RateBeer
Score
9991
OVERALLStyle
Serve in Snifter

bottled
common

on tap
common

Broad Distribution

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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."


3.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 14/20
tgncc (1915) - Bellmore, USA - AUG 7, 2010
The aroma is roasty, cream, honey, spicy. Unique for this style. The appearance is a jet black, tan head, fair amount of lacing on the glass, but less than expected. The flavor is roasty, coffee, bitter chocolate. The finish is spicy, earthy hops, roasty. Slightly less than full in body, a little thinner than some impy stouts like DL and Bells, creamy mouthfeel. A little offbeat, and enjoyable.

3.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 14/20
beersnobchi (16) - chicago, Illinois, USA - MAY 28, 2012
Yea, I dunno. Definitely not my favorite Dogfish Head brew, though also not my preferred style. But I think that the concept of this beer is better than the execution. Slightly overhyped. Beautiful label work though.

4.2
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 17/20
BeerSensi (60) - California, USA - MAY 23, 2012
Pourde from the bottle dark brown with tan head. Aroma of hints of honey, chocolate, roasted malt and molasses. Taste is rich and complex.

3.1
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 2/5   OVERALL 12/20
adamjackson (276) - Canaan, New Hampshire, USA - MAY 20, 2012
UPDATED: MAY 21, 2012 Picked this up at the DFH Ale House on the 21st of January just after lunch. It was their last bottle and was used for display purposes only. Paid about $22 for it because the Ale House charges way more than they should for DFH beers.

A - Poured pitch black into the glass. 2 Finger coffee coloured head with big and tiny bubbles. It subsided fairly quickly. SRM of 70? Pretty much black.

S - Gigantic malt backbone. Huge coffee notes, honey, flowers, ginger and mild bits of dark fruits. Dry cherries?

T - Very sweet taste. Roasted malts, coffee and a very boozy burn in my chest. the alcohol is very noticeable.Mild chocolate and a middle of the tongue hop bitterness that took me by surprise.

M - 60% carbonation on the mouth swish. Heavy body (of course) and very high coffee malt finish.

O - This is a standard Imperial Stout. It’s good and the honey and coffee is nice but it’s a bit too spicy, maybe too fleeting in the taste after swallowing. It’s just falling short in some way. nice but not memorable.


4.6
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 19/20
BeerSquare (25) - - MAY 18, 2012
This is a great stout. I love the honey notes coupled with all the darker, choclatey, roasty flavors. I also love that there’s no "hopping up" of this one, as with so many new or modern "big stout." It has all the cherry / sherry syrupy goodness you want, and feels like a mouthful even if you just take a sip. I’m aging two of these in hopes of making it to 10 years on em. I figure they’ll be a suitable topping for ice cream at that point.

3.6
   AROMA 6/10   APPEARANCE 3/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
PhillyCraft (608) - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - MAY 10, 2012
Draft at Capone’s and bottles. Pours a pitch black obsidian shine with a thin amber laced head. Aroma of coffee, sour espresso, honey, lemon, roasted malts, brown sugar, chocolate, slight coffee and dry hops. Full bodied with a rich, thick, lucious palate. Sticky and smoky finish. Boozy on the tongue and through the chest. Very tasty, smooth stout. Great experiment in honor of the great Miles Davis.

4.2
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 18/20
jjgmd (295) - Coral Springs, Florida, USA - MAY 3, 2012
Pours as dark as a moonless night in the deepest depts. Beautifuk chocolate head. Taste is all flavor, roasty and malty, with chocolate and sweet fruit taste. The beer flavor lingers with some bitterness. A complex yet simple imperial stout, well worth tracking down if you can find it. A truly bad bitch of a stout. Quaff Score 9 /10

3.9
   AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
zgaier (291) - Coral Springs, Florida, USA - MAY 3, 2012
Pours pitch black with a brown head and aroma of roasted malt and alcohol. Taste is sweet, of roasted malt, chocolate, honey, and liquorice with a long finish and lingering alcohol. Great brew to honor the legend Miles Davis!

3.9
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 15/20
Onenote81 (901) - Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA - APR 23, 2012
Had this beer on-tap at the Flying Saucer in Charlotte on 9/23/10. Reviewed from notes. Pretty excited to see this on-tap, but it came with a bit of a price tag. $10 for a pint of this. Yikes. Hope it’s worth it. Came out an uber-thick pitch black. No light penetrance at all. Half-inch dark mocha head on top. Good lace left behind after each sip. Very rich nose on this one. Light herbal notes, alcohol, wine, chocolate, dark roasted coffee. The flavor was a bit different. Sort of an herbal, medicinal taste, with an odd aftertaste. Pretty sweet for what it was. Some milk chocolate, nutty flavors noted, but the finish was just odd. Creamy, thick mouth. Luscious. Drinkability was hindered due to the depth, ABV and odd flavored-finish. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t pay this price again for it.

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

4.2
   AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20
Kevster (293) - Bradenton, Florida, USA - APR 22, 2012
2010 Bottle: Pours a dark brown/black with a medium frothy tan head that is mostly lasting with nice lacing. Earthy aroma is sweet with hints of cocoa and vanilla. Flavor is creamy chocolate with a honey sweetness in the finish. Has a creamy texture and a mild dry finish. Well balanced and easy drinking. Delicious!


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