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9991
OVERALLStyle
Serve in Snifter

bottled
common

on tap
common

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RATINGS: 512   WEIGHTED AVG: 3.92   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."


5
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 20/20
GreatLibations (1797) - Last Supper, Arizona, USA - NOV 30, 2011
Wow, a lot of verbiage up there. This beer really speaks. Pulin’ out the TRUMP CARD on this one. Just fantastic in texture, classic color and lingering pancake. Soft and creamy to touch. A big roast compliments the sweetness balancing this beast.

5
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 20/20
byonush (2) - Connecticut, USA - DEC 19, 2011 does not count
I love this beer. I can’t say much more than that other than it is just great.

5
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 20/20
rruhl1981 (24) - medina, Ohio, USA - APR 22, 2012
Bottle poured dogfish sniffter, color is dark dark dark brown nearly black with a milk chocolate colored head, aroma is rich in chocolate and coffe notes with hints of honey, the flavor is a chocolatey delight with coffee hints, thick and rich with a satisfying aftertaste

4.9
   AROMA 10/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 20/20
matty (30) - Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, USA - OCT 10, 2010
22 oz. bottle. Pours black in color with a thin tan head that disapears quickly. Chocolate/roasted aroma. Thick mouthfeel, has a roasty taste with a touch of chocolate. Slight sweetness from the honey? Roasted coffee aftertaste. Very good.

4.9
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 20/20
Saga (10) - Pennsylvania, USA - DEC 2, 2010
One of the best stouts I’ve ever come across. Though anyone who has seen the "Brew Masters" episode featuring this beer can attest that its not exactly true to style. However, the nose on this beer is impeccable (roasty, coffee-like), the flavor is delicious (an earthy chocolate with a hint of vanilla), and the finish is long with a subtle warmth. Combined with a viscous, resiny body, and a smooth mouth feel, this is something that will never disappoint--unless it comes to finding a bottle! Let’s hope that Sam decides to do another run of this fantastic brew. If you can find a bottle please do yourself a favor and pick it up. You will not regret it.

4.8
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 10/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
BillZav (22) - Sarasota, Florida, USA - JAN 16, 2011
Dogfish Bitches Brew (Dogfish Head Craft Brewery; Milton, DE; Russian Imperial Stout; ABV: 9.0) is as smooth as the late jazz legend, and pours a jet black color. There’s notes of honey and dark chocolate complimented by dark fruit, roasted malt, and gesho root with a hint of smokiness at the finish. While I liked it on tap, I found that drinking Bitches Brew from the bottle, slightly chilled, captured the true essence of this stout. The alcohol presence wasn’t as noticeable as other imperial stouts, so Bitches Brew is quite easy to drink. http://www.billysbeerblog.com/2010/09/bl

4.7
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
robgibbens (301) - Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA - NOV 24, 2010
aroma: nice coffee and caramel aroma. appearance: extremely black with a nice thick brown head. taste: slightly bitter with a sweet creaminess. It’s not overpowering and just begs to be drank. palate: creamy smooth with a nice bitter finish that lingers overall: i was excited about this beer after watching Brew Masters and it does not disappoint. You can taste exactly where the honey takes the sharpness off the stout to smooth it out. I’ll have to go buy some more for aging!

4.7
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
obxdude10 (1831) - Pottstown, Pennsylvania, USA - JUN 15, 2010
What an amazing imperial stout! This bold beer pours a pitch black color with a generous brown head that leaves a ton of lacing around the snifter glass. I was fortunate to sample this epic stout on draft at the pub in Rehoboth! The nose has some hops to it, but also quite a bit of dark roasted coffee and dark chocolate notes. The body is fairly thick, but drinkable. This is definitely a sipping beer; one to be enjoyed over a long period of time. The flavors are absoutely delicious, with lots of roasted coffee, cream, milk chocolate, dry hops and earthy malts. The finish is dry, with more chocolate and roasted coffee, with a slightly more hops. This is definitely one incredible stout!

4.7
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
yesyouam (976) - Fairport, New York, USA - NOV 29, 2010
Dogfish Head Bitches Brew is a dense, opaque, brown-black beer with a thick, foamy, brown head that has outstanding retention and leaves thick sheets of lacing on the glass. It has a huge, boozy, roasted aroma with notes of chocolate and smoke. It’s full bodied and very smooth and soft. The finish is quick, dry and tidy. The flavors are bound very tightly. Smoke seems to be the most prominent. There is a slight flash of sweetness and a tanginess throughout the taste. It seems almost salty right before the finish. The aftertaste is bitter and kind of sharp. A dark, grainy flavor lingers. I can taste the tej up in my nose. This is a really solid imperial stout and the addition of tej gives it a unique signature. I bet it would go well with some injera.

4.7
   AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
jstraw (1211) - Chicago, Illinois, USA - DEC 4, 2010
Draft at Jerry’s. Black with big, foamy, chocolate milkshake head / Herbasceous nose of tobacco, coffee, and chocolate / Full body, chewy and thick, with great balance and dry, bitter, finish / Flavors of tobacco, weeds (gesho root), dark roast coffee, unsweetened chocolate, and dry hops / A treat.


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