GRADE: A
What can you say about Dogfish Head Brewery? This legendary craft brewery has been around since 1995 producing genre-breaking, quality beer that has received critical acclaim across the country. Led by the charismatic Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head, in my opinion, is the poster child of the craft beer movement. Humble beginnings to craft beer rock stars, doing their way every step of the way.
As I was perusing my local beer shop a few weeks ago, I noticed a few 4-pack of this beer, Burton Baton. According to the label, the beer is a blend of two "threads": an English-style old ale and an imperial IPA. That blend is then placed in a large oak tank and sits for about a month. Very intriguing! And to add to that, the label boasts that it "ages with the best of them"! I'm in! I bought two 4-packs to see if was worthy of the hype.
Appearance: A hazy, amber/copper color with a lofty 2-3 finger head. As you can see from the picture above, it looks pretty darn SEXY in that tulip!
Smell: VERY hoppy, citrus notes. Some sweetness (caramel? malt?) and a touch of oak. I can definitely smell the alcohol as well (10% ABV) but it is not overwhelming.
Taste: The first thing I taste are the hops. That classic IPA hop-forward flavor, piney and citrusy. As is goes down, I catch some malty oaks flavors with a pleasantly bitter aftertaste that cuts the sweetness nicely. As it warms, I get more oak and malt. The flavors transition VERY nicely and no one flavor dominates the other. Perhaps it's the blend of the two "threads" of beer?
Mouthfeel: The carbonation is perfect as most IPAs need a bit to give it some life. It is also very creamy, perhaps as a result of the malt and oak. As it warms and the carbonation dissipates a bit, it takes on more of a barleywine feel in that it makes you want to sip it more. I found myself swishing it around my mouth more and more towards the end of my glass.
Overall: Great news! Dogfish will now release this beer YEAR ROUND!! If you find some, buy it IMMEDIATELY. If you have room to store, cellar a 4-pack for next year. This beer makes my wait for their Squall IPA more bearable. A fantastic beer that I will be enjoying many times over the course of the next year.
As I was perusing my local beer shop a few weeks ago, I noticed a few 4-pack of this beer, Burton Baton. According to the label, the beer is a blend of two "threads": an English-style old ale and an imperial IPA. That blend is then placed in a large oak tank and sits for about a month. Very intriguing! And to add to that, the label boasts that it "ages with the best of them"! I'm in! I bought two 4-packs to see if was worthy of the hype.
Appearance: A hazy, amber/copper color with a lofty 2-3 finger head. As you can see from the picture above, it looks pretty darn SEXY in that tulip!
Smell: VERY hoppy, citrus notes. Some sweetness (caramel? malt?) and a touch of oak. I can definitely smell the alcohol as well (10% ABV) but it is not overwhelming.
Taste: The first thing I taste are the hops. That classic IPA hop-forward flavor, piney and citrusy. As is goes down, I catch some malty oaks flavors with a pleasantly bitter aftertaste that cuts the sweetness nicely. As it warms, I get more oak and malt. The flavors transition VERY nicely and no one flavor dominates the other. Perhaps it's the blend of the two "threads" of beer?
Mouthfeel: The carbonation is perfect as most IPAs need a bit to give it some life. It is also very creamy, perhaps as a result of the malt and oak. As it warms and the carbonation dissipates a bit, it takes on more of a barleywine feel in that it makes you want to sip it more. I found myself swishing it around my mouth more and more towards the end of my glass.
Overall: Great news! Dogfish will now release this beer YEAR ROUND!! If you find some, buy it IMMEDIATELY. If you have room to store, cellar a 4-pack for next year. This beer makes my wait for their Squall IPA more bearable. A fantastic beer that I will be enjoying many times over the course of the next year.
Another terrific review, Roger! You, Marc and I need to meet up and down some of these beers some time soon. Show me that there is a world a beers out there beyond Tecate, Yuengling, and Modelo Especial.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
Thanks, Steve! Yes, we must meet up in NYC soon. There are some great bars serving some pretty amazing beer nowadays. Let's make a plan for February...
ReplyDeleteHope to see you soon!