Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Milton, Delaware USA

12 oz. bottle from Cork ’n Bottle in Covington, Kentucky. Pours almost black with a small, uneven, bubbly brown head. Aroma of wood, chocolate, dried dark fruits, coffee, brown sugar, malt, menthol. Woody flavor (the bottle doesn’t lie) with dark fruits, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, molasses, menthol. Nice balance despite the complexity. Rich, sweet, and slightly bitter, with a motor oil consistency and warming alcohol. This is an interesting, satisfying beer that I love to try with a few people.

Bottled, SBWF 2009. Near black colour with brown head. Rich, spicy nose: fünf kräuter, menthol, eucalyptus, ginger, juniper, clove, very complex. Flavourwise like a stout with menthol och variation of x-mas herbs. Mouthfeel is very rounded. Not sure what the Palo Santo wood did to this beer, except for an elegant woody touch along with a mature flavour.

Newer Bottle. Pitch black with a thin, bubbly tan head. Aroma of chocolate, dark fruit, wood, a bit of coffee and cream. Also raisins. Woody, chocolate and fruit flavor. Cherries and raisins. Coffee and vanilla. Very woody and roasted. Very fruity into the mid-palate, and quite sweet, with vanilla, then this is all washed away by alcohol, which leads to a well-roasted, bitter finish. The mid-palate fruitiness is very nice—approaching a real German schnapps or a grappa. Lovely palate, thick and smooth but not too heavy. Barely carbonated. Fantastic and complex. Best beer I’ve had from them to date.

Bottle, provided and shared by Kestral. A dark brown to near black colored body, topped by a low, brown head. Delicious malt aroma; gently sweet and peppery with a fine, rounded rostedness. A whiff of of cream-caramel, wood and subtle spices. Taste is full malty, has a pure sweetness, and again, a well rounded roastedness. Notes of wood, dark dried fruits and Christmas spices. Full-bodied with a pleasant alcohol warmth in the mouth. Spiced, malty ending. Complex, powerfull and very tasty.

From the bottle. Poured a very dark color, darker than most imperial stouts in fact. There is some moderate carbonation with a half finger of head. There are some distinct hints of brown sugar and candy sugar on the smell. This is also immediately apparent on the taste, though some cinnamon spices come across as well. On the aftertaste the brown sugar certainly dominates. If anything, this is almost a sweet christmas-type strong ale. A rather interesting brown ale on steroids is another way to describe it. Quite delicious and hides the alcohol very well.

bottle, pours dark brown with a medium frothy tan head. Cinnamon and brown sugar spiced nose. Lots of nice earthy notes, some licorice and a burnt sugar and malty sweetness. Very smooth and rich. I love it.

Bottle. Black as old motor oil and just about as viscous. The think, dark head faded quickly. Rich malt aroma, with toffee, molasses and coffee dominating the hops and alcohol. Heavy, with a dark malt flavor. This beer is intense, but fairly sweet. The wood adds complexity, without standing out, as I feared.

From the first time I had it at the Dogfish Brewhouse, this became my favorite beer. It does everything right.