Talk about a beast of a beer. This sucker weighs in at a whopping 18% ABV. There is little doubt that it is stout in every way and that drinking two bottles in a short span of time would mess your world up. We’ve reviewed multiple Dogfish Head beers, and I am personally a very big fan of their stuff. Nothing they do is normal, which is reflected in their slogan “Off-centered Ales for Off-centered people.” Here is my review of this beast.

As you might have guessed, this is a pretty dark brew that the light can barely penetrate when the glass is held up; some touches of deep red were visible when I held the beer up to the light. The bottle I poured held a head for a pretty short amount of time.

The aromas were pretty alcohol-driven, as you might have guessed. Many have compared it to a port in smell, which is not an unfair characterization. I caught some raison-type qualities along with cocoa touches. There was also plenty of deep roasted, dark graininess to this brew, which was just fabulous.

As you might imagine, the alcohol warmth was very much at the fore. At times, it had a hard alcohol quality. Serious amounts of grain were also very prevalent–again, not a surprise. The nice dose of grains faded into a pleasant chocolate finish. Very little hops were noticeable on the nose and in the mouth. This is a grainy Stout beer. Some residual sweetness remained. I’m assuming that this comes from the fact that so much malt had to be used that residual sweetness was inevitable. The sweetness is not cloying, however. It’s rare that you see a beer with such a nice oil-slick top that actually gives the beer legs (to borrow some wine drinker’s terminology).

I’ve always thought that this was a serious beer for the serious stout drinker, and my opinion on that matter has not changed. If you should accept your mission to drink this beer, be aware that it is truly a beast.  I’m waiting on a few to develop and see where they go (stay tuned).

Mike’s Rating

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