RateBeer
Score
10093
OVERALLStyle
Serve in Snifter

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution

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RATINGS: 719   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.93   SEASONAL: Special   IBU: 38   EST. CALORIES: 270   ABV: 9%
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COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the original release of Bitches Brew, Miles Davis’ 1970 paradigm-shifting landmark fusion breakthrough, we’ve created our own Bitches Brew - a bold, dark beer that’s a fusion of three threads imperial stout and one thread honey beer with gesho root, a gustatory analog to Miles’ masterpiece.Featuring the album’s iconic artwork, created by the late Mati Klarwein, on its label, Dogfish Head’s Bitches Brew will be unveiled at SAVOR, An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, June 5, National Building Museum, Washington DC. Haven’t experienced the Bitches Brew album? Two 40th anniversary editions of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew -- a Legacy Edition and a deluxe Collector’s Edition -- will be available Tuesday, August 31. The newly created ale is designed, according to Dogfish founder and president Sam Calagione, "as the ultimate partner for chili or spicy curry chicken" and best enjoyed "sipped cool, not cold, from a snifter or red wine glass while listening to the Bitches Brew album." Calagione was drawn to the alchemical spirits in Bitches Brew right out of college, acquiring a copy of the album "within months of the first time I brewed a batch of homebrew in my apartment in New York City. I listened to it when I was writing my Dogfish business plan. I wanted Dogfish Head to be a maniacally inventive and creative brewery, analog beer for the digital age. You could say that my dream was to have Dogfish Head, in some small way, stand for the same thing in the beer world that Bitches Brew stands for in the jazz world. You can imagine how excited we are to be doing this project 17 years after I wrote that business plan." "There’s a spirit of innovation, of creativity and individuality, thats at the core of Miles’ music," said Adam Block, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Legacy Recordings. "Sam and Dogfish Head approach their art from the same place and consequently the marriage is an easy and cool one." Dogfish Head and its "off-centered ales for off-centered people" were the subject of "A Better Brew," an article in The New Yorker (Nov. 24, 2008) examining the rise of extreme beer. "Beer has lagged well behind wine and organic produce in the ongoing reinvention of American cuisine. Yet the change over the past twenty years has been startling," wrote Burkhard Bilger. "Dogfish is something of a mascot for this unruly movement. In the thirteen years since Calagione founded the brewery, it has gone from being the smallest in the country to the thirty-eighth largest. Calagione makes more beer with at least ten per cent alcohol than any other brewer, and his odd ingredients are often drawn from ancient or obscure beer traditions. It is to Budweiser what a bouillabaisse is to fish stock."


most recent ratings

3.9
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 18/20
jsquire (2957) - St. Marys, Ohio, USA - MAR 22, 2013
So I drank this with a friend who had the record "Bitches Brew" on vinyl. Not my favorite Miles Davis record, but pretty good when I was already drunk and drinking this beer. Dark beer with a thin beige head. Big sweet fruit nose. Molasses sweetness with dark dried fruit, Belgian candi sugar, some spice and yeast. Nice beer.

3.4
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 2/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 14/20
HoppyBrewnette (5) - - MAR 22, 2013 does not count
Dry finish,Coffee aroma. Sweet. Light start, mocha finish. Little bit of a bark/ dirt taste. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

4.2
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 18/20
conway (570) - - MAR 20, 2013
Pours black with a nice khaki head. Aroma and taste are roasted malts and honey. Incredibly smooth. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

4.2
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
Ed5388 (521) - Forked River, New Jersey, USA - MAR 18, 2013
750ml bottle. Pours a pitch black thick liquid with a small mocha head that quickly diminishes. Aromas of dark roasted malts, some dark chocolate, black coffee, a little sweetness. Taste is dark roasted malts, chocolate, some coffee, boozy with some medium bitterness, and a little sweetness.

3.7
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 14/20
gripweed57 (319) - Hamilton Square, New Jersey, USA - MAR 15, 2013
25.4 ounce bottle. Opaque black liquid topped by a small bubbly tan head that disappeared quickly. Rich espresso roasted malt aroma with notes of bittersweet cocoa and toasted nuts. Bittersweet roasted malt tastes like espresso mixed with chocolate syrup. Notes of earthy malt and spicy hops balance this Imperial Stout. The gesho root adds a peppery nuance. There is an underlying smokiness as well that adds a complexity to the overall flavor.

3.8
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 14/20
JDBaker11058 (922) - Maryland, USA - MAR 15, 2013
Appearance: near black, with one finger of creamy, thick milk chocolate-colored head. Aroma: roasty, with dark espresso and bitter chocolate predominant. Taste: coffee, chocolate, and slightly burnt pumpernickel toast. Finish: smooth and creamy, yet bitter, dry and roasty. Notes: Balanced and delicious, you’d never know it was 9% abv. Another winner from DFH.

3.6
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 14/20
Jamesthebrit (47) - Greenville, South Carolina, USA - MAR 9, 2013
A: Pours thick and black. Little head retention. S: Very light in smell. The subtlest hint of coffee/chocolate. Otherwise little to offer. T: Surprisingly light but very well balanced. Hints of coffee and chocolate. Alcohol is well masked. Too light for me. P: Sits with a medium/heavy body. Carbonation is not aggressive at all. Very nice. Overall this beer is sort of a mystery to me. It looks like it should be big and bold but it drinks surprisingly light. A little thick on the mouthfeel but very light on flavors. I don’t know if I care for it.... solid execution and admirable balance but.... there just isn’t a lot there.

4.2
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 18/20
redpooba (374) - New York, USA - MAR 6, 2013
This is awesome. The beer is so dark it absorbs the light in room. The aroma is a rich dark mahogany. The flavors are deeply complex with mellowed wine and unsweetened chocolate. The high alcohol is well balanced by the strong body and then makes the finish warm. Thank you for this beer.

3.9
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 15/20
radio_nowhere (417) - Maryland, USA - MAR 6, 2013
Bomber into over-sized snifter glass. Rich very dark brown color with thin dark tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, chocolate, coffee, licorice and a slight soy sauce note. Taste is more dark roast coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, dark fruit, ash and honey sweetness. Full body, rich, thick, oily with lasting roasty finish. Not sure what gesho adds to this but it works. Good beer.

2.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 5/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 9/20
Odysseyalien (19) - New Jersey, USA - MAR 3, 2013
I don’t know why but the only Dogfish Head brew that I really like so far is the 120 and I’ve tried a number of them. I went into this one with an open mind but just couldn’t finish the glass I had poured. For the calories and alcohol, there are tastier options out there for this style of beer. I poured the rest down the sink.


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