Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

Bottle. Dark brown, almost black pour, a little carbonation and strong aromas brown sugar and raisins and booze. Flavor was tobacco, vanilla, smoke and warming alcohol on the finish. Decent beer, with a good blending of flavors to cover the strong ABV. Glad I tried it, but I probably won’t go looking for it again.

Tap @ Monster B’s. Man, this is a strong beer. I like this beer because it is one of the few strong beers that tastes creamy. Strong maple syrup aroma. Near black body with dark brown head. Kinda tastes like raisans and bourbon. Good get.

Bottle. What a great (and intense beer). I’ll get right to it. The bottle pours a very deep brown, the thickness makes it look almost black. It pours smoothly and almost looks like oil. There is a very very slight hint of an almost white head, but it really just makes a ring and definitely doesn’t stick around. The flavors are fantastic, great wood essence and vanilla. The taste reminds me (very fondly) of those great beers which are aged in whisky barrels. Considering the ridiculously high ABV, the beer is surprisingly smooth and hides the alcohol rather well. The carbonation is very low, there are a lot of bourbon-scotch flavors in here especially as it breathes. I’m very glad I was able to find this beer, if anyone out there sees it on the shelf it’s definitely worth picking up.

on tap at toronodo in san fran. malty. Strong brown ale. 12 percent alc. holy tamole peggy sue

12 oz. bottle. For a brown ale it pours like a stout. So brown it is almost black. There isn’t much light getting through this baby. Deep and complex in the nose. Vanilla, wood, alcohol, molasses, fruit, date, fig, and maybe a touch of perfume. No real head on it, just a tan crown around the rim of the glass. Medium-low carbonation with a heavy, sticky mouthfeel. Full bodied doesn’t cover it. It is closer to a syrup. Boozy date/fig flavors with wood notes on the palate. Also tastes of caramel, roasted malt, and a fruit taste I am having a hard time placing. A certain medicinal quality emerges half way through. It develops an earthy, scotch like character as it warms. Considering the alcohol content, the alcohol is reasonably well hidden. The finish is a lingering boozy fruit with hints of wood. A very interesting take on a brown ale. Potent stuff that should age well.

Smells like molasses and Band-Aids, which is less than appealing. Tastes sweet and syrupy and not as nearly alcoholic as the label suggests. Reminds me of dark chocolate. Pretty good, but I don’t know if the Palo Santo is very distinguishable.

Draught. Poured dark brown with a thin tan head. Redolent of strong wood, dark fruits, slight chocolate and coffee, even a little note of banana. Flavor was also enjoyably wooden, banana-vanilla, chocolate, dark fruits, raisin, dark fruits, all very earthy. Palate was full bodied but not viscous and ended with a little alcohol. I love bourbon and I love this.

On tap at the Ginger Man, NYC. Very dark - tastes like what might happen if you ran a good beer through the Jack Daniel’s distillery. I’m no fan of weak, wimpy beers but drinking a pint of this would be next to impossible for me. Obvious alcohol character - not at all surprised to see the 12%. If you like bourbon, this is a match made in heaven for you.