Tag Archives: DOGFISH HEAD BREWERY

DOGFISH HEAD BREWERY – MILTON

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MILTON, DELAWARE

Standing head and shoulders above all their fabulous Delaware competition, DOGFISH HEAD BREWERY is the long-lasting brainchild of highly respected and dutifully diligent brewmeister, Sam Calagione, a worldly zymurgist whose capacious Milton-based complex continually expands to meet international demand for his luxuriously ‘off-centered ales for off-centered people.’

In a multifarious art-deco New World designed complex just off the beaten path in rural colonialist Victorian haven, Milton, the incomparable Dogfish Head compound contains a roomy brewpub, bottling plant, red-bricked warehouse and several large grain silos. A rust metal treehouse sculpture with winding steps guides privileged customers to the laithe wood-fronted tasting room (with several barrel tables, a quartz-countered bar top and large exposed ducts). A food truck serves bratwursts, but will convert to Cuban sandwiches, Curry Chicken Salade, Reuben and chili menu June ’16.

On my pleasurable mid-afternoon April ’16 venture, I sampled two previously untried elixirs, one enhanced fruit ale and a cask version of one fabulous milk stout.

Firstly, stylistically superior Firefly English Pale Ale delivered oats-sugared Maris Otter barley malting to dewy peat earthiness, grassy hop astringency and floral lemon drops, staying mildly creamy to its mossy finish.

Next, approachable Alternative Takes #1, a sharp piney fruited Imperial IPA, parlayed its tropical pineapple, papaya and passionfruit adjuncts into lemony grapefruit-peeled orange rind bittering, leaving a distant apricot tea remnant.

By upgrading Dogfish Head Aprihop with mango and ginger, the resulting apricot-dried Imperial IPA really gains vigor, from its syrupy peach sugaring, honeyed melon sweetness and cantaloupe-juiced mango tang to its mellow herbal-hopped scamper and bitter grapefruit respite.

For dessert, the lactic coffee bean-enhanced cask version of Chicory Stout hit the tongue softly with its lightly creamed dark-roast coffee entry, heavenly milked espresso undertones, roasted chicory influence and peat-smoked innuendo.

During January ’20 revisit, consumed four brews available onsite only (as of this date).

Rustic light-bodied pre-Prohibition lager, Corn Stalker, allowed oats-dried maize astringency and cereal-grained barleycorn grist to pervade lemon-rotted hop bittering.

Peculiar sour IPA, Kernel Haslet, let bacterial brettanomyces funk soak into lemony perfumed white grape esters, dry lime zest and tangerine snips over its corn grit adjunct and oats-flaked pilsner malting.

Delightful Medieval Dutch-styled Koffee Koyt utilized pilsner-malted white wheat and lemony Hallertau hop musk to back up its light-roast Guatemalan coffee tumult as well as cocoa-shelled Madagascar vanilla beaning.

Heavenly Knob Creek bourbon brought light oak-charred bourbon vanilla sweetness to dry whiskey tones for Assemblage, a barleywine-stout mix draping dark chocolate syrup upon tertiary maple syrup, burnt caramel, toffee and espresso nuances.

On a clear sunny Monday in November ‘ 21, revisited mammoth microbrewer to try five newly designed elixirs.

Rustic clear straw Czech-styled pilsner, Blue Hen, brought barley-husked spelt, alfalfa, maize and wild oats to lemon-peppered Saaz hop herbage in a damp earthen manner.

Crisp Bavarian pilsner, So Flo, brewed at Dogfish Head’s Miami brewery, placed dainty floral-spiced lemon herbage alongside wet grain musk for light-bodied splendor.

Summery fruit ale, Tango Crush, let briny mango souring and tart tangerine zesting gain lightly embittered lemony grapefruit and orange zesting over silken pilsner malt base.

Centrist hazy IPA, Replicant, gathered ripe grapefruit-seeded orange and pineapple bittering for mild piney hop resin above gentle pale malts.

Cold-brewed milked coffee expanse guided Istanbuldozer, a mocha-laden milk stout with mildly creamed black chocolate, dark cocoa, nutty espresso and spicy toffee illusions.

www.dogfish.com

DOGFISH HEAD BREWERY – REHOBOTH BEACH

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REHOBOTH BEACH, DELAWARE

Year-round beach resort, Rehoboth Beach, with its one-mile boardwalk, featured sundry boutiques, galleries, gourmet restaurants, and renowned brewpub, DOGFISH HEAD BREWERY (open since ’95 with bottling plant in nearby Milton). Three blocks from the ocean, Dogfish Head was absolutely packed upon two-day November ’07 quest.

Using converted dairy tanks for brew kettles, this row house-styled restaurant-saloon had quaint hop-vined beer garden with side entrance leading to 25-seat right bar, mid-size dining space, convertible left stage, wood-fired stove, ceiling-hung canoe and loft level with rum, vodka, and gin distillery plus billiards tables. Manager Jason Weissberg presented two non-bottled brews for premise consumption.

