Dogfish Head Burton Baton

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Milton, Delaware USA

Frost-hazed pure amber with minor carbonation under a full and slow-fading ecru head (leaving the latticework of an overweight spider). Low vegetals burn off to crisp toffee, tart grasses and ricotta cheese. (It may sound weird, but it’s actually quite mouthwatering to me.) Big, BIG sweetness to start. Wow. Sugar sweet. Hints of bitters and drier caramels behind, but this cloys beyond belief. Sugary/sticky mouth. Piney bitters in aftertaste albeit sugar-coated. 10% is well hidden (but to what effect?). If you have a sweet-tooth, grab this baby.... but I found it hard to down a 12 oz. bottle by myself.

<font size=-4>I bought a couple 12 oz. bottles awhile back from <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/ShowPlace.asp? Liquors, Chicago, IL 60638</font>

Spring ’07 12-oz. bottle. Pours a fizzy, cloudy, peachy orange with almost no head (although swirling the glass temporarily generates a nice creamy topping). Aroma is intensely malty and sweet, but with a bit of citrus and a definite smoked character - the best comparison is of ham candied with brown sugar. Flavor is similar but with more pronounced citrus notes, reminiscent of the 90 min IPA (for obvious reasons). This is indeed sweet but with some bitterness to balance and a very pleasant flavor. Mouthfeel is full and smooth, alcohol is hidden well beneath the intense and sweet flavors. While it is definitely not a session beer, and not as complex as say DFH’s Immort Ale, this is a unique and tasty ale, pushing the envelope on the style. ***Re-rate...2008 bottle: very hot compared to 2007. Lowered palate and overall and flavor ratings a notch accordingly.

Pours a murky orange colour with a medium off white head. Strong aroma of grapefruit hops and slight malty. Initial taste is a very sweet malt, syrupy, caramel. Finishing with slight hint of hops and oak. Alcohol is well hidden. A little too sweet for me.

Strong smell of hops dominates the aroma. Malty and chocolatey coffee also in the smell. Deep orange color with a light tannish white head. Good lacing. Very sweet in the taste. Don’t notice the alcohol too much, deep roasts in the finish. Very good however, maybe a bit less sweet would have been good. Slightly imbalanced. Very syrupy in the mouthfeel. Good overall, I’d drink it again. I actually really enjoy the sweetness.

Clear ruby/brown with little head. Sweet syrupy scents are balanced well by floral hoppy tones. This beer is syrupy smooth, honey sweet upfront and is bouyed by a quiet hop force toward the finish. Medicinal and lip-lickingly sweet, this brew’s (10%) deadly force is disguised well, and leaves the unweary drinker in its wake.

Coming on the heels of Avery the Beast, this is so tame by comparison. Just a regular ol’ Oak Aged Imperial India Pale Ale, nothing to get worked up about. I guess I can pick out a bit of that advertised oak character, but wouldn’t really know without being told. It’s oily-slick and syrupy-sweet, but so much more subdued than the Beast. In another context, this 10 percenter could kick your ass. This is like your Hulkster to your Andre the Giant. Script it right, and the Burton Baton could win, but in reality the Beast beats it down. At the same time, it doesn’t have the sickeningly cloying mutant-caricature quality of the Beaster. I’d go back to this one again first.

Poured copper with fluffy off white head. Aroma of sweet malt and citrus. Not what I expected. Big sweet malt flavor with hints of candy and citrus. Chewy. Way to sweet. Not what I expected at all. More of a mellow barley wine than IIPA.

Thanks to Juancho. No really what I expected from an Imperial IPA. Tastes more like a Barley Wine. Very sweet.