As such, now that I have relocated, beers are becoming, as cookies did for a certain monster overly fond of them, a sometimes food. Gone are the days of drinking five or six different beers at ReBar a night, or racing to drink a gallon at Fette Sau before realizing I'm competing alone. Now, we'll be looking at, at most, one bottle of a craft beer a week. I'll be posting regular reviews, as though some of you don't care, it will give the blog a certain regularity previously only achieved with fiber.
As for my reading, I'm three weeks behind, and even further on reviews. I haven't given up, and am fortunate enough to be taking a flight Monday morning, on which I'm sure I can kill two Hard Case Crime books. Did I tell you? I found my first one I'm unimpressed with. More on that coming soon.
Tonight's beer:
Palo Santo Marron by the Dogfish Head Brewing Company
Long one of my favorite brewing companies, the people at Dogfish Head are Adventurers first, brewers second. Or also first, as second makes it seem like they are less successful on that front. Never content to rest on their laurels, these guys continually pump out new product, some of it so limited that if you miss it, you're not going to see it again (or, if you're lucky, you may see it the following year). They're the guys who make the 60-minute IPA, the 90-minute IPA, and that disgustingly sweet, amazingly hoppy, ridiculously alcoholic beast of a beer, the 120-minute IPA. They have seasonals such as Raison D'etre, Aprihop, and their delicious New Orleans-inspired Chicory Stout. In addition, they like to innovate, and occasionally discover new (and old) ways to brew beverages, and instead of writing about them on their blog and saying, "How interesting, the ancient Chinese malted these herbs," or, "The Babylonians apparently used Honey in this recipe," they actually go ahead and do it. Sometimes the results are spectacular (Jiahu), sometimes, less so (Midas Touch), but they're always trying, and they're always getting me to try with them.
This latest release from them is a dark brown ale aged in the largest wooden barrels made since before Prohibition (10,000 gallons). The wood, however, is what's special. It's a South American wood traditionally used in winemaking, and it imparts a complex vanilla bean and burnt sugar flavor to the beer. It must sit in there awhile being fed sugar, because it also weighs in at 12%ABV. At $5.00 per bottle, it's not easy on the wallet, but it's not meant to be. It's a sipping beer, in the way there are sipping bourbons, and you're not going to want more than one, unless you're a defeatist. If you see it, pick up a bottle. You won't regret it.
Next Week: Dogfish Head Immort Ale (the store had all new Dogfish seasonals, how could I pass up? If they disappear, they're often gone forever!)
1 comment:
i can never get a hold of any micro dog fish brews.
lucky bastard.
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