Bland straw-clouded moderate-bodied Berliner Weisse lacks proper malt thrust as washed out tart peach souring falls victim to skimpy lemon candied pucker. Frail white breaded yeast skulk under-whelms. Perfumed citric finish picks up parched cranberry acridity.
All posts by John Fortunato
DOGFISH HEAD FESTINA LENTE ALE
Prohibitive mouth-puckeringly harsh peach lambic ale begets vinous Belgian gueuze acridity. White grape esters and cider-y souring provide eye-squinting tartness confirming acidic lemony dryness. Musty leathered horsehide illusion invades Chardonnay finish of dismissive hazed golden oak-aged pungency.
DOGFISH HEAD CHICORY STOUT
Organic Mexican coffee palate becomes drier, less creamy as toasted barley-hopped black-hued stout drains. Roasted chicory and peat give carbolic bitter its earthy appeal and transient sourdough nuance fades just as licorice root finish commences. Serve to Sapporo Dark fans.
DOGFISH HEAD CHATEAU JIAHU
Sinewy yeast clouds coppery honeysuckle-glazed eccentricity. Floral chrysanthemum-lavender embrace gathers up-front Sangria, Muscat, and pinot grape esters, beckoning peach-tangerine ripeness and surreptitious lemon-limed orange-grapefruit smattering. Subsequent peppery hop prickle absorbs vinous white wine acidity, obscure herbaceous tuck, and latent gin-like juniper nip.
DOGFISH HEAD BURTON BATON IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE
By blending oak-aged English pale ale with brewers’ malt-soaked 90 Minute I.P.A., prominent rum raisin jut tranquilizes sticky cotton-candied mango, peach and maraschino cherry ascendance. Candi-sugared maple sappiness and floral-hopped rigor add scrumptious depth. Beneath, vanilla, sugarplum, and bruised orange careen nutmeg-pecan adjuncts to headily medicinal bourbon-cognac finish, settling to abrasively metallic alcohol aftertaste. Perfect nightcap.
DOGFISH HEAD BLACK & BLUE
Unassumingly heady pink-paled ruby-hued 10% alcohol ‘malt beverage’ ineffectively combines black raspberry with blueberry puree. Result: bitter blueberry-cranberry-boysenberry undercurrent nips at overripe blueberry-raspberry sweetness, causing negative vinous phenol souring to dislodge fruity frontage. Ultimately lacks overall depth, complexity, and resilience of brewer’s exquisite Red & White.
DOGFISH HEAD AU COURANT
Appreciable black currant-blueberry-raspberry juiciness inundates startlingly complex Belgian golden ale. On second passing, cherry soda vibe perks sugary malt overlay, bruised orange continuance, and honeyed undertones.
DOGFISH HEAD APRIHOP
Enticingly full-bodied copper-toned India Pale Ale offshoot scours dried apricot palate with embittered orange peel zest to deep-grained bottom. Sharp fruity hop signature gains perfumed floral timbre and ethyl alcohol rigidity while complex finish allows tobacco, tealeaf, and hay notes to resonate beneath.
DOCTOR DIESEL LAGER
Opaque yellow tint, funky horsehide-fertilizer nose, and dry piney mouthfeel initiate covert 6.9% alcohol indulgence. Sugar malt caress, honey wheat passage, and carbolic citric hop mildness dent hard-watered texture on second passing.
DOCK STREET PALE ALE
Creamy barleymalt-fronted pale ale ultimately lacks body, as unassuming off-dry graining and paltry fruited backing will appeal to amateurs only.
DOCK STREET ILLUMINATOR DOUBLE BOCK
Lustrous ruby amber doppelbock arouses cereal-grained brown-sugared caramel malting with port-burgundy-rosé wining to fig-spiced prune-dried chocolate-covered raisin conduit of mighty fine digestif. Floral hops subsidize black-peppered coriander-cinnamon-curry speckle, medicinal pureed cherry trickle, and pecan-marzipan-walnut tease.
DOCK STREET BOHEMIAN PILSNER
Sweet fruity aroma brightens perfumed hop spicing and spruced citrus tranquility, maintaining softly textured bitter-grained red ale effervescence reminiscent of Harpoon’s brews. Friendly, eager, middle of the road fodder.