Dogfish Head Red and White

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

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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Feb 2007, 750mL bottle drunk on 5/2 and 5/3/07
The moment you’ve all been waiting for has arrived! A new unfiltered DFH beer! You can certainly imagine my excitement, as their old unfiltered offerings used to be some of my favorite beers.
Even the recent, filtered special releases have shown great appearances, but this one seems to have a bit more lasting head retention and even better lacing qualities. The light haze and thick layer of sediment on the bottom of the bottle invoke great nostalgia! Deep amber hues mix with black cherry and some magenta-fuschia tints, while the head is a pink-tinged beige, very large and dense.
Tart, very piquant pinot notes open up the nose, reminding me very much of cranberries, while soft, but very strongly supportive base malts give a good dose of vanilla-creaminess. Even a touch of doughy/breadiness, giving the nose a bit more heft. It almost begins to taste citric, like blood orange or juicy tangerine notes, but the pinot notes unfold on the finish and hold the aroma in a very tart-but-juicy fruitiness that is augmented by phenolic yeast activity producing black and white pepper and light, very manageable clove. Medium to medium-high strength of aroma, only a light alcohol warming. Maybe a slight trace of fusels with warming, but it’s very marginal if so. My overall impressions are pretty positive. I’m not in love with the pinot, finding it just a bit forceful and obviously nowhere near as elegant as if it had aged soley in a pinot barrel, but there’s plenty of malt and interesting yeast notes, with the barrel-aging very tastefully done; not pumping out too much tannin or oak.
The first thing that strikes me about the flavor: Wow, this is a nicely balanced beer! I’m so used to tons and tons of caramel or other medium-malt sugars in DFH’s big beers by now that this is a breath of fresh air. Certainly, the malt is still quite present, and does have its share of sweetness, but it’s appropriate and well-attenuated, leaving the finish dry and full of tart, pinot acids and light oak character. Again, I’d greatly prefer that this beer had no pinot concentrate added, and just be aged in the pinot barrel, as the concentrate comes off a bit tacky, but there’s still some fun yeast phenols on the finish, with a prominent anise note and light earthiness. A bit of biscuity maltiness adds some crispness, while light acids and tannins linger on. Alcohol very well-concealed in the flavor.
And the texture....just as I had hoped. Soft, supple and very supportive, without having to rely on massive amounts of residual sugars. Not bottle conditioned, but it almost dosent matter, as the carbonation here is still very nicely done, being quite spritzy and helping keep the finish somewhat light and crisp.
In the end, I think the pinot concentrate brought down the experience for me, but I’m really impressed by the texture, the restraint on the barrel, the lack of fusels, and the malt balance. Can’t wait to try the black and blue!! I think this is going to get even better as the pinot concentrate flavors dissipate and the yeast comes out more and further dries out the beer. Plus, no dark malts to oxidize (do DFH beers even oxidize, lol?). My score is partially factoring in the potential I think this has.

Bottle at home, from BlackIPA. Shared with Cole, from my Minneapolis Town Hall glass. Pours clear orange/gold, thick white head, fine lacing. Nose is crushed berries, oak, tannin, cream, orange, light vinous notes. Flavours of red grape, oak, vanilla, spice, leather, alcohol... Not really great, but thoroughly enjoyable and pushes the envelope...

Pours pale amber with a white head. Smells very oaky. Flavour is amazing bold complex. I get the wine the oak the tannins. Deliciouse. I get marmalade and hops. Very creative and tasty.

A - pours light bubbly golden amber with no head.no lacing. S - very floral, Belgian yeasts, coriander orange peel and a hint of grapes. M - full bodied, average palate. High burning carb. Spicy palate with lingering malty Belgian yeasts. T - corriander, Belgians yeasts, orange peel up front. Pinot, over ripe grapes, over sweet fruity sugar. Lingering clovey bitter sweet malts. O - not a great combination. Far to sweet. 6-

Bottle - Orangepeel, coriander and a slight alcohol finish on the end. Golden with a long lasting creamy white head. Taste the yeast and alchohol which overwhelmes the beer, may mellow with age but now a little rich for my palate.

A - Pours a clear golden-orange with a finger of frothy white head. The head fades down slowly leaving behind some nice thick lace. S - Aroma is a mix of dark grape, orange and other citrus flavors, Belgian yeast, coriander and other spices, wheat, and a bit of oak and booze. T - Starts off with a mix of lightly sweet dark grape with some orange peel and a bit of wheat. Through the middle, some stronger citrus flavors come through with some coriander and Belgian yeast flavor. The finish is a mix of dark grape, orange and other citrus flavors, wheat, oak, and a bit of booze. M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a sweet and warming finish. D - Very drinkable. Nice big witbier with the Pinot Noir grapes and oak adding some nice touch and balancing out the body and the alcohol content.

Clear reddish-amber with a somewhat stable, frothy cream colored head. Lacing is pretty heavy. Aroma of white wine, grapes, banana, caramel, bubblegum, citrus, and bread. Taste is witbier, wine, sweet fruit, and caramel with virtually no noticeable alcohol. Medium bodied, smooth. Nice.

Location/Date:Bottle on May 18th, 2012.

Appearance:Pours a dark orange cloud.
Aroma: Aroma is of citrus.
Taste: No bitterness, bready malt and yeast, orange.
Palate:Medium body.

Summary: Tasty.

750 mL bottle from a hotel glass. Pours a golden orange color with a small white head. Aroma has a nice bit of orange citrus and some definite grape juice. Taste has some nice fruity notes...both grape and citrus. Also there is a bit of oaky woodiness in the finish. Very refreshing, balanced beer and the ABV is very well hidden.

Draft. Very odd, Medium body, kinda sweet, has a bit of a bite though. Fruity, effervescent, hmmmm...Not so sure bout this. One of these beers is enough, couldn’t do two.

Pours golden with low white head Aromas of oranges, citrusy fruits, belgian yeast, honey Mmm. Very nice full bodied, round sweet belgian from dogfish head. Cant really sense the coriander, but it doesnt really matter... This is a really good belgian style ale!