Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

Another excellent beer from DFH. These guys can almost do no wrong. The aroma featured that trademark sweet, malty & yeasty nose, with a few touches of brown sugar, chocolate, raisins & bread. The beer poured an opaque & very dark brown color. It was almost black. The head featured a hue of dark tan & left some nice lacing around the glass. The body was quite heavy & even a little syrupy. The flavors were both sweet & savory, with notes of dark chocolate, sweet & bready malts, a hint of alcohol, dark roasted coffee, some bitter hoppiness & a touch of oak. This is definitely one complex beer. I was very disappointed a few weekends ago when I visited the brewpub in Rehoboth. I ordered one, but it never arrived. I learned later that they had just run out of it. But then I stumbled across it at my local distributor. I paid $72 for the case, but it is well worth it. This is a beer that you can enjoy one glorious sip at a time. This is definitely another winner from DFH!

Finally found this beer at the local liquor store, snatched it up quickly and made my exit. Been looking for this for a while. The pour... Holy crap, this stuff is darker than I first thought- pours like motor oil as the aroma fills the room. Dark, solid black with a thin head- one of the darkest brown heads I’ve yet seen on a beer. Leaves a nice lacing down the glass that dissipates over time. First smell, so many different notes that I have to take multiple sniffs. Aroma is of roasted coffee, vanilla beans, ginger, lots of wood, nuts. With a scent like this I can’t wait to taste it. First sip... very malty, a bit sour, lots of brown ale taste and some toastiness of a porter in there as well. Sweet notes, and a lot of spicy ground pepper feel on the finish that leaves the mouth a bit tingly. This is a fantastic experience. Going in depth with the flavors... Lots of sweet ginger, toasted woody malt, roasted coffee, chocolate, some hop bitterness there as well as I get acquainted with this beer... Fruit notes- plum, raisin, other dark fruits that I can’t quite put my finger on. There is so much to talk about, this is by far the most complex beer I’ve ever had. The kicker for me is the spicy finish along with the severe alcohol warming effect without any semblence of an alcohol bite whatsoever even at 13% ABV. This is a superb, perfectly made beer. I have yet to try one better and it will probably be some time until I will. This beer is as close to perfect as I’ve ever tasted. I can’t gush enough about this beer.

Rerate 2-3-09
Appearance and aroma are same as before. But am I imagining things or has the flavor really kicked it up a notch after five months. The wood is definitely still there, but it no longer seems to completely dominate the flavor profile. Now a strong core of blackcurrant jam flavors comes through very prominently. Very good. I still see banana and vanilla and licorice. I’m excited now to see how the last two bottles turn out.
8 3 8 4 16, 3.9

Original rating 9-11-08
Pours dark brown to black. Little head. Deep aroma - definite wood, licorice, chocolate? demerara etc. Flavor - wood, more wood, banana, vanilla, crystal malt, warming alcohol, licorice. Very good.
8 3 8 4 15, 3.8

bottle poured into a trappist glass has a super dark brown color with a thick brown expresso like head. aroma has rich malt, wood, vanilla, molasses sweetness, brown sugar, and tobacco. mouth feel is medium heavy with lighter carbonation. flavor has loads of dark thick malt, lightly toasted wood, vanilla, and barley wine like brown sugar and molasses. very chewy but not bitter or too thick in texture. there is some alcohol but it is not overdone, sweetness blends with the malts nicely. like a malted barleywine aged in wood. very nice with dark fruit comming through and a finish of malted sweetness lingering on the tongue for a while.

12 oz bottle pours black with a very thin brown head. Aromas of burnt wood, molasses, brown sugar, vanilla, and ripe fruit. Flavor is rich, bitter, ripe fruits, dark sugar, and vanilla. Very good, VERYCOMPLEX

NICE AND SMOOTH YOU CAN TASTE THE WOOD BARREL AGING TASTE ALMOST LIKE A FINE RED WINE. VERY GOOD A MUST TRY.

Bottle at Sune’s (Thanks Bager). Black - brown head. Burned, sweetness, fruity, candy, wood, brown sugar, berries, caramel, spicyness. Very nice.

Poured like an Imperial Stout with a little less body. Lacey, low carbonation, and vanilla in the nose and palate. Lots of molasses in the beginning with only a slight bitterness in the finish. Again these guys kick ass. Superb.