Dogfish Head Black and Blue

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: Fruit Beer
Milton, Delaware USA

on tap @ papago. hazy amber color with a pink shade to it and a thin off white head which quickly fades to a ring. it smells very fresh somehow... aromas of belgian yeast, banana like fruitiness, wheat, sweet grain and a light tartness. the flavor is mostly sweet, yeasty and alcoholic. there are notes of caramel, something spicy and a lightly tart dry blackberry like finish. medium body with lots of energetic carbonation.

Bottle: Poured a very nice semi dark brown color with a thin off white head that kinda sticks around. Sugar and hops are predominant in the scent. Taste is of unripened (tart) fruit and a hint of alcohol.

Bottle. Very clear rose’ wine color; almost pink with a fleeting head. Spicy sweet yeasty smell with berry fruits. Sweet berry, spicy yeast flavors with hints of burnt rubber tannins.... Basically a mess of a high alcohol fruit beer here, it didn’t work for me.

A hazy red raspberry color with fine sediment and a quickly fading pinkish white head. Blackberry aroma is dominant accompanied by subtle floral hop overtones. Some malt is detected. Medium bodied and average carbonation. Definate blackberry, dark berry flavor, but offset somewhat unequally to the bitterness of the hops(almost like the taste of a cherry pit). The finsh is a soft peachy fade out, with little detection to the alcohol.

My review from cvillebeergeek.blogspot.com.

Appearance: Wow... this looks remarkably similar to the Red and White, but with no floaties and somewhat less head retention. 4.5/5.0

Aroma: Kind of underwhelming. The blueberry definitely comes through in the aroma. Also some generic berry, cotton candy and a very faint sourness. Everything seems just a little bit artificial. 3.0/5.0

Taste: Also a little underwhelming. Very sweet and acidic. Blueberry, raspberry, cherry, green apple, banana and alcohol. Sort of like a fruit salad in a glass. A fruit salad that will mess you up! Still, despite all the different flavors, the beer doesn’t meld well. 3.0/5.0

Mouthfeel: The acidity burns a bit, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A little bit of complexity, but not much. Very thick feel, almost syrupy. Perhaps this would be good on pancakes! 3.0/5.0

Drinkability: I have about 700 mL to go, and I don’t relish the thought. It’s probably a sipping beer, and as this beer is also 10% alcohol by volume, it’s definitely not something you’ll want to drink quickly. 3.0/5.0

Overall: 3.30/5.00. If you’re really jonesing for a fruit beer, you could probably score yourself a New Glarus Belgian Red via trade for as much as this one costs, or if you’re feeling adventurous, explore the exciting world of lambics. I appreciate Dogfish Head’s effort here, but unlike the Red and White, this one comes off just feeling kind of contrived.

Bottle: Nice dark amber color. Small white head that faded quickly. Aroma is fruity along with spices. I could not pick up on blue or blackberries. Taste is blackberries and lots of carbonation. There is also a small amount of spice. Texture is medium. Not a bad or good beer, but I would not buy it again.

Bottle. Head is initially small, frothy, off-white, mostly diminishing. Body is light red. Aroma is lightly malty (toasted grain, cookie), lightly yeasty (cobwebs), with light notes of alcohol and grape/berry jelly. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Medium body, watery/syrupy texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. Ehh...another simplistic and overpriced novelty beer, methinks. Just nothing compelling here, and overly sweet-and-boozy. Difficult to drink. Kinda sad.

On tap @ Papago Brewing in Scottsdale AZ. Beer is a copper color with a smal white head. Aroma of fruit, spices and maybe a little yeast. Flavor of malt, blueberries, a little yeast. Interesting beer, but not my cup of tea.