ceffalo (38), , Texas, USA Nov 20, 2008 Poors a deep golden brown color with a thick, foamy head. Aroma is a lot like that of a Rochefort 10. Very pleasant. 10% abv.
Moderate vanilla over beer flavor with a slight bitterness kick back. Easily better than the Breckenridge Vanilla Porter, which is my closest comparison by flavor. Dogfish Head appears to specialize in subtle flavorings and they don’t disappoint with this beer. DuffMan (2723), the land of bitumen, beef & beer, Alberta, Canada Nov 18, 2008 GABF 2008. An incredibly original take on the IIPA style-- rich heavy malts of burnt sugar, caramel, maple, vanilla (like a creme brulee) complimented by lushious tropical fruit hop flavours (lychee, passionfruit). Big, big flavours that, for me anyway, seemed in perfect balance. Beardface (977), Eugene, Oregon, USA Oct 30, 2008 Very oaky and floral in the smell and taste, with hints of vanilla and some alcohol on the back end. A little bitter but mighty tasty. riversideAK (2650), Shoreline, Washington, USA Oct 30, 2008 Nose is comprised of notes of woody oak, vanilla, and some floral. A touch of alcohol and some sweet malts. Pours copper with a decent fluffy head that lasted a long time. Flavor is pretty earthy with notes of pine and light citrus, and super sweet caramel malts all cut and subdued by oak and vanilla. Alcohol is somewhat hot, body is pretty malt heavy, and some dry bitterness lingers. couchand (182), Iowa City, Iowa, USA Oct 24, 2008 Burton, an almost clear copper, pours a good straw head. It has a light sweet aroma, somewhat herbal hoppy. There is also a significant caramel note and a little biscuit. I can also detect a bit of alcohol on the nose. Ethanol itself is not volatile, so you cannot smell it. A beer smelling boozy indicates the presence of fusel alcohols, a byproduct of warm, high alcohol fermentation. It is fusels that cause really painful hangovers.
Right at first you notice both a prominent bitterness and a strong sweetness. This beer is thick, and its sweetness is cloying, probably from the use of a large percentage of caramel malt. The oak certainly also adds sweetness and vanilla. The hop flavor is herbal and grassy.
I think perhaps the oak and the hops are competing too much in this beer. The hop flavor is too earthy. They would be better off using a lighter, more delicate flavor hop. jarspag (593), Los Angeles, California, USA Oct 23, 2008 Bottle way back on 4th of July. This continues my disappointment for Dogfish Head IPA’s. Considering its 90 min blending, that might tell the story. too malty, really not an IPA, but really just average after all the work put into it. hapjydeuce (765), Del Mar, California, USA Oct 23, 2008 Sampled at the 2008 Great American Beer Festival. The dogfish head booth was slammed with folks trying to get Theobroma, so I opted for this. Appearance is close to an English brown ale. Some oak wood shows through the heavy dry-hop character in the aroma. Spicy hops dominate throughout the flavor, with some nuances of sweet toffee. Very enjoyable. thickfreakness (130), AUSTIN, Texas, USA Oct 21, 2008 Pours a slight burnt amber color with a nice beige head. Aroma is peppery oak, slight citrus hops, orange rind and candied malt. Flavor is a nice combination of the oak, candied malt, lots of pepper and citrusy hops. Slightly syrupy in mouthfeel yet extremely tannic and dry from the oak. For some reason, I wasn’t expecting much but this beer is pretty good.
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