As a friend stated, “they did this to show that they could”. I believe that this is the case- push the limit but don’t expect any repeat customers.
I’m with you John on the 60-minute- it’s become my “go-to” bevy!
Comment by Jim Riggs 09/06/2008 @ 3:35 PMGreat to see you here, Jim! I owe you a few 60-minutes/ruinations/you pick it. This was a re-posting of a review I did on a different site (ratebeer) a while back — I was inspired to post it on Beercritic because I sampled it again last night, and while I still feel the same way in general, I do have a new appreciation of this brew. I have to say, if you treat it like bourbon, it’s easier to appreciate. I thought about the $7.95 12 oz bottle as though it were a flask, and it all made sense. Though I myself made less sense after I enjoyed it.
Comment by lemasney 09/06/2008 @ 4:01 PM