Firstly, tangy orange-centered, grapefruit rind-soured, floral hop-embittered, candied malt-thickened Fed Ex Mild. Then bourbon-burgundy-etched Baltic Porter, a superb full body, matched sticky wood-smoked tar-embittered molasses malts, pureed cherry-raisin-prune tartness, and sweet whiskey whir to black chocolate-y French roast coffee finish. Bottled selections could be found in Beer Index.

During April 2016 dinner revisit, tried 2014-vintage 18% ABV version of Dogfish Head Raison D’Extra, a richly creamed pureed raisin elixir that gained a crystalline brandywine likeness above the prune-stewed chocolate sweetness and mild cognac elegance.

Brought the wife and dog to Dogfish Head January ’21 to taste seven more previously untried variants as night fell at the covered wood-tabled side patio.

Sessionable ‘super gose,’ Super Eight, combined dry tropical fruiting with Hawaiian sea-salted toasted quinoa herbal graining, bringing lemon-limed prickly pear, mango, boysenberry, blackberry, raspberry, elderberry and kiwi juices to the delicate surface.

‘Approachable sour ale,’ Sultan Of The Aviary, anchored demerara-sugared pineapple to oaken cherry and raspberry rhubarb tartness, leaving sharp cinnamon spicing and slight botanical florality in the recess.

Herbal black peppered lemon spicing and zesty orange whims crept thru Re-Gen-Ale, a complex saison with pithy lemongrass, sage and allspice illusions dotting the banana rum-sugared honeyed wheat spine.

Laidback mimosa-styled champagne spritzer, Sunday Feels, sparked peachy orange tartness by spritzy lemon-limed green grape esters.

Tropical low calorie IPA, Slightly Mighty, a flavorful (despite meager 4% ABV) monk-fruited moderation retained spritzy lemony grapefruit bluster, tangy pineapple-mango salting, mild coconut whims, latent gooseberry snips and crisp cucumber watering above a delicate barley base.

Lactic cocoa-powdered Porter Pounder sidled dried milk chocolate tartness with vanilla-creamed pistachio, pecan and almond sweetness with fine resolve.

Bittersweet dark chocolate glazed Scorcher Selector, a Jamaican-styled Export Stout utilizing vanillin Tonga ginger to upend its walnut-seared hop char (and resembling a molasses-sapped gingersnap cookie at times).

During November ’21 sojourn, re-revisited Dogfish Head, Rehoboth, on a chilly Sunday at noon, grabbing seats on the covered left side beer garden to eat delectable perogies and crab-corn chowder while enjoying eight previously untried brews.

Dry wet-grained lager, Snappers For Buttons, let corny pilsner malts surface next to orange blossom honeyed florality as its herbal-hopped lemon spritz provided snappy fizz.

‘Toasty’ amber lager, Binoculager, let nutty sunflower, pumpkin and flax seeding gain peated whiskey tones as well as orange-oiled tartness and delicate peppery herbage.

Sessionable English-style pale ale, Firefly, retained a buttery citrus spicing for guava pureed coconut palm nectar above mildly sweet Maris Otter malting.

Tart session sour, Whoa, That’s Tangy, let salty lemon liming influence its tropical passionfruit, gooseberry and naranjilla pucker.

Fruitful Berliner Weiss, Daily Serving: Pomegranate & Blackberry, brought Concord grape tannins to blackberry-seeded pomegranate juicing before sour cherry and cranberry tartness contrasted sweet grape soda spritz.

A soft-toned double dry-hopped collaboration with Trillium, Tru-Action IPA allowed subtle lemony orange-peeled grapefruit rind bittering and passive pineapple tanginess to receive sharp piney hop insistence above delicate floral-spiced pale malts.

Another Trillium IPA collab, murkily hazy golden Double Past Present Pretzel, placed limey mango, guava and pineapple tropicalia atop pretzel-salted multigrain breading.

Lactic nitrogenated milk stout, Nitrochargedturboblaster, plied dry cold-brewed coffee to tarry black chocolate nuttiness for a relaxing moderation.

www.dogfish.com

DOGFISH HEAD 120 MINUTE I.P.A.

Incredibly complex turbidly brown dry-hopped India Pale Ale retains richer, creamier and boozier (12% ABV) flavor profile than less sophisticated competition. Enlivened bright citrus aromatics reach overripe tangerine-peach confirmation and Midori melon ball syruping. Deep-fruited malt sweetness attracts caramelized apple, cotton candy, and spruce tips stickiness before medicinal Grand Marnier finish blankets warm sensual delight. On 2023 reinspection, whiskeyed cherry, bruised orange, brandy, cognac and sweet rum illusions plus a fruited vodka cleanliness found its way to the caramelized center of this enormously entertaining strong ale!