Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

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

Bottle.

Pours a deep dark brown with a modest tan head. Woody, almost spicy nose, sweet teriyaki marinade, alcohol. Sweet beer with licorice and tobacco, lots of the strange wood tannins with almost perfume-like intensity, molasses aftertaste. Very hot, boozy flavors, warm on the mouth. Intriguing, but not balanced and I’m not left particularly impressed. Typical DFH; sooner or later I’ll learn.

Bottle. Poured black with a thin tan head. Sweet aroma of caramel and milk chocolate backed with light fruits (cherry?). The flavor had caramel, chocolate, and dark fruits, with a nice vanilla backing. Medium to full body and smooth carbonation. Very nice!

12 oz bottle from South Bay Drugs. This poured as a very dark and black stout color with a fizzed layer of heading. The initial nose was hard to determine what exactly made it smell so good since there was so much going on in my memory of scents. Basically, I can find a medium roasted malt and perhaps vanilla with an underlining presence of the wood used to age this ale. The flavor is robust and difficult to pin point what are the strong characteristics that stand out but it did hold a sweet molasses syrup and caramel malt with a very minor roasted flavor and a brief reminder of the wood again. Certainly an interesting ale? Stout? Malt liquor?

Bottle. Small, frothy tan head that diminishes to a rim of small bubbles. Dark brown to black body. Malts and alcohol dominate the nose. Molasses, caramel, toasted grain, sugar, vanilla, whiskey barrel. The flavor is very sweet and only lightly bitter. The finish is moderately sweet and lightly to moderately bitter. Alcohol warming in the back of the throat. Light taste of cardboard and distinct tastes of licorice and especially tobacco. Full body with a syrupy texture. Plenty of carbonation. Didn’t enjoy this all that much because of the thick sweetness followed by a finish of bitter cardboard.

Draught at the WBF in Raleigh. Pours brown, opaque, medium brown head, nice lacing. Aroma is dark fruits--raisin,plum, nuts, chocolate and caramel. Flavor is delicious. A veritable malt assault, sweet, with a warming finish.

On tap at Flossmoor Station. Ahhh, a guest beer. Pours a dark brown with a very prominent, very brown head. A flavorful interesting aroma that is very inviting. A bit fruity, a bit of a mild sweetness to it. Initial tastes are sweet and smooth, with chocolate and vanilla feels and a nice tinge of darker fruits with some interesting notes I’d never had suspected in this particular beer. This truly must be a special wood they use in the aging process. A You cannot notice the alcohol in this brew, which is a real plus in my book. A great beer that I hope is still on tap next weekend!

V - thick black color with a lacy with a medium tan head.

A - dark fruits and spices with licorice and caramel brown sugar. rum and oak notes.

T - dark fruits spices, plums and raisins with a smooth caramel and roasted malts, oak notes.

P - smooth.

Rich malt with vanilla, caramel, dark fruit, coffee, light smoke and brown sugar. Perfect body; doesn’t come across and too thick and carries the 12% quite well. Pretty darn good...