Dogfish Head Burton Baton

12 oz bottle dated 01/09/07 that poured a clear copper with off white head. It has a sweet syrupy aroma of sugary malts, boozed soaked wood and pine hops hiding out in the back. The taste is sweet sugary malts that blend into a hint of wood. Then some light dark fruitiness mixes with pine hops that have been aged and softened. Toward the finish I get a sweetness sitting on the tongue and a mild pine hop bitterness that grows to a point of being just more than subtle. Into the after taste there’s a brief alcohol note and then a sustaining sense of oak. Odd tasting IIPA. Might be better aligned with the American Strong group of beers.

Sampled at D’Vines in Melbourne. Very rich and yummy beer. Hoppy aromas and textures. Overall the taste isn’t as defined as it could be, and I think the effect on the palate is most noticeable.

I probably went into this review with a slight prejudice. I love oak aged beers. Aroma was nutty, dark chocolate, mild coffee, but not very hoppy. Of course it had a large oak aroma as well as some vanilla. Small creamy head that disappeared. Flavor bordered on that of a barleywine rather than a DIPA. One can tell this is DFH beer - sweet. Almost too sweet. I’ve set quite a few aside to age for a year or two.

Slightly hazy amber, moderate head with decent lacing and retention. Aroma is lightly hoppy with some vanilla notes. Caramel backing with some more malt depth (wood). Sweet finish with a medium body. Not really like other IIPAs, too sweet for me to consider it one. More ’meh’ than anything.

Very clear apricot pour, nice white cap of foam. Big catty musk aroma, grape skin, overripe apricots. Very present peppery alcohol, but surprisingly delicate on the palate. Musty, mineral hop character. Nice beer, though it almost feels like it can’t quite decide if it wants to be a barleywine or an IIPA. I suspect it has the legs to make it lean pleasantly toward barleywine with a couple years’ aging. Bottle in the excellent company of Fin, Loz and Traci.

Bottle in the company of Doppelganger, Tracey and Loz. Poured amber with a stunning clarity, and a small white head. The aroma was very, very hoppy and defined. The taste was great with a slight mustiness ’Yeast’? and those hops were instantly there once again,. This tasted possibly a touch sweeter than expected and those hops tended to be more restrained than anticipated, but a lovely beer nonetheless and many thanks to Casey for a great evening with some superb beers.

This beer’s aroma was the only bad part about it. The flavor is a sweet bitterness that seems very dogfishy-off-balanced. This was a very enjoyable beer, one of their best. It has vanilla notes to balance out the bitterness. One of my favorites.

12oz bottle via trade poured a clear amber/orange color with a small off white head. The aroma was super sweet malt with some mild hops and oak. Taste was way too sweet for my taste with a weak hop bitterness and flavor. Alcohol was very tame, but not true to style.