Dogfish Head World Wide Stout 2001/2003-Present (18%)

Nose heavy with chocolate and alcohol. Pours jet black. Very little to no head. Initial taste of roasted malts followed by strong chocolate. Strong alcohol finish. Heavy mouth feel. Coats he mouth and has an alcohol burn. Good beer. Would be better with less alcohol dominating the flavor.

Earthen brown-black hues gaze nonchalantly at me while light peaks through her unassuming depths. A miniscule head fades hurriedly into nothingness as if retreating to safety as quickly as she can. Warily, I raise her nose to mine and am pleasantly surprised by what follows. Sweet, sweet, sweet caramelized barley oozes dark breads packed with plump, juicy, dark fruits. If a nose could ever be thick and chewy, my World Wide Stout is one, and nothing like any stout’s nose I have ever partaken of before. I am hopelessly intrigued now, and waste no time delving into her awaiting ocean of barley. Just like her nose, our first encounter is sweet, sweet, and more sweet. But, she manages what many may not have: balance. This could easily be one thick, disgustingly cloying disaster, and yet it is dangerously quaffable and easy on the palate. Succulent dark breads drizzled with maple, honey, and brown sugars lead into a dessert of raisins, dates, figs, and prunes. There is no doubt that massive amounts of barley were used, just as promised. Almost immediately my chest starts to warm, a pervasive comfort which quickly fills my whole being while a breath of warm spices lingers. Each quaff ends warm. Bready, spicy and desert-like sweet, but never thick. Truly, for such a big beer, she was far too easy to drink, as evidenced by my empty glass and a rosy tinge to my cheeks.

Make no mistake; the World Wide Stout is a sipping brew. This is no dinner beer, but the perfect after-dinner aperitif, to be sipped and savored near a roaring fire, or with a fine cigar in a vintage speakeasy. This is also the only beer you will be quaffing; at roughly 18% abv, she is the unwavering master of her domain.

Great tan head, clear, dark/chocolate color. Has a bit of a metalic taste I found strange. Chocolate aroma. Alcohol taste and somewhat bitter. I think it was most likely past it’s prime.

Pours out a thick black color with a nice head. The aroma is strong and smells like raisin, alcohol and malts. The taste is downright amazing.

Black pour. Eye watering, but fresh, aroma of alcohol and malty sweetness, plus some esters and sharp vinous notes. This is a powerful brew, and it has a mighty flavor of lots of sugar, cofee, alcohol, prunes, and tobacco. Interesting finish with a lot of warmth and a hoppy tingle. There is a good amount of complexity on the palate. This would make a classy after dinner brew, but at $10 (US) per bottle, it is a luxury purchase. Not the best imperial stout, but worth experiencing. I tried adding a little club soda to it, and that tasted fine too.

On tap @ Hopleaf, 6 oz. snifter. At 18% abv, this was worth trying for the novelty. They disguised the alcohol reasonably well, but thats probably the most I have to say for it. Awful metallic nose, like a railway wash basin. Molasses, caramel and some chocolate in the flavor. Very pretty black/ruby tinted pour w/ a thin beige head. Mostly of academic interest- surprisingly worse upon warming up! I continue to be disappointed by DFH.

Pours a deep dark brown with amber colors on the edges. Practically no head formation to speak of. The aroma is amazing! The smell of bourbon is dominating, but subtle tunes of sweet roasted malts and rich molasses come in as well. The taste starts off like alcohol, very bourbonesque. Then the sweet malts show up as the beer coats my palate. Fantastic notes of earthiness come around and then the beer moves into the bitter roasted qualities of a stout. However, it definitely stays sweet throughout. There is a deep warming effect from the alcohol. This is a beautiful and sophisticated stout.

I sampled the 2008 version. The bottle fills two six-ounce glasses with a lively, nearly opaque dark brown liquid. There’s little head, but what remains appears to be replenished by the active body. There’s a surprising amount of lacing. The aroma is strong, spicy and reminiscent of dark fruit compote or port wine—especially given the robust scent of alcohol. Palate entry is sweet, but short of overwhelming. I find this stout much more carbonated than other varieties, but believe it adds rather than subtracts from my enjoyment of this interpretation. The mid-palate reveals the jumbo dark roasted barley backbone, balanced by a strong alcohol finish with some hints of hop bitterness. I missed the expected coffee and chocolate flavors, but there is an unmistakable smoky aftertaste. I like this beer, but find it more like a barleywine than a stout.