Friday Beer O'clock Selections

 

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale – Friday Beer O'Clock Selections 9-10-2010

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This weeks Beer O'Clock Selection comes from Dogfish Head Brewers, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Given that we are beyond Labor Day here in the States, marking the popular end to another summer, the fall seasonal brews are finding their way to the shelves. This week's Selection is a seasonal spicy pumpkin brew - "Punkin Ale" (yes, that is spelled correctly)  :)

ABV: 7.0%

Appearance:

This beer poured with nice creamy head at about one finger before slowly withering to a consintent smoot coating across the surface leaving smooth lacing along the sides. Color is a beautiful clean light brown / copper. In the glass there is a nice crisp clarity and lots of carbonated bubbly action.

Smell:

WOW! This smells So good! Right up front is a mixture of sweet nutmeg, pumkin, and spice. Reminds me of Mom's sweet pumpkin pie, only in a glass. I can just pick up some very slight hops in there too.

Taste:

This is the part I was waiting for... And...
Not what I expected. But not necessarily a bad thing. Pumpkin and roasted barley all the way through. Sweet and spicy up front with Brown Sugar, Malts, and nutmeg dominating. Cinnamon and all-spice come out in the middle and play nice while the back brings it all together with some hoppyness. The finish is slightly bitter at the back of the mouth and the alcohol really comes out here as well. In the end, more sweet and spice than pumpkin in my opinion.

Feel:

Overall it is pretty smooth with a little bit of a bitter carbonated bite. Has a nice hearty medium body and a warming alcohol feel that comes out in the finish.

Drinkability:

I can't see throwing more than a couple of these back at a time. It's a nice, warm your gut kind of brew to enjoy on a cool night but I had some trouble getting past the sweetness and, warming alcohol at first.

Overall:

In the end, I did like this. Full of flavor, decent balance, and nice body. It's not a session beer and I'd likely only have one or two in a sitting anyway. It's good, but I did feel a little cheated after the pour and the amazing smell.

Filed under  //   Ale   Dogfish Head   Seasonal   flavored   pumpkin  
Posted September 10, 2010 by Ed Stafford 
 

Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA - Friday Beer O'Clock Selection

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This week's Beer O'Clock Selection is Dogfish Head's 90 Minute Imperial IPA.

Available year round, this is considered "perhaps the best I.P.A. in America" brewed to be savored from a snifter.

From http://www.dogfish.com:

A big beer with a great malt backbone that stands up to the extreme hopping rate.

90 Minute IPA was our first continually-hopped beer, which is a method of hopping that allows for a pungent, but not crushing hop flavor. Since introducing the world to the continual-hopping method with our 90 Minute IPA, we've since released a continually-hopped 60 Minute IPA, 120 Minute IPA and even a 75 Minute IPA (a cask-conditioned blend of 60 & 90 Minute IPAs).

In addition to the continual-hopping 90 Minute IPA receives during the boil, we also utilize our 'Me So Hoppy' device to dry-hop the beer during conditioning (check it out in the video below).

First Impression. This is my first experience with the Dogfish Head brews.

Apearance:
This brew rolled into the glass with a brilliant amber/copper color forming a 2-3 finger head with good retention. Turbidity is on the lower side providing a nice clean view through the glass.

Aroma:
It presents a nice sweet malty aroma with hints of citrus and lots of hops. Mmmmmm..

Taste:
It has some weight to it and I'd call it somewhere on the high medium bodied end. Bitter hops and sweet malts are balanced nicely, and the 9% alcohol is nicely hidden, but I pick up a little bit more acidity that I'd like to.

Flavor overall is pretty hoppy, but well balanced and much bigger that expected from the initial aromas. Finish is a little dry and slightly bitter, but well done.

Overall:
It's a winner. I like this one and look forward to trying other brews from Dogfish Head.

Filed under  //   Ale   Dogfish Head   IPA  
Posted April 2, 2010 by Ed Stafford