Dogfish Head Immort Ale

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Milton, Delaware USA

Serve in Snifter

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UPDATED: DEC 5, 2004 Bottle: Pours copper/amber color with a small white head. Clear with tiny rising bubbles. Raisins, bubble gum, alcohol, maple syrup, apple, orange, oak, and some earth notes fill the nose. I really like the mouth feel of this beer. It feels light and watery yet syrupy at the same time, difficult to describe. You can tell the difference in carbonation from the use of champagne yeast. Points for that. The alcohol is very well hidden in the taste as well. There’s a smokey earth taste (peat) similar to scotch, sweet syrupy vanilla and maple, medium roasted malt, some acidic taste from the oak, and biting alcohol from the juniper (slightly reminds me of gin at times). This is a very sweet, malt dominated barley wine with many unique and interesting qualities. I’d like to rate it higher because it possesses such different and unique flavors but it simply isn’t as good as say Old Horizontal. It is good though and well worth trying. 1997 bottle sampled 12/4/04: This beer really matures nicely. Aroma has port, grapes, grain, molasses. Taste: sweet grapes, carrot, vanilla, oak, grass, alcohol. After tasting this aged, I will definitely plan on buying some and letting it sit in the cellar.

36cl, American brew, with Maple syrup, thx to AdamJackson!, complex brew, sweet/woody and slightly fruity/alcoholic, not too heavy, balanced, clear, small head, very good brew

Rating a 2008 bottle consumed in 2012: Cloudy light brown with a thin tan head. Pronounced oak in aroma, accompanied by pit fruits and vanilla. Flavor is fruity (plum, grape) and mellow, with semi-sweet, lightly woody finish. Somewhat lively palate. Quite nice. For the purpose of comparison, a 2011 bottle is slightly hazy copper-red with a very thin tan head and minimal carbonation. Aroma is lightly peaty with candied cherries and cough syrup. Flavor of cherries, syrup, peat, smoke, slight alcohol. Peaty, scotch flavors really come through as it warms. Thick, oily, and nearly flat. The two years are remarkably different. Side by side, the 2008 bottle is superior - the mingling of oak and fruit is really nice.

Clear golden amber with no head. The aroma is fairly sweet and has a good amount of grains, with light vanilla and alcohol. Flavor is smooth and mellow, similar to the aroma, with nice warming. Pretty tasty.

Complex beer, beautiful amber aperance with fruty and earthy aromas. Taste is intesne with strong alcohol component ( toomuch for me) long lasting aftertaste

from notes: Lacking of any head or hop notes when poured. dark and sweet ale. Slight hint of the Belgian yeast, but not overdone. Syrupy, sweet, earthy, woody. Better than Olde School. The lack of hops surprises me, coming from Dogfish.

Bottle from trade. Aroma had a distinct, white wine quality, in addition to the sweetness. Flavor included a malty, sweet backbone and a bit of alcohol burn. I suppose you could hold onto this one for a while to even out the palate. Damn good beer though. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

been sitting on this for at least 18 months. I remember the other 3 of the 4-pack being much better fresh. OK smoked aroma but the flavor doesn’t hold up. a mish-mash with little distinction and the smokiness has become ashy and oxidized meaty.

Couldn’t find a date on the bottle, but my notes say I received this in 2010, sampled 5/7/2012. Pours a deep copper color with a decent sized tan head that persists for a good long time. Smells of caramel and toffee with hints of smoke, dark fruit, sweet malts, a bit of earth and a touch of alcohol. This certainly has an English feel to the nose. The taste is where it all falls apart. There’s a tartness upfront that seems out of place. Some sweet burnt sugary malts come in next but they are quickly overpowered by a peat smoked phenol that I wasn’t expecting. A touch of alcohol and a sweet tart mix of fruits linger long after every sip. Medium body with a moderate level of carbonation and a sweet tart kind of mouthfeel going on. It smells a whole lot better than it tastes that’s for sure. I don’t remember disliking this when I’ve had it before, maybe it just doesn’t age well or its in its funky years. Well I just read the bottle and it makes a little more sense now. Smoked malt, juniper berries, vanilla, maple syrup, English and Belgian yeast. Its still a bit weird in flavor!

Bottle from total wine sterling. Pours brown with a half an inch of white head that leaves a fair amount of lacing. Slight maple and vanilla notes on the nose. Fairly smooth mouthfeel. Very drinkable. A lot smoother than beers of this style typically are. Nice digestif!

Bottle from RamyG4. Pours deep amber slightly hazy and has a tight soapy khaki head that dissipates to a wispy film and foamy collar. Aroma is strong fruity notes and esters with caramel malt and woody notes. Taste is more fruit and roasted malt and caramel with noticeable signs of oak and peat. Palate is full and sticky slick with a chalky dry finish. Nice Barley Wine!