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

On tap at Map Room, Chicago. I didn’t know anything about this beer when I tasted it. Halfway through the glass I could feel the buzz and knew this had to be pretty strong. The bourbon hides the alcohol well, and there’s no lingering bitterness or off flavors-- so the base stout flavor does come through in the finish. Highly enjoyable-- can’t wait to try it again.

14 months of aging. Green Cap. Pours is midnight black brown that looks thick and molasses like. Nose is sour, burnt, and roasted. Mouth feel is like liquid chocolate with a small fizzy burn on the end. Taste is caramel, vanilla, a dash of hops, chocolate and sugar. Its a really good beer that was much different than I expected.

Black as night with a very small head that quickly disappates to a very light spotty layer of bubbles. Smells like alcohol with raisiny sweetness and a slight earthy aroma. Surprisingly sweet taste, with good roast undertones and aftertaste. Alcohol flavor throughout, honestly not as much as I thought it would be, but what do you expect from 18% abv. Interesting and extreme, one of those beer that you would just drink one of to say that you did it. Now that I tried it I don’t have an urge to drink it again. Very good but to over the top for me

2007 Bottle. Opaque black, consistency a bit lighter than I expected. Aroma is boozy, raisins, chocolate. Flavor is incredibly smooth and sweet. Alcohol only really comes through like what I expected when it gets to to room temperature. Hints of raisin, molasses, chocolate, brown sugar. As it warms the sweetness really comes through even more, still excellently masking the ABV. Great for sipping, really enjoyed this one. Despite the high price, I would pick one of these up again.

pours pitch black, however it is not as sludgy as I thought it would be. .Small thin tan headand some spotty lacing. Caramel, figs, and molasses on the nose. I cant believe how well the alcohol is masked. Roastiness, malts, coffee, and raisins. very complex and well balanced. sweet finish!

12oz bottle, 2005 vintage. Nearly opaque black with a thin film of brown head. Dark alefruit, walnut, and alcohol in the aroma. Some roastiness, bittersweet chocolate. Heavy, syrupy raisins and dates character. High alcohol presence dominates the palate. Residual chocolate and alefruit in the finish, with a lingering sticky heat. Mouthfeel is very dense, somewhat chewy and rather hot.

I did a small blind vertical tasting with a 2003 and a 2006 vintage poured into identical DFH snifters. On the flavor, it was easy as pie to distinguish the two vintages. This review is for the 2003. A: This looks very similar to the ’06 except it has less head. Jet black body with dark ruby notes around the edges. S: There is only a bit of alcohol in the aroma on this, much less than the ’06. I get a bunch of port wine, molasses, caramel, raisins, and other dark fruits. Especially after smelling the ’06, this one smells awesome. T: Damn. This is good. Day and night with the ’06. No alcohol bite at all but it warms my belly on every sip. There are a bunch of dark fruits in here with some chocolate also. Sweetness increases towards the end but remains in check. M: INCREDIBLY smooth. Medium mouthfeel and it doesn’t need any more. D: I was torn between rating this a 4 or a 4.5. On the positive side, it is a great sipping beer. This beer hides it’s ABV amazingly and is incredibly smooth in an almost port wine or brandy kind of way. On the other hand, the ABV is really high for a beer and that does limit the drinkability. It’s really good though. Overall, the ’03 and the ’06 are totally different beers. The ’06 is good, but the ’03 blows it out of the water.

(bottle from 06) Poured a very dark brown with a light tan head that dissipated quickly. Smell initially was a lot of raisin with some chocolate, which then switched to more molasses/brown sugar as it warmed along with some alcohol that stings the nostrils, and dark fruit. Taste was really sweet, with hints of raisin, chocolate, and some dark fruit with a light, but lingering roasted malt finish, and a little alcohol present. This was pretty good, but for the price, this will be my first and final purchase of this product.