Dogfish Head Burton Baton

(on bottle) White head and a dark orange color. The taste is complex, but dominated by malts, plums and cookies(chocolate chip). The hops has a brief, yet strong intro in the taste, but is taken over by the dark malt and finally a late-finish almost port-like.

Well, this was at least unique. Pours caramel / bronze with a rich soapy tan head. The aroma has woody hops, caramel malt, citrus, vanilla, oak and a cotton candy sweetness. Medium / full body with some sharp carbonation. The taste starts out SWEET as can be. It is a mixture of cotton candy, cane sugar and corn syrup. Geez! Underlying there is some caramel malt and light spice. The sweetness does fade a bit further down the glass, but sweetness always dominates. The finish is quite astringent and has some hops showing through. The alcohol is also very apparent throughout. An okay beer, but I was overall fairly disappointed.

In short: Overly sweet mess of some kind (but not a IIPA by traditional definition)
How: 12oz bottle from Cathschlag (post-Cathschlag-couch moving mini-tasting)
The look: Cloudy dark-orange with a small beige head
In long: A bit buttery on the nose. Taste is sugary sweet, way too sweet, sickeningly sweet after only a few sips. Cotton-candy and hard-candy flavour. Gross vanilla, sugar-coated peach, whatever. Hops are barely present in this so called IPA. A big mess. This is supposed to be a blend made-up of 50% of their very good 90 Minutes IPA and 50% of some oak-barrel something. This blend just doesn’t work. If you cross a racehorse and a Golden Retriever you won’t end-up with an animal that brings back a dead duck very very quick. No, you’ll end-up with a little puke-ugly monster that can barely breathe and just begs to be shot.

The beer cascades from the 12 ounce bottle a slightly bemused orange amber color with a generous bright creamy white head that very slowly dissipates, leaving the lace to forms tight concealing curtain. Nose is filled with fruit aromas, banana, peaches, cumquats, (just kidding about the cumquats), pleasant oak like tartness, strawberry cotton candy sweetness also noted. Front has a delectable toasted grain profile with the vanilla tartness at the back, also, the alcohol, makes an appearance, top is medium in feel to the palate. Finish has perky acidity, the hop flowers spicy and the alcohol warms the tummy, sweetly dry aftertaste sticks mightily to the palate, this is a magnificent beer, oak-aged 90 minute ale, toasted malt, and the snap of the alcohol, “WOW”!

Tap at the Brickskeller, vintage ’05. Clear yellow-orange pour. Bright aroma of sweet cherries, maple syrup, toffee cookies, oranges. Lucid and simple. Hints of crisp sugary fluff in almond frosting and cake. Heavy and syrupy to taste; honey, whiskey, tropical fruits. Degenerates briefly into heat, metal, and chlorine, though these are mild enough so as to keep their disturbances from breaching the intended structure too blatantly. Lightly dirty. Smooth, full bodied, with low carbonation. Sweetness nearly overpowers, and restrains itself uneasily.

GABF ’07. Pours hazy dark yellow with an average, fizzy, off-white head, lasting with good lacing. Aroma is average malt (bread, meal), average hops (herbs, spruce), average yeast (horse blanket, earth) with notes of apple. Medium bodied, alcoholic texture, average carbonation, and a metallic finish. Average duration, light sweetness, moderate acidity and bitterness.

Dark copper in color. Aroma of oak, sticky pines. Tickling mouthfeel with smooth caramel notes and some date/raisin notes as well. Sweet and bitter finish.

Bottle: Pours a rich copper color with a small head and light lacing. Nose is subdued hops and caramel maltiness. Has that sweet carmelized barley wine scent. Tastes sweet citrusy with more caramel and a light woodiness. Light florals and a bit of raison. Very enjoyable. Thanks EithCubes!